color question

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I have a new gelding who is the very first silver dapple I've ever owned. In the original photos I saw of him he was the classic silver grey with plenty of big dapples. When I took possession of him he was a unique shade of chocolate brown with smaller dapples and the expected light mane and tail. So my question, since I know so little about this color, is will he clip out the silver grey or do silver dapples change color as they age and is he now going to be the browner shade regardless of being clipped or shed out naturally as he is now? Hopefully that question makes some sense lol, seemed to have trouble wording what I wanted to ask.

 

[valshingle]

In my experience silver blacks (aka silver dapples) can vary from horse to horse and from season to season and year to year. They often have a brownish/reddish cast to their coat before they are clipped. They can also change significantly from foals, to yearlings, to mature horses.

I have one that is very dark and gets darker as the summer matures until she is almost black. Her foal, a silver black, was born almost white. She was still a silvery white when I sold her as a yearling and I have not seen her since.

Some may have very white manes and tails while others manes and tail are much yellower/greyer.

So have fun and enjoy 'unwrapping' him every year.

 

[shelia]

Silver dapples do come in many different shades. When first clipped out they are the darkest and the dapples show the most. It seems as soon as the sun hits the fur they quickly fade. (maybe not all of them, but at least the ones I have seen)

 

[Lizzie]

Just wanted to mention, that not all silvers - either black or bay silvers, are dappled. Those who are, often gain or lose their dapples, during different seasons and sometimes as they age. Some who are, have extremely pronounced dapples and others are very hard to see.

Here is a pic of a black silver Gypsy Horse as a youngster.

Now the same beautiful horse as an adult and his colour changes very little these days.

Even though his dapples still show, he is basically now very black. He is Ee and not EE as might be expected.

I think my most favourite color of all in equines, is a black silver dappled Tobiano. Below is the fabulous Austin, owned by Amazing Grace Gypsies. He sports wonderful dapples.

Lizzie

 

[charli]

Wow that is a beautiful horse...actually both are amazing. I to have a silver dapple that is changing. She has a blong mane and tail and turns a mottled brown and white in the winter. When I clip her she is grey with dapples but now that she is growing out again she has also turned brown. I am planning to clip her again to see what will happen but you never know.

 

[LittleRibbie]

Lizzie, thanks for the photos...both horses are stunning!!

 

[Marty]

My beloved Frosty was one of those. When in his winter hair coat it was sunbleached and a shade of puke brownish. That's all that really was. But he would clip off dapple grey. However, for about a month, he would turn coal black with no dapples at all.

We were going for points in our local saddle club shows and when he turned that black color, we were actually accused of changing ponies in the middle of the season. I was like "tThat IS Frosty!" Honestly there was such a big deal over it that people actually thought we were trying to cheat!

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

WOW!!! Love those Gypsys!!! Absolutely beautiful coloring,

Thanks for the input, so basically you are all saying yes they change, maybe he'll still be silver clipped, maybe he will not

. I guess I'll have to see for myself once our weather warms up. Right now he wears a blanket most of the time since he is underweight and completely shed out, it has been so cold and wet here he needs the blanket to help him conserve energy and hopefully put some weight back on.

 

[mrsj]

Congrats on your silver horse anyway, my favourite colour, I have one with appy characteristics and he has just begun to spot out, he's very beautiful

 

[supaspot]

I have a silver blackmare that clips out pale silver but very quickly gets darker , the dapples are there in the early summer but as the summer goes on they go and she is almost jet black with a white mane and tail - she is stunning , in the winter she is a dull greyish colour and you probably wouldnt give her a second look

 

[wcr]

I have a mare that I call my horse of many colors. She was born red then went very pale palomino by winter. She is registered palomino as that is what I thought she was at the time. She is 3 this year and started out the year as a definite silver dapple but now looks chocolate palomino. It has been interesting seeing her colors change.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Wow, it sounds like the color changes can be quite dramatic. I look forward to seeing what he looks like thro the seasons. Thank you mrsj, silver dapple is a color I've always loved as well. Strangely enough I have not had a silver horse before now except one gelding who maybe a silver buckskin but has never been tested. I'm really quite excited to see if Ranger stays the chocolate or gets silver, lighter, darker with different coats. With appy in your horse as well, you could have some really interesting changes over time.

 

[Sandee]

Here's my silver (black) dapple. Going into winter as a yearling (almost white)

As 2 year old in early summer:

As a 5 yr old at Nationals in Sept.

He also passes on Appy traits to his off spring but his only outward signs are his private parts and, now as an 8 yr old, his eyes are getting scelera around them ( wasn't there until now).

 

[Sandee]

Looks like he's a Silver Dapple Snowflake!! With all those white spots in his coat -- I'm thinking that he snowflaked out as he aged, which is what snowflake appies do!

What a pretty boy!!

.

Thank you. He's 8 this year but as far as I can tell those are strickly dapples not snowflakes as he doesn't always have them. Here's a pic from last year with my daughter driving him.

 

[Kendra]

Whoa! Gypsy's come in silver?? So pretty!!

My silvers change a ton with the seasons, and I find early spring/late fall clips are most likely to show the best dapples. We also have a silver dapple roan mare ... talk about seasonal colour change!

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I've got a number of roans her (had 5 until a month ago, now 3) and they are not only lighter or darker by season but some years they shed out with more white hair than usual so they even change from year to year. If the silvers are anywhere nearly as inclined to change color the options are almost as varied as an appy.

I find early spring/late fall clips are most likely to show the best dapples

Interesting, I wonder why. I have a buckskin mare that has very noticeable dapples but hers show best when she is glossy with good health (not fat just when she gets that 'glow') in the summer.

 

[Kendra]

I've got a number of roans her (had 5 until a month ago, now 3) and they are not only lighter or darker by season but some years they shed out with more white hair than usual so they even change from year to year. If the silvers are anywhere nearly as inclined to change color the options are almost as varied as an appy.

I find early spring/late fall clips are most likely to show the best dapples

Interesting, I wonder why. I have a buckskin mare that has very noticeable dapples but hers show best when she is glossy with good health (not fat just when she gets that 'glow') in the summer.

I don't know why, but Hawk has no dapples whatsoever, except when his clipped in March or early April, then he has some on his legs and belly. He's a very dark silver though.