Grey horses question

Fools Motto

Fools Motto

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My 2 yr old filly is technically grey. But, she is currently a very pretty grey-roan with a dark mane, dark legs and 4 white socks and a blaze. She also has a dorsal stripe.
She was born chestnut, and advertised for sale as a strawberry roan when she was 6 moths old. - she wasn't and never will be!!

Anyway, I'd love her to stay this pretty colour, she is still identical to what she was last summer, goes a bit darker over the winter.
The likelihood of her going white-grey is???? High?? Will she ever be dapple grey or go flea bitten??

Thoughts on this... will try to add picture..
 
My horse
Dennis20as20a20baby1.jpg


3 years old and a lovely pink colour
DennisRomseyHand-1.jpg


12 years old
03jul2011-3836.jpg
 
That could answer that then!! Thanks - pretty arab!

Did he ever go dapple or flea bitten, or just went straight to 'white out' from rose/pink grey?
 
If she has the grey gene she will 100% go white eventually. Sorry to tell you that! Was one of her parents grey?

They do grey out at different rates and the chances are you will have a period where she has dapples and a period where she has flea bites but eventually she will be white.

Grey isn't actually a colour. It is a lack of pigment, it literally strips colour from any coat leaving the hair white. It's a dominant gene so you only need one copy of it from either parent to end up with a white hoss. Very interesting if you are into genetics and somewhere I have a really interesting summary article stored on my computer about it. I will see if I can find it for you :)
 
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My 2 yr old is the opposite to yours FM, he goes lighter in the winter and a dark iron grey in the summer, except for his legs and head which stay dark all the time. I'm wondering what colour he will end up too :)
 
Spiritedly said:
My 2 yr old is the opposite to yours FM, he goes lighter in the winter and a dark iron grey in the summer, except for his legs and head which stay dark all the time. I'm wondering what colour he will end up too :)
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Oh crumbs, now I'm questioning myself and getting all confused over her colour through summer/winter!! :eek:
She was VERY dark through her first winter with us, and now seemingly the same as to what she was last summer.
 
I didn't know grey horses changed colour until after I'd bought my mare :o ; back then aged 5 she was very dark grey, every coat change since she has lightened from front to back, now aged 12 she is fleabitten at the front and dappled at the back, lower halves of legs still quite dark.
 
My mare was very dark steel grey as a foal, then went roany as a yearling, dark dapples as a 3yr old, now at four dappled again but lighter with a steel colour on her rump, I reckon it wont take long for her to turn white :( she goes whiter over winter with the dark stripe.
 
Mine was born chestnut went roan never went through the nice dapple grey stage. She fairly quickly went to the 'white' stage but with little flea bites. The flea bitten stage seems to be receding now and she is more 'white'. She will be 22 tomorrow.
 
This sounds like a thread that needs photos! :D ;)

Foal.
Flossysix.jpg



Yearling.
Flosstrotfive.jpg



Two year old (pretty much pure white).
Flossgrazing.jpg



Three year old (starting to go fleabitten).
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Four year old (close up to show her fleabites - she's going chestnut again! ;) ).
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As a contrast here is a link to photos of her sire, who was also born chestnut but is now dapple grey. :)
http://www.gkjarabians.co.uk/
 
Bay foal.... Greyed out really fast.
2 weeks
matey065.jpg

a month later
babyquailers020.jpg

By 2 she was steel grey with black mane and tail.

Chestnut foal by same sire
babyquailers016.jpg

and as a yearling
P160410_16420003.jpg

Was rose grey as a two year old.
 
Well my yearling will definitely grey out. She was born dun then when I brought her home at 8 months she was red bay, with a dorsal stripe. Is now, as a yearling, rose grey. She will probably be be iron grey next summer and lighten as she gets older. Just like her gorgeous mother.
 
wits end said:
Aly
Foal
165732_183679691653073_6106397_n.jpg

yearling
423685_254266371322993_237407073008923_574487_12432370_n.jpg

3
162699_183679581653084_7703531_n.jpg

Now (4)
423435_355167311170976_697402020_n.jpg

Aly still has a way to go, but yes both he and your girl will eventually fade out.
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Looking at your foal photo, I would never in a million years say he would be grey!! Lovely horse, just 'not the same horse'!!!! :cool: Do you think he will stay dark for a while before 'the white-out stage?'
 
My Connie was born bay, was a lovely bay roan as a two, three year old and has got lighter each year, he will be ten this year and is almost white on the top of his quarters, dappled on his neck and shoulders, slightly darker on his legs and flea bitten on his face!
Wrong computer to put up pics sorry.
 
Fools Motto said:
Looking at your foal photo, I would never in a million years say he would be grey!! Lovely horse, just 'not the same horse'!!!! :cool: Do you think he will stay dark for a while before 'the white-out stage?'
Click to expand...
His sire stayed dark for a while, as did his grand-sire so fingers crossed he stays nice and dappled for a few years. When he was younger it seemed like every time I looked out the window at him he was a different color!
 
My homebred now 17y.o mare was born dark bay with a white blaze, she then turned strawberry roan, then grey-roan and a 2y.o, then dark grey and this gradually lightened over the years until she was 'white' , she is now turning flea-bitten grey! Both her dam and sire were grey, her older full sister is bright bay.
 
One of my horses was dun at about 3 years old, then he was grey with a very dark (almost black) mane & tail at 5, by the time he was 9 he was grey with a light grey mane & tail & in the summer he went flea bitten, especially around his eyes :)

also new a mare who was completely black with a small white stripe on her face, she went dappled grey and is now completely white
 
Sprite as a yearling last summer

031.jpg



End of last year


1.jpg




March this year...now 2yr old

016.jpg




Earlier this week...meeting a scary flag

005.jpg
 
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