Why Are MLP Hooves the Same As Their Coat?

[Bird Mom 900]

I always found it odd. It's not all the time, but mostly with the mares, or female ponies. Take Derpy for example:

 

 

 

See? Her hooves are the same color as her coat. Same with the Mane 6. Why do you think this is?

[RainbowDashington 89]

This topic is unusual, and I never have thought about this before.

It could be to make it easier for the animators to make their hooves the same color (maybe?)    

[Commander Tangent 861]

My guesss is that it would be for simplicity. Cause not every Stallion has differently colored hooves as well.

[Scootalove 10,689]

I think it's so that the coat and hooves match in terms of color, so it doesn't confuse anyone.

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,527]

I feel it's an expression of artistic style more than anything. FiM's style tends toward keeping designs simple and close to flat shading and basic geometric forms whenever possible. There isn't a great deal in the way of visual noise because many of the characters, objects, and scenes aren't drawn with very much detail, and this is one of the defining aspects of show's style. Try to make textures and shapes too close to reality, and you run the risk of running into uncanny valley territory.

 

Colouring the hooves "properly" is one of those things that I imagine is done sparingly because it adds a substantial number of shapes to the basic pony design. The exception that's made for some stallions (who are already relatively rare to begin with) may be a status symbol or otherwise a denotation that they're particularly important ponies - though this begins to break down when you consider Big Mac is not exactly a high-class pony. Which brings me to another idea... keep reading...

 

For an in-universe explanation, try this: the natural growth of the ponies' coats covers their feet/hooves, unlike real-life horses. It would make sense for some morphological differences between MLP's and the real world's equines to exist, and we've seen such differences many times already in features such as eye positioning, facial muscles, and snout shape. For stallions, it may be an expression of masculinity to regularly trim the hair that covers the hooves. This may, to some degree, parallel the the custom in our world that males keep the hair on their heads relatively short compared to women - although short male hairdos are much more commonplace on Earth than short "hoof hair" in Equestria. Perhaps the need to constantly express masculinity isn't nearly as ingrained into pony society as it is in ours.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

 

 

For an in-universe explanation, try this: the natural growth of the ponies' coats covers their feet/hooves, unlike real-life horses.

But then the hooves wouldn't be shiny and able to reflect ponies such as Rarity when she's having a vain moment. Also, they would have no grip. I think it's just an artistic decision to not to make the hooves stand out.

[UserNotFound 964]

I guess it's just a stylistic preference... My OC has different hooves

[Skycoaster 698]

To me, if you look at Big Mac and Shiny, there hooves are the same color. What we see is a different color fur like what a Real Life Clydesdale would have, hence the larger stallions have this feature.

 

My two cents.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

I tend to think of it as one of those things you just have to accept. I find no huge issue with it. It's probably just the preference of the animators.

Edited February 16, 2014 by Sound of Madness

[Shenron00 366]

It is rather curious, Big Macintosh's hooves aren't the same as his coat. Hmm..very curious indeed. Oh well, we've all seen stranger.

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

It's just based on the style of choice that fits each of the characters specifically.

 

Colored hooves IMO are fitted better on stallions, since it gives them that cool refined design compared to the mares of equestria.  

[DubWolf 17,276]

I think Big Mac actually has different colored hooves; his hooves look like they're "shaved".

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

Maybe it's how the characters were meant to be designed. Big mac doesn't apply to this case though.

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

Its a stylistic choice.  FIM has a very simplistic character design, so I'm guessing they want smoother lines.  It fits for other characters like Big Mac, because he's not a main character and he has a design that matches his hooves.

[Tigerpop198 696]

I think it's to show the characters identity, and for style also.

[KarentheUnicorn 218]

Actually it's not just FIM, It's tradition. All MLP have pretty much been that way from the beginning; G1-G4.

Edited February 18, 2014 by KarentheUnicorn

[Koelath 445]

Because their legs and hooves are, due to the art design, one solid uninterrupted piece and a random color change would look distracting and awful.

[Paleopony 703]

They're like that because it's a simple design.