How have your greys changed colour over time?

[_MizElz_]

I'm currently writing what I hope will be my first proper novel P) and need some info/pictures to help me with my leading equine character! If anyone has some photos that show how a grey horse has changed as its got older, I would be most appreciative. If this includes changes in condition also, then that is fine too - very helpful, in fact! I've had greys before, but they've all been in their twilight years so I've no experience whatsoever of them changing colour!

Many thanks for your help

 

[Switchthehorse]

Randomly i just did a pic of this recently

The left hand side is my girl when i got her 3 1/2 yrs ago aged nearly 4, the right hand side is two weeks ago aged 7

She has completely changed colour, grown approx 5in and her bum and her neck are now MASSIVE

Hope this helps

http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd461/DarcyandMe/Greys/Dchange.jpg

And hope you can see it!?

 

[highlandponygirl]

when one of the foals on our yard was born. He went from beingliterally blue to very dappled then the dapples gradually faded away and now he is completely grey, almost white. he is 10 yo now.

 

[_MizElz_]

Randomly i just did a pic of this recently

The left hand side is my girl when i got her 3 1/2 yrs ago aged nearly 4, the right hand side is two weeks ago aged 7

She has completely changed colour, grown approx 5in and her bum and her neck are now MASSIVE

Hope this helps

http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd461/DarcyandMe/Greys/Dchange.jpg

And hope you can see it!?

That's really helpful; thank you! She is a stunning girl - I do love a solid dappled grey!

Highlandponygirl - thank you, that's also helpful to hear! Do you think it would be feasible to suggest that a grey horse, sold by its breeder at the age of 6/7 in great condition, could change so much in colour and condition that its breeder might then not recognise it if s/he saw it again aged 10/11?

 

[Suziq77]

I've had several greys but am currently unable to work out how to post pictures... One of these I bought as an almost black 5 year old with a white blaze and kept him until he was PTS aged 26 as a fleabitten grey (didn't lose his dapples entirely until he was about 16) and I have pictures of every stage.

I'd like to think if I'd owned a grey up to the age of 6/7 (like the breeder you mention) that I would still recognise that horse in the future regardless of the dilution of its coat and the change of condition. Perhaps not immediately across a large field but definitely up close. Depends how many horses this breeder had though and how much individual attention each one got - but 6/7 years is a long time to know a horse only to not recognise it 4 years later.....

 

[AFlapjack]

This is my boy.

On the left he's 5 and on the right (taken this year) he's 9.

 

[AandK]

That's really helpful; thank you! She is a stunning girl - I do love a solid dappled grey!

Highlandponygirl - thank you, that's also helpful to hear! Do you think it would be feasible to suggest that a grey horse, sold by its breeder at the age of 6/7 in great condition, could change so much in colour and condition that its breeder might then not recognise it if s/he saw it again aged 10/11?

Hmm, not sure with that age difference.. If you were talking age 4/5 to age 12/13 then maybe. I know several greys that have gone from almost black to almost white in 8/9 yrs! But then that is without a change in condition, a vast difference in that can make any horse unrecogniseable after 4yrs, regardless of colour.

Here are some pics of my lad. Age 6:

Age 7:

Age 10:

And now age 14:

He was very dark when I got him aged 5 (only pics are hard copy) compared to now aged 14 but went through a ‘roan’ stage aged 6 ish – he was almost pink in the summer! He is now almost white but very flea-bitten

 

[_MizElz_]

I've had several greys but am currently unable to work out how to post pictures... One of these I bought as an almost black 5 year old with a white blaze and kept him until he was PTS aged 26 as a fleabitten grey (didn't lose his dapples entirely until he was about 16) and I have pictures of every stage.

I'd like to think if I'd owned a grey up to the age of 6/7 (like the breeder you mention) that I would still recognise that horse in the future regardless of the dilution of its coat and the change of condition. Perhaps not immediately across a large field but definitely up close. Depends how many horses this breeder had though and how much individual attention each one got - but 6/7 years is a long time to know a horse only to not recognise it 4 years later.....

Thank you, Suziq77 - really helpful! If you did want to post pictures, you need to open a Photobucket account (free and very easy!), upload your photos there, then paste in the IMG code here

Point taken about the recognition issue. Do you think it would be possible if the horse had been severely neglected, and subsequently lost shedloads of weight and condition, as well as the change in colour?

 

[highlandponygirl]

well the horse i was writing about left the yard as a 2yo and came back 7 years later. i didnt even realise he was back at first, didnt recognise him cause he'd changed so much. so i think it could be possible to not recognise a horse you had as a youngster. they do so much of their changing in the first 10 years.

 

[_MizElz_]

AandK and AliceFlapjack - great photos, thank you for posting!

