red dun vs. silver bay

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Carolyn R

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Would a red dun filly have black in her tail, like a few hundred hairs in the center where it is growing out. Then to add to my confusion, if she is not a red dun, she would be a silver bay, but would a silver bay have absolutely no shading on the tips of her ears?

I am looking for pointers on what seperates a red dun from a silver bay.

And yes, she is a likely candidate for either color (palomino min. tobiano X blue eyed buckskin, with eel stripe and shouder bars, white on face and above hooves).

Thanks for any help with clarifying this.

Carolyn
 
Red duns do not have the "black" hairs, but they do have very dark brown ones that can definately cause the dark points. (is. face, legs, mane and tail) They also have to have at least one dun parent. A silver bay does not have to have the dark ear rims. Pictures of horse and parents might be more helpful.
 
Yes, I would suspect she would have some darker hairs in both the mane and tail, to be a dun. and yes, I would suspect a silver bay to have darker tips to the ears, and shading at the knees or below.

I have the same thing "going on" with my yearling gelding. Last year, he was chestnut with a totally red mane and tail, so I registered him as such. THIS year, his mane and tail are getting a lot of brownish/black hairs, and I am suspecting he is actually a red dun. (His legs from the knees down are a light fawn colour, and he has absolutely no silver gene in him either.) He certainly could be a dun, as his dam is a bay dun, although she has now varnished-out from the appy gene. As he is only a yearling, I will change the colour on his papers at maturity, or at least direct his buyers into doing it when the time comes.

Were he a stallion or broodmare, I would have him genetically tested to know FOR SURE...but as a gelding, it really isn't as important. He is perfect as whatever colour he is, and doesn't have to worry about what colours his offspring can be.
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You could test for red factor, agouti and silver. That would go a long ways to tell you what color your filly is (or isn't!)
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Is there a visible dorsal stripe? That should tell you weather or not the horse carries the dun factor. Also silver bays usually have silverish manes and tails, while red duns usually have chestnut manes and tales.
 
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One of my Red Duns.

Red Duns do not have to have dark manes and tails!!!!

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One of his daughters, again Red Dun but this time + Sooty + Flaxen...the mane and tail colour of a Red Dun is decided by the other factors involved in the horses makeup, and not on whether or not it is a Dun
 
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