Smokey Black, what are the characteristics?

[PaintedMeadows]

I am wondering about smokey black. What colors do you have to cross to get it? What are the characteristics of it? Do they bleach out? What would be their winter coat color? Thanks!

 

[Jill]

I know one part about getting a smokey black, and that is that one parent has to carry cream dilute. I have seen some smokey blacks who are 'black as the night". You cannot tell by looking at some of them that they carry cream dilute so a color test is the only way to truly "know".

 

[Mona]

When they are born, they can look black with brown hair in their ears, or they can look almost buckskin. At maturity, they are often looking more brown than jet black.

They can produce any color that a regular black can, and also can pass along the cream gene, to give you dilutes. The color has a lot to do with the colors of the mares you are using.(and vice-versa if a stallion)

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

So can you get one from crossing a palomino with a grulla?

 

[PaintedMeadows]

Interesting. I bought a little black filly. She is coming 2 now and I have only seen pictures of her as a foal and in her winter coat. I wondered about the light hairs in her ears. Here is a picture of her as a foal.

Her mom is black and her dad is silver dapple.

 

[Dona]

So can you get one from crossing a palomino with a grulla?

Yes....since Grulla is a "base black" color...it could throw the black gene & the palomino could throw the creme gene.

:

Interesting. I bought a little black filly. She is coming 2 now and I have only seen pictures of her as a foal and in her winter coat. I wondered about the light hairs in her ears. Here is a picture of her as a foal.

Her mom is black and her dad is silver dapple.

If the dam is a "Smokey Black".... or if the sire is actually a "Smokey Silver Dapple" ....your little filly could be a Smokey Black.

But don't judge by the hairs in the ears. I've had many solid black foals who have light hairs in the ears just like that...and they had no creme genes in their backgrounds.

As someone already said...the only way to know for sure, is to have them tested for the creme gene.

:

 

[CharmedMinis]

I have 3 smokey blacks, two of them are DNA tested as smokey blacks.

They are a Sire and his Daughter.

BC the stallion was a weird chocolate color as a baby and is still that color except during summer when he is a golden almost bucksking color.

His daughter Shimmer, was born light silver with bright blue eyes. She is now almost a khaki color and sometimes chocolate brown with very light blonde highlites in her mane and tail and her eyes are greenish brown khaki color. I recently had her tested for silver which she does not carry. Here are some pics.

BC......the sire.............he also has giraffe markings in the summer that are bright shiney gold, I will try and find my pictures of them.

As a baby.......

Summer adult color.............

Starting his winter coat.........

Shimmer.........the daughter..........

A somewhat decent picture of her eye color, they are actually much lighter than this shows.

End of summer beginning winter hair coat color........

As a baby, she was even a lighter silver color than this pic shows........

(she's also in my avatar)

 

[Mona]

Shimmer.........the daughter..........

A somewhat decent picture of her eye color, they are actually much lighter than this shows.

End of summer beginning winter hair coat color........

As a baby, she was even a lighter silver color than this pic shows........

(she's also in my avatar)

:new_shocked: WOW, I am amazed that those blue eyes turned brown!! I guess it was Sheryl(Irish Hills) wanting to know more about that awhile back....I hope she looks here!

 

[Songcatcher]

Some Smokey Black horses may exhibit "characteristics" and some will not. Pictured below is my Smokey Black Pinto stallion, Bears Snips Illustration (a.k.a. Bandit). He has NO "characteristics" of carrying the Cream gene. I was shocked when he bagan throwing Palominos and Buckskins. I thought to begin with that it must be some strange shade of Silver inherited through the mares. I had him tested and sure enough, he carries the Cream gene.

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

Could this guy be smokey black?

Dam is a grulla varnish

Sire is palomino leopard

 

[bluerogue]

Anything is possible, Lucky C, and I'm going to venture and say it is a very distinct possibility with his coloring, and background. My stallion is black (sort of) and I think he may be a smokey black. He's a funny looking brown color, very much like Charmed's stallion. It changes greatly depending on if I've clipped him, how long it's been, and how much coat he's got on him. Haven't got him tested yet, though. I guess if his first foal comes out palomino I'll know for sure! Dam has NO cream behind her, and is a sorrel, so if it's got cream, at least I'll know where it came from! King's got cream on both sides of his pedigree, so it won't be a mystery.

 

[zacharyfarms]

Here is my smoky black mare Zachary Farms Sweet Mountain Daisy and her homozygous for Tobiano maximum expression palomino foal Zachary Farms Sweet Mountain Legacy (both only have one copy of the cream gene but she is black based and he is red based.)

 

[rabbitsfizz]

As said a lot of the time there is no difference at all between a Black and a Smoky Black.

And, of course, with Minis there are SO many other colours and patterns mixed in there may well be something else at work anyway.

ThreeC I do not think it likely you colt is Smoky Black base- he looks like a typical Varnish base False Snowcap to me- BUT if you tested him for Cream you would know for sure.

Basically, Cream does not show on Black- but as I said, with other things at play, it may well appear to do so.

 

[wiccanz]

This is my Smokey Black mare, Nettie. Her Sire is a dark bay pinto, and her dam a buckskin. She is the dam of Chino, my Smokey Cream colt (by a buckskin).

 

[CharmedMinis]

WOW, I am amazed that those blue eyes turned brown!! I guess it was Sheryl(Irish Hills) wanting to know more about that awhile back....I hope she looks here!

Mona, If you look very very closely at the eye picture of Shimmer you can kind of see that she still has a blue outline at the outer edge of her eye. It's much lighter in person than in pictures. And her eyes are definitely a light hazel in real life.

Cream does strange things, I have another horse, a colt who is buckskin, born with bright sky blue eyes and they are now typical brown

:

Here's his baby pic..........

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

do not think it likely you colt is Smoky Black base- he looks like a typical Varnish base False Snowcap to me

How do you get he's a false snow cap? he's appy to appy bred, dam is snow cap, sire is leopard

 

[CKC]

I have a smokey black gelding.....

dam is a palomino, sire is black/white pinto.

 

[PaintedMeadows]

Thank you everyone. What beautiful horses!! Love them all!