colour changing bays?!

[Shooting Star]

now here's a numpty question for you all !!

What colour do your bays go in the summer (yes I do know they're still bay )?

Never really though about it or paid much attention before but having given up the sins of being a red head lover and having my first ever bay I guess I kind of expected him to get lighter / brighter.
But nope as the summer coat is coming through his head & neck have already gone dark - heading towards the colour of a brown if you know what I mean?!

... so which way do yours go in the summer darker or lighter?!

(attempts at losing the winter colour - or maybe just an badly disguised spring mud worshiping session in my siggie, I was kinda getting used to the colour, tell me it's not bye-bye until the autumn )

 

[Jesstickle]

When clipped mine is darker than his summer coat. His winter woolies (unclipped) are about the same colour as his summer coat I reckon.

 

[LouS]

My gelding goes through a range of bays all year, he came into the winter really red, he's going out of it really pale brown, and in the summer he'll be bright red/almost liver chestnutty again.

My mare just stays a nice bright to dark bay, definitely brighter in the summer though.

 

[KSR]

My Clevies are mahogany coloured this time of year.. If I clip, they are black, in the summer mine go tango orange with a copper sheen with blue tinges to mane and tail..

 

[Montyforever]

Mine is big standard bay in winter but she gets goldy flecks through her summer coat so goes lighter

 

[criso]

Mine is really red in the winter and and in the summer goes brighter, almost gold in places.

But at this time of the year when he is moulting and his summer coat is coming through he goes really dark especially round the head and neck as you described so wait and see what you get

 

[FionaM12]

I guess I kind of expected him to get lighter / brighter.
But nope as the summer coat is coming through his head & neck have already gone dark - heading towards the colour of a brown if you know what I mean?!

Mollie's not clipped. Her winter coat's been quite mahogany coloured. At present she's going darker but I know she'll be paler and brighter (with lovely dapples) when her summer coat's here.

 

[SillyFilly]

Mine is deep mahogany in winter. Goes very bright/light bay in summer slightly dun round eyes/underside/muzzle etc.

BUT when she moults her winter coat out, she has a very dark 'inbetween' stage, like she moults 2 layers, so when the summer coat brakes through (just starting round her ears now!), she vaguely resembles a panda

 

[Shooting Star]

she vaguely resembles a panda

I want piccies

Really starting to wonder what I'm going to get now, guess I'll have to be patient ... something I'm not good at!

 

[Bennions Field]

to add to the confusion, my boy is classed as a red bay with black sooting ! he spends most of the year a mahogany colour with black shading to his top line, withers, and bottom, but as his coat changes he goes a very dark bay as he sheds his top hairs and resembles a 'brown' horse like the OP's. he gradually then gets his summer coat showing through so starts to look really weird as his new summer coat comming through just peaks out from the dark remaining winter coat. cant wait for it to finish changing and get back to nice summer coats

 

[Mince Pie]

]autumn

winter(clipped

summer

 

[chestnut cob]

Mine goes all sorts of colours!

His summer coat should be a sort of mahogany colour, really deep and rich. When he gets his winter coat, it goes an orangey colour and when I clip, he is almost black underneath so I get a two tone horse. He's a bit of a mixture of orange, mahogany and brown/bay ATM. His tail is black with reddish highlights

 

[Welshie Squisher]

My section D becomes a lovely rich brown in the summer, her winter coat is much brighter.
My TB cross has bright bay hairs amongst his very dark bay coat in winter but loses them come spring and becomes that lovely dark brown bay

 

[nosenseofdirection]

My arab is pretty much the same lovely bright bay all year round, but her coat does lose its shine at this time of year so appears darker. Have to admit she's often dun in the winter but this is down to being turned out with no rug on...

 

[cambrica]

Im waiting and trying to be patient for this :

Not seen him yet with his mahogany dapples as I've only had Roberto for a couple of months but there are faint signs starting to show

 

[BlairandAzria]

Mine is dark dark mahogony in winter then as he starts sheding under his girth and round his muzzle go really bright bay, it spreads through and then i get some lovely dapples...i prefer him in winter when hes super dark though!

