Colour experts help!

[pootleperkin]

I have an eight month old colt, who we thought was just a normal bright chestnut. However, as his coat is starting to change we have noticed quite a number of white hairs, looking like a bit of roaning, appearing up the whorls between his flanks and hindquarters.

Pic of him here http://www.sporthorse-data.com/d?z=fkhDhz&d=Hindles+jorin&x=42&y=11 where there are also links to his skewbald/Tobiano mother and bay father. Any ideas if he is going to change colour, or is this a coat changing thing and he is going to stay chestnut, albeit maybe with a few white hairs scattered about.....?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

It's probably sabino - he has white on his face that looks jagged edged. If the flecks are restricted to his flanks and he also grows a 'skunk' tail (white hairs at the top) it could be that he's a rabicano.

Both of my chestnuts are really chestnut sabinos and they have white flecks through their coats. They are hard to see in the winter and become easy to see once the summer coat comes through.

 

[pootleperkin]

Thanks Faracat, I was hoping that you would be along! I'll have a check of his tail and see if there's any white there as I can't recall. He does have lots of pale chestnut mealy bits, which I'm kind of hoping that he will keep!

 

[s4sugar]

Probably rabicano -the tail bars don't always show on chestnuts.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Yes - it would be very hard to see on a flaxen chestnut.

ETA - this is a very striking, loud chestnut rabicano. They don't always have so much 'roaning' on their sides.

 

[pootleperkin]

So what should I expect if he is rabicano - Just for him to stay chestnut with white hairs through his coat I presume? ETA - I have just googled it, and it seems to be quite a range from just a few white hairs up to white flanks and tummy!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

You'll just have to see what he looks like once his summer coat is through and decide from the placement if he's sabino or rabicano. He could have minimal white flecks or more than that. My gelding was 17 months when I bought him and he hasn't got any more white flecks as he's aged (he has a spot on his elbow that has a concentration of white hairs, but apart from that they are just spread lightly throughout his coat) but they are harder to see in the winter.