Is this considered a dorsal? And...remember the flea bites?

[barnbum]

We discussed this mare's color about two years ago: my flea-bitten silver dunskin going gray. Now before you feel I need correcting--I made that up.

She got a bath today (13 residents from an assisted living home are coming for a field trip tomorrow!) and I wanted to show you they aren't fading yet.

My question is about the color down her back--spotty, but it's there--is that a fading dorsal? And if it's still visable--does that mean dun factor? FYI-both her foals for me have been buckskins--one a silver, and one a regular--no dorsals. (She's due May 10th next year--think she'll go 3:3??)

These photos don't show how pretty she is--it's a stunning color with her dark base--a gray hue, not a white. She's about 12 now.

Back... the dotted line dorsal

 

[Jill]

My question is about the color down her back--spotty, but it's there--is that a fading dorsal? And if it's still visable--does that mean dun factor?

It's possible she could be dun. We have quite a few dun horses here and it's a favorite "color thing" to me.

Do you know if either of her parents carries / carried dun factor? A horse must have a dun parent or it cannot carry dun factor.

Does she have any other dun characteristics now or before getting so light -- like shoulder bars, stripes behind her knees, cobweb on forehead, edged ears? If those things are / were present, then it would make it seem likely that is a fading dorsal stripe caused by dun factor, vs. "just" counter shading.

The fact that there is partial striping still visible doesn't speak to if she carries dun factor. A counter shading stripe would grey out the same way, and horses can have a stripe down their back as adults but not carry dun factor.

There is now a test for dun from what I understand, however, it requires samples from the horse in question as well as both parents.

 

[disneyhorse]

I have no idea her base color, she is quite grayed-out... but I just love flea-bitten greys. I rode one for my lesson horse when I was a kid, it was my vaulting horse. Pretty color, and not often seen in the minis!

Andrea

 

[barnbum]

Pretty color, and not often seen in the minis!

I specifically remember someone saying that two years ago when I posted--maybe it was you disney?

Thanks. She's just beautiful to me.

Jill--I don't know who her sire is, but her dam--or maybe it was her granddam--was white when I saw her--so no color determinations could be made. Neither of her fillies have had the graying gene.

 

[Jill]

I understand not knowing the color of the parents, and we all know you can't go by what papers say, either. Off the top of my head, I think my one horse with papers that actually say grey is not one of my true grey horses (one of my silver mares).

Regarding none of your mare's offspring being grey, that's just a new coin toss each time. You could flip it 10 times and never get a grey foal, or get 10 grey foals, or some combination of each. It has nothing to do with dun factor (which you may already know but for others reading up on dun and / or grey).

In a way, I have a similar mystery at my place. I have a perlino pinto mare, "Double", who has a current year buckskin filly, "Cover Girl". When I clipped Cover Girl, there's a wide dorsal but it lightens as it goes up (doesn't go away, but is lighter)... Cover Girl also has stripes behind her knees. The sire is NOT dun. Sire of Double is... But, as the "perlino" color falls on Double (only on her head a spot offset on her hip), I could not ever see dun on her if she has it. So, it's like her filly, Cover Girl, may be the proof that Double herself is dun. MAYBE your girl will give you a dun foal too -- then you will know for sure!

 

[barnbum]

Here's the earliest photo I have--from 2003 when the mares arrived. (Oh what a happy day that was!

)

And this one shows her color nicely...I'm not aware of any barring... but she does get a "mask" on her face.

No flea-bites back then.

MAYBE your girl will give you a dun foal too -

That'd be sweet.

 

[A Little Blessing]

Blessing, "MOMMY! KARLA!"

:salute

:salute

 

[Sun Runner Stables]

I have no honest color clue- However, I just wanted to say she's very pretty! I have a flea bitten grey mini gelding and I just Love him- So much so that I bought his sister- the first filly his dam has ever had!

She will be turning grey as well, though they both have a brother that stayed black, so I mentioned to her that I would Really like her to do the same as big brother!

 

[A Little Blessing]

Adding that, although they were two biggies and both grey to begin with, as one of my ponies and one of my mom's horses got older, they developed the "flea bites". Saw the pony not too long ago, he's got a few more now. Unfortunately the other biggie passed away, but he had the freckles mostly on his neck and flanks. Both were apparently true greys.

 

[barnbum]

Blessing, "MOMMY! KARLA!"

Thanks for the giggle, Julie.

so I mentioned to her that I would Really like her to do the same as big brother!

Ha ha--I hope she listened.

they developed the "flea bites".

It's interesting to watch them from year to year to see what they're going to do--and I'm always hoping they'll still be there--and so far they get darker and more numerous. Yippee!

 

[ChrystalPaths]

I think flea-bitten gray is my favorite color!

 

[Fanch]

I am not very skilled when it comes to color, but I have a POSITIVE grey horse, and he has a dorsal stripe down his back, not as strong as your mares, but oviously there for sure.

His base color would be what I would call, a strawberry dun. I know there is no color like this, but cannot find anything of the same shade. His dorsal use to be more ovious when he was younger(I got him as a 2 year old) and it has faded slightly now, but still it runs all the way though his mane down to his butt (he is now 5 years old)

I love greys, they have to be my favorite color, and your mare is no exception!! Actually, you mare has always reminded me of Rhino, I don't know what it is, but she always does.

Umm, edited to add the best photo I can find of Rhinos dorsal stripe, maybe it will help out, sorry its sort of a random pic, It was the only one I could find that showed it from withers to bump.

http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/cc111/S...Fair2007075.jpg

 

[qtrrae]

Oh Karla, she is so pretty - I love her flea bitten spots, she certainly does look to have a dorsal stripe - she very possibly could have a dun factor somewhere in her background!

We used to have an AQHA mare that looked so much like her!

Fanch - what a pretty fellow your Rhino is!!