Yearling going grey?

[Mb02]

My yearling is a chestnut and will be 2 in may. I have noticed some grey hairs in his mane? My bay has them but is a lot older so I put it down to age. But he surely can’t be going grey at not even 2?
anything to worry about or just bizarre?
Thanks in advance.

 

[windand rain]

Sounds like he will just have grey spots through his chestnut coat do you know what colour his dam and sire are. If one or other was grey he might grey out but if neither are he cannot. Tetrach spots appear in chestnuts quite often

 

[Annagain]

What colour are his parents? Could it be the start of greying out? A lot of grey horses are born chestnut and they all grey out at differing rates.

 

[Mb02]

Sounds like he will just have grey spots through his chestnut coat do you know what colour his dam and sire are. If one or other was grey he might grey out but if neither are he cannot. Tetrach spots appear in chestnuts quite often

His sire is chestnut and his dam bay I believe.

 

[Mb02]

What colour are his parents? Could it be the start of greying out? A lot of grey horses are born chestnut and they all grey out at differing rates.

His sire is Registered as chestnut but looks bay and his dam is bay. I haven’t seen any in his coat yet but noticed the start of some grey hairs in his mane today. He has a large white blaze on his face and white socks but thought it was quite strange since he’s only 20 months old

 

[PurBee]

What colour are his parents? Could it be the start of greying out? A lot of grey horses are born chestnut and they all grey out at differing rates.

my foal was born a lovely deep shiny liver and i thought oh wonderful! Then year 1-2 started going chestnutty...then deep steel grey, leading to a 5yr old dapple grey...with a slight tinge of roan in the dapples. The colour change was amazing.

 

[ester]

some come out of the womb pretty much already greying so it's not an impossibility based on age

It is however impossible if his parentage is correct so may be just odd hairs?

 

[PurBee]

pigment loss and colour shift can happen with low copper in the diet as copper is required to pigment hair. But as you’ve noticed just a couple of hairs i wouldnt be rash and throw copper in the diet, just yet, as he’s young...see what happens while he grows some more.

 

[Mb02]

pigment loss and colour shift can happen with low copper in the diet as copper is required to pigment hair. But as you’ve noticed just a couple of hairs i wouldnt be rash and throw copper in the diet, just yet, as he’s young...see what happens while he grows some more.

it shouldn’t be that as he does get all the vitamins and minerals he needs and also has a baby lick with copper that he has access to. I will keep an eye on it though, thank you.

 

[Mb02]

some come out of the womb pretty much already greying so it's not an impossibility based on age

It is however impossible if his parentage is correct so may be just odd hairs?

That’s what I thought, as his breeding should mean he shouldn’t go grey. It’s just the odd few on his mane but I’ve always thought that happened due to older age. Maybe it’s just how he is, I’ve never heard of it before on something his age though.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

some come out of the womb pretty much already greying so it's not an impossibility based on age

Yes my grey was like this - born with grey 'goggles' around her eyes. She greyed out fast and was white by two.

It is however impossible if his parentage is correct so may be just odd hairs?

Both my chestnuts (no grey genes) have white hairs flecked in their coats and my chestnut mare has quite a few in her mane (but isn't flaxen) and they both also have a couple of white roany-looking patches where the white hairs are more concentrated.

 

[ester]

More than shouldn't he can't lol.

Agree with MC re. grey hairs on reds, probably just trying to keep you thinking too

 

[windand rain]

His sire is Registered as chestnut but looks bay and his dam is bay. I haven’t seen any in his coat yet but noticed the start of some grey hairs in his mane today. He has a large white blaze on his face and white socks but thought it was quite strange since he’s only 20 months old

My guess is sabino then white face and legs so white hairs will grow in his coat obviously the white hairs will be most noticable in his mane and tail

 

[Mb02]

My guess is sabino then white face and legs so white hairs will grow in his coat obviously the white hairs will be most noticable in his mane and tail

I did wonder if he could be sabino as his white blaze is speckled around the edges not a block of colour. But I wasn’t convinced as his white markings on his legs are quite small ( only go to the pastern on three legs) and he has no white on his body. But maybe more will appear throughout his coat as he gets older.

 

[MereChristmas]

My foal, out of a bay mare, by a grey stallion, was born chestnut. Her passport said ‘may go grey’. She never did but from about 18 months had white spots appear. They came and went erratically and as she aged there were grey hairs scattered on her shoulders and withers. On one occasion she had a spot in her mane and for a while that piece of mane grew white. When the spot disappeared the mane returned to its normal flaxen. When she was PTS at 27 the roaning was over her hindquarters too.
She is my avatar, I think a spot is visible and leaching of blaze.

 

[Lois Lame]

There is a chestnut steed at the place where I keep my pony. He has some silver hairs in his mane - quite a number.

If the parentage of your fellow is correct, he can't be grey. I suspect he is not grey. He would have been born a darker shade of chestnut if so, appearing liver.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

He would have been born a darker shade of chestnut if so, appearing liver.

My grey wasn't liver chestnut.