Color confusion!!

[Brooke S.]

I just cannot figure out my horse!! I shaved her for the first time since I got her (6 years ago), and it was far from what I expected. Just look at the pictures.

IN THE WINTER:



IN THE SUMMER:



SHAVED!!



Close up of her head:



What would you call her color? Which would you consider her 'real' color?? Especially on her cheeks, she has SPECKLES that I had never noticed before she was shaved!! Her coat looks blue roan up close when she is shaved!!

Is this normal or common? Thanks everyone!!

 

[chandab]

My best guess based on these pictures, she is silver bay. A rather light silver bay, easily mistaken for a palomino.

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

I agree, silver bay.

 

[amysue]

I think she looks sivler bay or possibly silver dapple do you know the color of her sire and dam? That may help narrow it down. Shes beautiful.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

I agree with silver bay. It's important to note that the clipped colour can never be taken as the colour of the horse, as the hair is too short. The colour comes back in again.

 

[Mona]

Smutty palomino carrying silver as well.

 

[Brooke S.]

I think she looks sivler bay or possibly silver dapple do you know the color of her sire and dam? That may help narrow it down. Shes beautiful.

I have no idea what her parents look like! She is also not registered, so I have no way of finding out.

 

[Minimor]

I would be inclined to agree with Mona. That one photo where she shows the best color does not look silver bay to me.

 

[chandab]

Looking at the shaved pictures, I'll still vote black-based (so silver bay), she looks very silver/grey shaved. All my red-based horses have stayed somewhat red when shaved (looking somewhat pink when shaved), even the palominos still have that pinkish tone when shaved (more pinkish white shaved rather than the silvery white that the silvers have shaved).

 

[Minimor]

If she is black based then I would say silver black. Legs don't show enough darker shading and in most of the pix body color is too "grey" for silver bay.

 

[tagalong]

Light variation of silver black IMO. The shading on her shaved head shows that clearly with the usual darker silver shading…

 

[Danielleee]

I really dont think shes silver black. I've never seen a sliver black with a winter coat that looks palomino. And we have a heard of all different shades of silver black. Could be silver bay. Test her! I'd love to know the results

 

[Brooke S.]

Can you get the vet to test her? Sorry...I'm new to it all...

 

[amysue]

Go to veterinary genetics laboratory at UC Davis online and order the color test. They provide the form for hair collection (you pull it out with root bulbs attached for DNA) and they mail the results to you.

 

[Brooke S.]

okay, thank you!

 

[wingnut]

My silver bay is in my avatar in her "summer coat".

This is her freshly shaved, where she appears silver dapple until her "bay" starts growing back in.

The first time I clipped her, as a yearling, I was *so* excited to see gray dapples! Then confused when they went away!

Here she is in her "winter coat". She's much darker than your girl:

Her dam is black and her sire is a buckskin pinto. Her full sister (whom I also have) is a smokey black.

 

[Brooke S.]

Interesting...

 

[tagalong]

I really dont think shes silver black. I've never seen a sliver black with a winter coat that looks palomino. And we have a heard of all different shades of silver black. Could be silver bay. Test her! I'd love to know the results

I have!

In the winter one mare we used to have looked almost palomino… she shed out in the spring to a dark greyish-brown. If you clipped her, you got classic silver "black" - the silvery gray with dapples and the darker shading on her head.

 

[ForeverFarma]

Raises hand- I have a black silver mare who carries 2 copies of silver and looks palomino in winter coat. She is very pale and easily mistaken for a flaxe chestnut

 

[Danielleee]

okay okay. Life is all about learning, no one knows everything, especially in the horse world! and now I know that that is possible!

Brooke S. - are you going to test her? just curious so I can keep checking back to see the results!