 

[joeanne]

Foal at 5 weeks:

Same foal at 18 months:

ETA she will go totally grey. Her mum was chestnut as a foal but is now whiter than a t-shirt on a washing powder advert!

 

[AandK]

AandK and AliceFlapjack - great photos, thank you for posting!

Thanks Looking at the pics now, it amazes me how much his colour has changed!

I can't remember their name (which isn't helpful) but there was a poster in CR who had recused an ex-dressage horse. He was a big grey, and they posted pics of when he was in work as a dressage horse (can't remember age) and how he looked when they took him on. They didn't look like the same horse So I think it is feasible that a grey horse that had dramatically lost condition over 5/6yrs could almost be unrecogniseable..

 

[Gluttonforpunishment]

Age 9 - winter

Age 9 - Spring

Age 11 - Summer

 

[SmallHunter]

5 years old

6 years old

8 years old

9 years old

 

[_MizElz_]

SmallHunter - wow, what a difference! I think you've just answered my question about being able to recognise a horse. I can honestly say I would not say that your five year old is the same horse as the eleven year old! Gorgeous boy

 

[Suziq77]

_MizElz_ thanks i will see if i can work out photobucket later.....

smallhunter - what a lovely kind eye your horse has, he looks like he's very lucky to have found you

 

[SmallHunter]

I should also add he went from 16.3hh at 5 to 17.2hh at 8 so he grew as well as changed colour.

Thankyou for you kind comments he is a big softy.

 

[humblepie]

DOn't have the photos on hand to post but my horse was almost black, in that he had black legs and a dark grey body when he came out of racing as a five year old, then went dark grey with stripy giraffe legs and is now flea bitten almost white at 15 with just a bit of black on his legs and tum. Someone saw he last month, first time in about 4 years and didn't recognise him.

 

[stencilface]

Don't have two identical pics, but mine is not a typical dapply grey, more of a dun style grey (he still has an eel stripe

rising 7

aged 8

9

10

11

His body is getting whiter, but his legs are still black

 

[ihatework]

He was born bay and then as a yearling

As a 4yo

As a 5yo

As a 6 year old

7 year old (now sold and with new owner)

I have a good one of him as a 2 and a 3 year old, going through a roan stage, can I find them?! Will dig out if needed.

He has got much greyer in his most recent coat change, his Mum went pure white so I suspect he is rapidly heading the same way!!!

 

[threeponies]

My Highland was cream dun with a black mane and tail, black legs and an eel stripe when I got her at weaning. By the time she was 3 the roots of her mane were grey, she's now 17 and pure white.

 

[rema]

This is my lad at four months,a gross pink colour.

As a three year old,

And last year aged 11.

 

[_MizElz_]

There are some stunning horses on this thread! Thanks to everyone who has posted; I really do appreciate it, and it's helped me loads

ihatework - your lad is stunning! I love the way his legs kept that brown/tan tinge

Rema - gorgeous lad too! I particularly love his three year old pic - seriously striking. I often think it's a shame they can't ever stay like that forever! Handsome boy

Stencilface - lovely to see a different 'sort' of grey as well - he looks almost rose grey now? I love the last pic!!!

Thanks so much for posting

 

[Meowy Catkin]

My filly was born chestnut, but she quickly started to grey out. As a foal with her dam.

As a weanling she was very 'pink' in colour because of the mix of white/grey and chestnut hairs in her fur.

At a year old she looked pale pink because she now had more white/grey hairs.

By two years old she was pretty much white/grey.

A fluffy winter coat photo.

Now as a three year old she has some chestnut 'fleabites' coming through. Sorry i don't have a photo because my computer wont upload them from my camera.

She has lovely soft, fine fur and her winter coat is wonderful to snuggle against.

 

[pipsqueek]

Mine was born bay with a white flash on her nose, then she gradually turned strawberry-roan as a yearling, then she began to go grey-roan as a 2yo, and gradually got greyer and greyer (i.e whiter and whiter!!) at 16 she is snow-flake white

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Born dun picture taken age 15 months 1989



age 22 2010

 

[BeBopTalulah]

These pictures are all fab!

My cob mare was born chestnut. Her passport says she's "chestnut (may turn grey)". Did she ever! She was 4 in June, and she's now dappled grey. Not a hint of chestnut anywhere. I expect she'll grey even more over the next few years.

 

[Hot_Toddy7]

My boy has vitiligo, so his skin is actually changing colour, he has definitely lightened over the past year

 

[PonyFeet10]

My boy has vitiligo, so his skin is actually changing colour, he has definitely lightened over the past year

There is another forum member on here, JenHunt I think her name is and her horse has Vitiligo too! He has some rather unusual markings

Do you have any pictures?

 

[madmav]

This is my boy.

On the left he's 5 and on the right (taken this year) he's 9.

Love the way he is posing exactly the same in both pix. He is fabulous in both!