Chestnut Pony Colour Change

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Celtic Fringe

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Is it common for a bright chestnut to change colour? Is this purely genetic or can local environment also play a part? My little cob is now 8 and has been quite a bright chestnut his whole life but his summer coat is now coming in quite a lot darker than before. His dam and grand-dam were fairly dark bay, sire was cream and white; maternal grandsire bright chestnut. Others unknown. He has been on this yard since June 2017, lives out 24/7 and has local hay or haylage. The soil is very chalky. Minimal hard feed - half scoop of Baileys Ease and Excel a day in winter. He was clipped in mid-February so I guess could change more as his full summer coat comes in, though he was also clipped at a similar time in winter 2018.
Louie 3.jpg
Before being clipped in late January.

Louie 1.jpg
Colour today - weather was very dull so he doesn't look as shiny as usual! Tail needs a good wash too.
 
When there clipped the coat often looks darker especially if clipped late, my bay horses look really dark when they have had there last clip when the coat starts growing it should come through lighter.
 
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Frank always comes through dark (I love it!) then returns to a more normal ginger.

It is usually much more noticeable if he has been clipped as there is less 'light' hair to dilute the effect.

His sire was very dark liver, I wish he was like that all year!
 
Pinkvboots said:
When there clipped the coat often looks darker especially if clipped late, my bay horses look really dark when they have had there last clip when the coat starts growing it should come through lighter.
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It will be interesting to see if he is lighter again in a month or so. When he was clipped he was quite a light colour and has only gone this dark in the last two weeks as his coat has begun to change.
 
Celtic Fringe said:
Thank-you! He normally stays quite dappled and also has a 'puzzle coat' where the hair grows in different directions. This is more noticeable when he has got a bit warm when being worked.
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That sounds nice. I've never seen a puzzle coat before.
 
I had a very gingery chestnut pony in the New Forest, when my daughter left home I gave this pony to my best friend who lived in Scotland. After a year or so this pony's coat turned to a colour more like sorrell. We decided it was change of soil, feed and environment etc.
 
J&S said:
I had a very gingery chestnut pony in the New Forest, when my daughter left home I gave this pony to my best friend who lived in Scotland. After a year or so this pony's coat turned to a colour more like sorrell. We decided it was change of soil, feed and environment etc.
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I was wondering about this. He lived on a yard on quite a clay soil and old cattle pasture until he was 6 and is now on chalk grassland, only 17 miles away but quite different soil and feed.
 
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