 

[fidleyspromise]

Summer:

Winter:

She definitely goes lighter in Summer.

 

[Ladydragon]

She definitely goes lighter in Summer.

We've got a 11mth Sec D baby who's been a real bay in his baby fluff... Now he's starting to shed out, his belly, inside his back legs and up the inside of his hips is really blonde so no idea what he's going to look like... He's got a fully dark mane and tail and short black socks with some white to the tops - but the blonde is a palomino type creamy blonde... It's 'interesting' at the moment that's for sure...

 

[4faults]

Mine is this colour in winter

And this colour in summer

 

[Kat]

Mine gets brighter in summer, her black points are more pronounced, and she gets dappled. There are some summer/winter pics in my profile, can't post them as I'm on my phone but she's a similar shade to 4faults's horse.

 

[fidleyspromise]

We've got a 11mth Sec D baby who's been a real bay in his baby fluff... Now he's starting to shed out, his belly, inside his back legs and up the inside of his hips is really blonde so no idea what he's going to look like... He's got a fully dark mane and tail and short black socks with some white to the tops - but the blonde is a palomino type creamy blonde... It's 'interesting' at the moment that's for sure...

Aww, sounds like he'll be really interesting Would love to see pics of his coat changing.

Mine lost her baby fluff at 3 yrs old. I'll have to get some recent photos, although she's just a fluff ball with all her hair ATM.

 

[L&M]

Very dark bay in the winter, then goes 'orange' on the summer!

 

[criso]

Winter coat clipped and unclipped

Clip growing out and unclipped bit shedding, looking at this point like he could go dark but lighter bits in places too..

Summer coat almost through - just a darker bit left on his quarters

 

[Ranyhyn]

She's much redder and lighter in the winter, I think and darker in the summer. I love her summer colour

Summer
Im in pink (lol the other's a guy )

Winter

 

[Ladydragon]

Aww, sounds like he'll be really interesting Would love to see pics of his coat changing.

Mine lost her baby fluff at 3 yrs old. I'll have to get some recent photos, although she's just a fluff ball with all her hair ATM.

It is quite fascinating to be honest... Dam was a Palomino and sire was a very dark bay - almost black... But one pic I've seen of him shows much lighter tones under his tummy, behind elbow, inside back legs, nose etc... In foalie's photos as a young baby he was very light... But a 'regular' bay when we got him... Although his socks are really short atm with shades of blonde above them as he seems to be getting lighter from the ankles up... A real muddle bless him...

Banned from the yard at the moment with horrible flu but will take some photos soon...

 

[marmalade76]

]autumn

winter(clipped

summer

That looks liver chestnut to me.

Mine is a light orangey bay, if he was a tad lighter he'd be dun. He's slightly darker in the winter.

What I have found with some horses is their coats are darker when fresh (ie, after a coat change) and get lighter towards the next coat change, in other words they fade!

 

[brown tack]

I've got 2 bays the old girls summer coat is rather red and bright, her winter coat goes a deep bay however her clipped coat looks rather bluey-grey.

The young one is a really dark bay in his winter coat, havnt had him in the summer yet, but he's currently going ginger at points and I mean bright ginger, he's got lines down his face, his arm pits and his stifle are a really odd colour. Will wait and see what he turns into

 

[Ladydragon]

Loke as a young baby:

October - 6mths old:

February - started lightening from the ankles up and the tiny bit of blonde inside the stifle has spread along the lower tummy and up inside the hip although some is still buried in baby fluff...

His sire - Gobannium Rhys

I'm not sure if he's a mealy bay although I don't know a lot about coats and genetics...

 

[forestfantasy]

Mine is dark in winter:

and nice a bright in summer:

She was much brighter as a foal

ETA: that is not her dam in the summer pics! She just looks very similar.

 

[BeachBreaker]

My boy is also the first bay I have owned and have had him for about a year and a half now. He is very dark in the winter regardless of whether he is clipped or not...almost black. Around about this time of year he begins to lighten up and gets a lot brighter in the summer.