Question about blue eyes

[RockRiverTiff]

I've only had a handful of foals with true blue eyes, and all of them had that very clear, icy blue color from birth onward. This year we had a palomino colt that was born with gray-blue eyes, so I assumed they'd be going brown, but at two months they're that same muddy blue. At what point is it safe to assume they're staying blue? (His sire is a perlino, so no genetic surprises.)

 

[Jill]

I think my stallion, DunIT, kept his "navy blue" eyes until he was a couple of months old. Now his eyes look almost black (huge, and beautiful). I've never seen blue eyes stay blue unless they were that ice-blue color, but maybe it could happen. I think the dilute and dun gene can influence the color of baby eyes, but that they usually if not always change with maturity. I used to own a silver buckskin dun mare with very light brown eyes and would love to know how her eyes looked as a foal -- it would be a neat point of reference.

 

[RockRiverTiff]

I've never seen blue eyes stay blue unless they were that ice-blue color, but maybe it could happen.

Thanks for the input Jill. I've never had a baby with such dark blue eyes NOT go brown, but I've also never had it take so long for them to go brown, if that makes sense. I feel silly because people have asked if he has blue eyes, and right now I honestly have to say "I don't know."

 

[Ellen]

Tiff, I have a foal with dark blue eyes, no change since birth, he is 4 mos old. I would say safe to asuume staying blue. But I raised dilutes. I noticed all my amber creams, looked palamino but had those almost chocolate lab looking eyes. From birth on!

 

[MiniDashofBlue]

My friend has a colt that is now a year and a half old who still has dark navy blue/gray eyes. We are still wondering if they are going to change.

This picture was when he was about 2 months old

This one was taken at a year old

 

[love_casper]

My palomino kept his dark blues for a little over 4 months. They are the darkest browns in the barn now.

 

[RockRiverTiff]

Thanks everybody! It sounds like we're still in the "wait and see" stage, but for reference the pictures MiniDashofBlue posted are very close to what Ollie's eyes look like.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Hi Tiff,

I've only had one horse, also a palomino oddly enough, that retained his blue eyes even though they weren't that icey blue. He looked solid visually, but I believe he carried splash. He had a very wide blaze that went from eye to eye and then ran down the side of his nostrils. He also had a white spot on his lower lip. He was very heavily GMB bred (had 11 crosses) and also Sids Red Cloud which is where I think the pinto came from - but not sure. Sadly the horse has passed but his very first foal, out of a visually solid mare but she had appy breeding, was the LOUDEST thing I've ever seen. He was sorrel/white with blue eyes and was just a patchwork of color. Looked like some splash going on to me, but I'm not a pattern expert at all.

So, no help at all

but just keep us posted!!! Will be interesting to see.

 

[shorthorsemom]

I have an snow cap appy boy two years old. Part of his eyes look very dark, maybe navy (I'd have to look closer, but looks like that color to me), but he also has light blue splashes in his eyes, so the total color looks like a fancy marble. Anybody else have splashed light blue spots on the dark blue that stays that way as an adult? They haven't changed yet, and they look very pretty to me.

 

[JaiteraMiniatures]

Our palomino pinto filly (now about 2 months old) was born with navy blue eyes, and they've darkened SOME...but not much. I'm pretty sure hers will continue to darken, but who knows

 

[shadowpaints]

i have a pintalossa gelding who was born with navy blue eyes, he is now 5 years old. his eyes are now brown, mostly but have a blue rim around part of his eye and blue speckles in the iris, its pretty neat, i need to try to get pics of his eyes

this year none of our babies were born with blue eyes tho

i was disapointed!