Why we love grays

[Equuisize]

I don't have any gray's now but have never met a gray I didn't like.

Our little Zaky colt born this year is a red and white pinto. In our first rain storm

since he was born in June, he looked just like your little person, Renee.

It was his 3 month birthday and I always take photos on their day.

I couldn't bring myself to take his photo.

He looked like he had been spackled in mud. He is all boy and looked like he'd

been playing in the mud all day with his Tonka trucks. Nothing like his prissy sisters.

I've had several gray Arabs over the years and never had one with melanomas, however have

known several that did. As mentioned in the other post they mostly centered in the under

the tail area.

I wonder if it is not just like humans, some are prone and others just aren't even under

similar conditions?

 

[Lizzie]

To be a true roan, one parent must be a true roan. A grey horse would not produce a roan himself, unless the mare was a roan. I've seen many sabinos identified as roans, when indeed they were not. I am loving some of the bay roan Minis I've seen. One stallion I absolutely love (Find Ur Destiny Rumor Has It) is for sale. I'd sure like to see him outside my kitchen window. I sure wish he were closer.

Lizzie

 

[targetsmom]

I do think there is a lot of confusion about "gray" horses, and not just confusing it with silver dapple. Gray is not a COLOR - it modifies whatever color the horse is, based on its color genes. So the genetic color can be anything. That may be why some gray stallions seem to throw all different colors, if they carry a variety of color genes and modifiers.

As an example, our gray mare Mira (Rowdy and Blue Boy bred) is genetically homozygous for black and carries silver, agouti and is LWO+. So she is actually a silver bay frame overo pinto (registered with PtHA) and of course, is gray. She turned gray very quickly - by her foal registration photos she was totally white, yet her son Max, another silver bay frame overo but also tobiano and not H/Z for black, was turning gray a bit more slowly.

 

[ohmt]

I think in arabs there are probably more homozygous greys than in minis, but a heterozygous grey should have the same chance of passing along the grey gene to progeny no matter what breed or size. Riverrose-your stallion must also have roan and silver genes along with his grey and sabino. I bet it's always fun guessing what colors his foals are going to be

I am with rabbitsfizz in that I wouldn't mind a grey or roan mare, but not a stallion. They wash out colors/patterns. So one mare who would only have one foal maybe every other year here would be ok, but a stallion who I would want to use every year on multiple mares, no. But, I love all colors and patterns if the conformation is right!

I have quite a few silvers now and have their eyes checked, but so far no problems here (knock in wood).

 

[Minimor]

I've also seen many sabino horses wrongly identified as "grey". They may look grey, but they are not actually grey & will never sire/produce a grey foal (unless it is a sabino foal that someone mistakenly calls 'grey')

At one time I didn't want a grey horse because of melanoma--I didn't want any horse that could die prematurely from melanoma. In truth, though, most greys with melanoma do not die at a young age. A few do, but most don't. Those that do have melanoma may very well live a normal life with no real problems from melanoma.

I currently have one grey mare--a broodmare that is now in her teens. I don't like the fleabitten stage that greys go through--happily this mare was had the fleabitten coloring just one summer, and then it was gone. I do love the snowy while coloring with those big dark eyes, that is so sharp looking. This mare did give us two grey foals but as it happened we sold both of them. Two other foals that we did keep from this mare are not grey--one is a silver black and the other a black.

 

[Lizzie]

It used to be thought, that true homozygous roans, did not exist, since they would die in utero, but that seems to have been disproven now in thousands of cases.

Lizzie

 

[Lewella]

It used to be thought, that true homozygous roans, did not exist, since they would die in utero, but that seems to have been disproven now in thousands of cases.

Lizzie

Not exactly.... The roan test that is currently available was developed using the Hancock line of Quarter Horses, a line that does have some true roans but is primarily frosty roans which are a different type of roan (frosty concentrates on the topline and effects the mane and tail where true roan has even distribution and does not effect the mane and tail). Many researchers and breeders believe the test is flawed and actually tests for frosty roan, not true roan, which can be homozygous. I've researched extensively the pedigrees of true roan ASPC Shetlands for years and to date there is no pony that is the result of two true roan parents that has produced 100% true roan offspring. An Icelandic researcher has observed similar results in that breed. The breed where lethal roan was first identified, Belgian Brabants, also has no known homozygous individuals in existance.

 

[miniwhinny61]

Here's my grey guy, he is 25 yrs old now and was a black and white pinto when I bought him as a yearling, he also has thrown a variaty of colors including buckskin, a couple have turned grey. and my friends Great Dane is 18 months old in this pic!!!

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

My new guy is grey, but right now he's a solid black with a bit of sprinkling in his hair. I really hope he greys out like his sire, AM Tenders Odyssey. Now THAT is a spectacular grey horse!!

My Arab was grey and he did have melanoma. I wonder if that's what caused him to colic when I lost him.

 

[Lizzie]

I've read about the roan connected with Brabant horses Lewella. Don't know much about the Hancock horses, except that many of the QH people seem to not think particularly highly of most of them. I did read somewhere and quite a while ago, that the UC Davis' study, showed roan not to be a lethal gene. I don't know if they are still studying it or even still have the funding. I know much of their funding for research has now gone sadly.

Lizzie

 

[chandab]

I have just been out to give the horses lunch and my yearling has already put on his rain coat.

I hate to see my horses dirty so this is really annoying. Someone remind me why we keep gray horses

Try a cremello...

 

[LittleRibbie]

Oh Renne...He's wonderful!!.....hes looking at you as if to say.."oh, Mom...its just a little mud..I was having fun...dont have such a fit :arg! "

Well you've seen Peanut and i also have a gray Popcorn...between the two of them during rainy season they manage to keep my brushing arm in shape!!

 

[Eagle]

i also have a gray Popcorn...between the two of them during rainy season they manage to keep my brushing arm in shape!!

Grays are good for "Bat Wings" ( you know the floppy skin under your arms)

 

[Jill]

Try a cremello...

I hear you.. . good thing I love "white" horses. H and I have 6 double dilute ladies, 4 grey boys/girl.

 

[ia pony]

I breed for pintos and appy coloring. I have bred Arabians also in my past. My experience with Greys is that they fade out to Grey(white) eventually and ruin all chances of getting any color. Is that true with you all as well?

 

[Jill]

True greys fades to "white" in minis, too. Like all horses, unless the grey parent is homozygous for grey, a foal with one grey parent has 50/50 odds of being grey as well. Grey x grey can result in offspring who are homozygous for grey

 

[targetsmom]

I also breed for pintos - registered with the Pinto Association where I show them - and still love my gray mare (frame overo). You don't "lose" the color when they turn gray, so Pinto doesn't pull their papers, you just can't see it! They can still pass on whatever color is hiding under the gray. I would love it if Mira could give me another gray foal like Max, who was a wild colored tovero.

 

[Tab]

Haha, cute. Most of my minis are pintos with a lot of white, my oh my do they get dirty! My first horse ever was a gray, I love gray horses. The horse my mom had when I was a toddler was a roaned out Appy. My Arabian had a melanoma under his tail. While a good horse can never be a bad color, it can be frustrating when a color-modifying gene takes over all your stock. I love Lippazans, Arabians, Percherons, and gray minis, though, how can you not

 

[joylee123]

Grays are good for "Bat Wings" ( you know the floppy skin under your arms)

No no no! that's Bingo Wings

:yeah