Color Question

[Skittlebittie]

Hi Guys,

I have no experience with greys at all. I just bought a grey mare in foal to a blk pinto stallion. The mare was born black, and has eventually turned grey. She had a beautiful bay pinto filly. But I have noticed on the filly that she has a slight grey outline around her eyes and muzzle. Does this mean she will turn grey also? Can a bay turn grey? Any input would be helpful, thanks!

Lori

 

[Steph G]

I can't tell you a lot, but yes a bay can turn gray. I had one once.

 

[Bunnylady]

Any color can turn grey. I read somewhere that genetic greys are usually born with a rather intense shade of whatever color they are, it's almost as if they burn out the color-producing cells early, and the colored hairs gradually get replaced with white (grey) hairs. And yes, I believe the face is often one of the first places the grey hairs show up.

 

[Reble]

Grey is dominant

 

[Littleum]

Grey isn't a color (genetically speaking) It's better to say a horse "Went grey" or "Greyed out"

Basically think of grey like a table cloth. It covers the whole horse so you can't see the color beneath. It does NOT act on the colors beneath (like cream turns chestnuts to palomino) Just like my husband had dark hair and now is going entirely white. Genetically he's still dark-haired but right now he's salt & pepper.

Foals are normally born showing color, then start greying out. If your filly has "ghosting" around her eyes, muzzle, good chance she'll go grey too. She'll still be bay pinto under that but to the observer she will appear grey.

Grey is a dominant gene, meaning that if a horse carries grey (G-) it will be grey. Non grey horses can never produce a grey foal (just like 2 chestnuts always produce chestnut) Grey can be hetrozygous (G/g) or homozygous (G/G) So a G/g horse has about a 50% chance of passing on the gene, and a G/G horse will always pass along G/- to their foals and all their foals will go grey.

If your mare only has 1 grey parent, she is G/g. If she had 2 grey parents, she may be G/G. I've heard rumors a G/- test is in the mix.

G/ is not to be confused with Z/, which is the silver dapple gene. That's the one that makes those deep pewter silver horses with the white manes and tails that never fade to white. Z/ is a dilution gene.

 

[Humhill]

Greying in horses is like people's hair turning hay. All horses will eventually grey. However, MOST horses die before they completely turn grey.

The grey gene just speeds up the process. Some to the extent that they're born already grey (VERY rare).

It is a dominant gene, but that depends on if the mare is heterozygous or homozygous. Same with black/red base coat.

Here are some of your more likely/possible colors:

Solid black

Black pinto

Solid chestnut

Chestnut pinto

Solid black grey

Black pinto grey

Solid chestnut grey

Chestnut pinto grey

There's a 50% - 100% chance you'll get grey.

75%-100% you'll get black base

0% - 25% you'll get chestnut base

50% - 100 % you'll get a pinto pattern

 

[Skittlebittie]

Thanks for all the info. Rebel, am I to understand that what you are saying is that no matter what color the grey mare is bred to, she will always have foals that will eventually grey out?

Lori

 

[Humhill]

Rebel, am I to understand that what you are saying is that no matter what color the grey mare is bred to, she will always have foals that will eventually grey out?

No, it depends on if she is heterozyous or homozygous grey.

"Dominant" means that is the trait that will show.

 

[Skittlebittie]

Okay, it all seems a little confusing. The name of the mare is SevenAcres Charra About Tyme

AMHA # 138047 AMHR # 239131A . If someone can look up her ped, we can know a little more about her sire/dam's colors. The mare is grey with black points and black mane and tail.

Thanks,

Lori

 

[Humhill]

AMHA Studbook says her sire was Grey Pinto and her dam was solid bay. So, she would be heterozygous for grey and would have a 50% chance of producing a grey foal.

 

[Humhill]

Studbook has her listed as "Black Roan." It could just be wrong or a misinterpreted color. A lot of people mistake roan for grey and vise versa.

 

[Skittlebittie]

Okay, I think I have it now, LOL. Thank you for all your valuable infomation, and Humhill, thanks for looking that up for me, so I can better understand what I've got with my mare now.

Got it!

Thanks again,

Lori

 

[Skittlebittie]

Studbook has her listed as "Black Roan." It could just be wrong or a misinterpreted color. A lot of people mistake roan for grey and vise versa.

Oh, well, she is not a black roan. I tried to upload a pic of her, but cant seem to re-size it small enough to get it on this page. I can email you her pic if you like. The filly is included with the mare. My email addie is [email protected]

Thanks,

Lori