For years folks have asked us, “Do you have The Color of Horses by Ben Green?” Unfortunately we would always have to say, “Sorry, it's out of print”, in which they would reply with what a great book it is and how ol' Uncle not-worth-a-hoot borrowed theirs, never to be returned. Well, thanks to Mountain Press, the company that brings us the Will James books, this much sought after reference book is available once more.

The Color of Horses begins with a description of various horse breeds and their characteristics. The book addresses the two main color categories: intense colors, such as bay, brown, black, grey, and dun, which have dark hair and hides; and self colors, such as sorrel, buckskin, and copper dun, which have light hair and light hides. Each detailed description of color includes a diagram of pigment arrangement. Thirty-four full-color reproductions of oil paintings by renowned western artist Darol Dickinson depict the colors that Dr. Green isolated and described.

As a young boy working in a livery stable and listening to cowboy conversations, Ben Green realized that people preferred different-colored horses for different reasons. Drivers prized highly teams that matched in color and size. Traveling salesmen chose solid bay teams because they had more endurance. Dark horses seemed less vulnerable to scalding and chafing by saddles and cinches. Green decided that if a horse's color had anything to do with its stamina, intelligence, or soundness, he had better learn about it.

Dr. Green compiled his discoveries into this well-documented and easy-to-read book, originally published in 1974, about why equine color occurs as it does and how to identify it.