Why we love grays

[Eagle]

Well today is finally raining after months and months of dry heat. I am so happy

The whole place has been covered in dust for as long as I can remember and that green stuff, what was it called ??? oh yes Grass has been long gone.

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

 

[Lori W]

Because they look like this when they're clean!

 

[New mini]

Oh but is so much fun to roll in the mud.

 

[Carolyn R]

AAWWWW, He is wearing his halloween costume, he is going trick or treating as an overo

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

Speaking of greys-- does any have issues with melanomas? I know they are super common in biggies. Very high % of them get it by the time they are 14/15.

 

[Carolyn R]

Speaking of greys-- does any have issues with melanomas? I know they are super common in biggies. Very high % of them get it by the time they are 14/15.

I am curious to hear this. Speaking with my vet in the past, she said it is due more so to the link with pigmentation rather than the breed (would be just as common in a mini as a full size horse). Went through it once with a full size horse I grew up with, vowed to never own a grey horse again, it was heartbreaking. Got her when i was 9 and she was 10 months old, she passed at 23 years of age due to cancer.Still chokes me up years later

 

[Jill]

LOVE greys

Here are two of mine:

 

[targetsmom]

Well it rained here this week and our silver dapple pinto is at least as dirty as your gray.... Our gray mare looks fine. And even though we breed for pintos, I love grays - see avatar. For one thing, it automatically doubles your color possibilities when you breed, and for driving, what could be better (and easier) than a matched pair of grays?

 

[Eagle]

My boy is a pintaloosa but it is hidden.

 

[Hosscrazy]

Does any have issues with melanomas

Unfortunately, yes. She was a silver dapple gray.

Liz N.

 

[Sungold]

Speaking of greys-- does any have issues with melanomas? I know they are super common in biggies. Very high % of them get it by the time they are 14/15.

I have an 18 year old grey mare that has a melanoma under her tail. Aside from not being able to drive her any longer it has not seemed to be a problem and has not spread.

 

[bevann]

My grey gelding looks the same as the first photo when it rains.His favorite thing is rolling in the dirt and I swear I can see a smile on his face when he sees me look at him and call him "Pigpen" He is 20 now and has had a melanoma near his rectum for over 5 years.We have treated it with injectible chemo in the past but are now just watching it.My vet says he probably has internal cancer that we can't see(she can feel lumps in abdominal area).The Horse magazine had an interesting article on melanoma several years ago which said melanoma can also be internal.Big Daddy is my Eqyptian King son and the reason I got into Minis over 20 years ago.

 

[MindyLee]

Im not a huge grey fan BUT I would'nt trade my little gal for the world! I just love her so much. And even tho I havent got her in foal for 4 yrs now, She will always have a home because being a broodmare is not her only job here, being a faithful friend is!

Heres my beautiful pride n joy, Miniature Dreamlands Misty J.

 

[Minxiesmom]

I am a little confused. I have seen dappled grey horses that eventually turn white, but the "silver" dappled horses do not change color. So my question is are the silver dappled horses as prone to melenoma as the true grey horses?

 

[Lizzie]

Very pretty girl MindyLee. Are you sure she's a grey? She looks like a silver dapple to me.

My daughter has boarded for several years, a now close to thirty year old, grey Arabian. He's lived out in the hot California sun all his life and even though he has shade, always stands out in the summer. Of course he's pure white now, but thankfully has never shown any signs of melanoma. I've known several much younger greys however, who have had the problem. It's odd to me that some get it and some don't. I wonder what the link is.

Lizzie

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Mindy your pretty horse is not Grey, she is Silver Black, the main difference is that Silver Blacks do not go white over time, and all Grey horses do (some die of old age before they get to be white, but, basically, ALL Grey horses are going white!)

Silver is a dilute that affects only Black based horses such as Buckskin, Bay and Black, diluting the extremities and turning the mane and tail blonde to white, and making the black legs on a Buckskin and bay chocolate coloured.

Silver Blacks are not prone to melanomas but can be subject to eye problems in H/Z form.

Silver Black + True Grey is often born pure White (Yes I know horses are not supposed to be white

) very pretty, and very hard to keep clean!!!

I would not use a Grey or a Roan stallion in my programme, but I would be happy to have a mare or either colour.

 

[Lizzie]

Mindy your pretty horse is not Grey, she is Silver Black, the main difference is that Silver Blacks do not go white over time, and all Grey horses do (some die of old age before they get to be white, but, basically, ALL Grey horses are going white!)

Silver is a dilute that affects only Black based horses such as Buckskin, Bay and Black, diluting the extremities and turning the mane and tail blonde to white, and making the black legs on a Buckskin and bay chocolate coloured.

Silver Blacks are not prone to melanomas but can be subject to eye problems in H/Z form.

Silver Black + True Grey is often born pure White (Yes I know horses are not supposed to be white

) very pretty, and very hard to keep clean!!!

I would not use a Grey or a Roan stallion in my programme, but I would be happy to have a mare or either colour.

I have noticed a great many Mini Horses, misidentified regarding greys and silvers Rabbisfizz. However, I'm so glad you brought up the subject of eye problems in silvers. I don't want to hijack this thread, so will start a new thread in a little while, regarding ASD.

Lizzie

 

[Eagle]

I would not use a Grey or a Roan stallion in my programme, but I would be happy to have a mare or either colour.

Can you explain why not please, I am still learning about the wonderful colours in minis. Would you advice me to geld my grey pintaloosa in the photo?

 

[skittle]

I love greys! Despite their problems with melanoma. I had a full sized grey mare who lived to be 21 and she had melanomas since she was about 3 years old. They were all under her tail, in her rectum, the corners of her mouth and throat latch area. We had to have her put down a few months ago due to impaction from the melanomas. Her son, who is also grey, is 14 this year and has only had a few melanomas in his sheath (which were removed), one under his tail (which was removed) and one in the corner of his mouth, which didn't respond to the injection the vet gave, but it hasn't grown in size in a few years and I am hoping it stays that way. I would love to have a grey mini one day!

 

[Riverrose28]

Not to hi-jack the thread, but when we were breeding arabs, it seemd to be true that a grey stallion produced mostly grey foals, but I don't think it holds true with the mini's. Here is why, we have a grey mini that carries sabino, and he throws every color imaginable, roan, grey, black, bay, silver bay. He is out of Lucky Four STrike Me Silver that was also a grey so when hubby bought him the first mare I bred him too was also a grey thinking I would get a grey, not, got a red roan.

Now back to the orginal post! I like grey minis, when clipped their eyes look huge and black muzzles are too cute. They do like to get dirty.