Whats Happening Here - Colour Change

[2awesomenatives]

I have a Black New Forest, 8 yrs old. This year his coat has shedded a really strange colour. Any ideas what could have caused this?

1st Pic is the beginning of the year.



Yesterday

 

[Gloi]

It could be sun damage from the amount of sun we've just had. A mineral supplement containing copper is meant to help with avoiding sun bleaching. It will look better when his summer coat is fully in.

 

[2awesomenatives]

It could be sun damage from the amount of sun we've just had. A mineral supplement containing copper is meant to help with avoiding sun bleaching.

He has had a fly rug on with a waterproof top so no sun would have got through it, and it wouldn't be from the rug as it doesn't have a neck on and that's gone the same colour

 

[Gloi]

Does he get any minerals? I might give him some if not. I think he'll look OK when his coat is fully through

 

[HopOnTrot]

I have a bright bay New Forest, her sire was strawberry roan and she gets roaning in her summer coat. It's not really noticeable in a full clip.

 

[kerrieberry2]

my bay is a bit like this a moment, its just where the summer coat is coming through on the clipped area!

 

[2awesomenatives]

Does he get any minerals? I might give him some if not. I think he'll look OK when his coat is fully through

I havent fed him a mineral supplement since ive had him (from 7mths old), maybe i should look into one

 

[2awesomenatives]

my bay is a bit like this a moment, its just where the summer coat is coming through on the clipped area!

In all the years ive had him (his whole life), i have never seen his coat change like this!

 

[2awesomenatives]

I havent fed him a mineral supplement since ive had him (from 7mths old), maybe i should look into one

Correction - i feed him spillers lite and lean so that is an all round vit and min balancer!

 

[Beausmate]

Just looks like his summer coat coming through.

 

[IrishMilo]

Just his summer coat as others have said. My brown pony is looking similarly patchy at the moment!

 

[lialls]

He may not be ture black (unless you've had him colour tested?), so it could just be a lighter coat growing in as he changes his coat colour. My horse who i always thought was black (owned since a 4 yo, shes now 9) has also gone really light this spring so now i'm wondering if shes also not true black but i've not colour tested her. They may go darker again once their summer coat has grown in, coat changes can have an odd effect sometimes.

 

[adamntitch]

I have seen loads of blacks look like this at coat change makes them have a brown colour even though there black in summer same from an older person who said true blacks are rare an there's no white horses there always grey cause of skin colour

same as people saying there horse /pony is piebald, skewbald or tri coloured think the only way to tell is is to have them tested as the colours change

 

[SEL]

I was on a fun ride at the weekend and there were a few odd patchy coats - my gelding is one of them. We reckon the odd weather.

 

[Barklands]

Looks like one I had with a copper deficiency

 

[Plattersby]

They look like dapples coming through to me, from the photoS.

 

[ester]

completely normal summer coat growth on a clipped pony

 

[kerrieberry2]

In all the years ive had him (his whole life), i have never seen his coat change like this!

when did you clip him last? maybe its to do with the timing? and the strange warm weather we've had. I last clipped my gelding just before xmas, and it still looks almost like a fresh clip, where as normally it would have started grown back, so I'm thinking the weather has had a funny effect on the coat change this year.

 

[2awesomenatives]

Looks like one I had with a copper deficiency

What did you feed to correct this?

 

[Barklands]

What did you feed to correct this?

Sorry I have only just seen your reply! Unfortunately no advice re feeding! It was a horse I bought and he straightaway improved on our land which is quite copper rich - the place he came from was just very lacking!

 

[Jojo2go]

Correction - i feed him spillers lite and lean so that is an all round vit and min balancer!

Most balancers don't have enough copper and zinc to help. Some horses need a lot more.

 

[ycbm]

Most balancers don't have enough copper and zinc to help. Some horses need a lot more.

Especially if their grazing or hay is high in iron and/or manganese, which both prevent the uptake of copper.
.

 

[lialls]

Is there a particular supplement that you'd recommend? Sal does appear to be going black again now her summer coat is growing in but she get very light, almost a dun colour in places.

 

[Gloi]

Is there a particular supplement that you'd recommend? Sal does appear to be going black again now her summer coat is growing in but she get very light, almost a dun colour in places.

I like the ones from Progressive Earth in the Orkneys.