buckskin (horse color)
Refers to a horse coat color: tan or yellowish body with black points (mane, tail, lower legs). A specific equine color term.
That buckskin horse is very beautiful.
Buckskin is a coat color not often seen in Japan.
月毛 refers to a palomino (golden coat with white mane and tail), while 川原毛 is a buckskin (tan with black points).
栗毛 is a chestnut (reddish-brown all over), whereas 川原毛 has a lighter body with dark points.
Standard kanji spelling for this horse color term.
Alternate kanji spelling; less common than 川原毛.
The derivation is uncertain. The kanji 川原 (riverbed) and 毛 (hair) may evoke the color of dry riverbed sand, but this is speculative.