The Color Gray??

[MountainWoman]

I'm still learning colors but from what I can tell gray is not an original color coat but instead a faded color? I have a mare who is listed as gray on her papers and she is bred to a stud who is also listed as gray on his papers. Is there any possibility to have a foal that has color? If anyone can explain gray to me, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!!!

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Gray is a modifier. It makes the coat lose the melanin so they change colors to gray. Not really "fading" as you said. If you have a gray gene your horse will always turn gray.

If both the stallion and the mare are NOT homozygous for gray, you have a 25% change of getting a non-grey foal.

Now for the million dollar question: are you sure they're gray and not silver black?

 

[chandab]

Yes, that is the million dollar question, are the true grey or are they silver black (silver dapple)? Many silver dapple foals are registered grey, as they look grey. Most true grey foals, are not born grey, but their base color (black, bay, chestnut, etc), and turn grey over time; whereas silver dapples will be born looking grey and pretty much stay that color.

Can you share a picture of your mare? [And, the stallion as well; if he's not yours, you'll need permission from the owner.]

 

[MountainWoman]

I can share the picture of the mare but the stallion isn't mine. The stallion is All Small Farms Boogermans Reflections. My mare looks flea bitten grey in person. What color tests should I do as I have no idea if she was born a silver black? Interesting to learn about this for me. I didn't know anything about this subject before. Thanks so much for your help.

 

[Matt73]

Definitely looks grey to me

 

[chandab]

Definitely looks grey to me

I agree. And, she could be a silver dapple that went true grey; they'll go grey really fast. Depending on how much you want to know, you can test for red factor, agouti and silver; those will give the basics for what she could have started out as, if there is a chance she could also have cream, you could test for that as well. I'd probably skip the grey test, you already know she has at least one copy, since she is grey. [Found a pic of the stallion, and he sure looks true grey, as well. And, very nice.]

 

[MountainWoman]

Thank you for your help!!!!!

 

[targetsmom]

As you have already found out, gray is a modifier and not a "color" If you come from the Arabian (or Lippizan) world where there are a lot of grays, you will hear that they are born dark and turn gray over time. But they can be born ANY COLOR, any pattern and still turn gray if they inherit the gray gene. Both of our grays are pintos: Mira is geneticially tested to be homozygous for black, with agouti and silver, plus she is LWO+. That means she is a silver bay (gray) frame overo pinto. Her daughter Bunny is also sliver bay (or was - she is now pretty gray!) and is LWO negative but is tobiano pinto from her sire. Her full brother Max was also silver bay, LWO+ and tobiano but he died before he fully turned gray. The silver gene apparently causes them to turn gray faster than "normal" but there seem to be different rates. MIra was pure white as a weanling but Bunny and Max still had/have a bit of color as yearlings. Cremellos, palominos, and other dilutes and double dilutes can also turn gray and they are not necessarily "born darker".

For your mare, I would look at her pedigree and see if you can see what color(s) her parents were - or your best guess based on what the papers say. You might rule out some tests anyway. The foal can also be tested to see if he/she will turn gray. That was what we did with both Max and Bunny. Or you can wait.

 

[miniaturehorselover]

My mare is double registered blue roan cause she was a blue roan as a baby but eh.. think she is a flea bitten gray

 

[Jill]

Yes, the foal may have, and keep, color.

Even if both parents are TRUE grey, the foal may retain color. Often, though, silver dapples are incorrectly registered as grey.

If both parents are true grey, the foal may be colored and keep it, he/she may grey out, and he/she may be homozygous for grey meaning each foal from that foal may turn true grey.

Grey is honestly one of my favorite colors. I think it looks just like out of a storybook on a NICE horse