Will BOSS cause color change?

[keeperofthehorses]

Things that make you go 'hmmmmm'... The only new thing in my horses' diets is the BOSS I started adding about 6 or 8 weeks ago. My usually bright bay horse (Guy, who is well past his foal shed at age 15 :bgrin ) has black shading coming in and really pronounced counter shading along his spine. I don't mind really, it just makes him look different. I'm just curious what would cause this. All of my black-based horses are darker this spring (and all are getting BOSS), but he is the most dramatic change. Which is fine, just interesting.

The pic of him with the fly mask on was taken last June and that's how he has looked for the 10 years that I've had him. The pic of him hiding from the camera and being a doofus was just taken today. He's about halfway through his shed and looks a bit ratty, but you can kinda see the black hairs. They are all over his neck, and really dark over his shoulders. He has no dun-factor horses in his pedigree.

 

[KanoasDestiny]

Hmm...personally, I can't tell much difference in coloring, it just seems like the lighting is different (brighter in the second one which adds shine

: ). But then again, I'm no color expert. He's very beautiful though, in both pictures.

Does anyone know where to find fly masks like he is wearing for minis?

 

[keeperofthehorses]

You're right, you can't really see much of a difference in these pictures. But 'on the hoof' :bgrin the change is pretty dramatic. Black every where!

I've looked for the eared masks for my ponies (horse foal size) for years and haven't been able to find them. I use a cream in the ears which used to be called GnatAway, and now is called Gnatural, or some such thing. Great stuff for those little bloodsucking flying things.

 

[kaykay]

i have been told by a lot of breeders that boss will darken a horses color if given consistenly. especially palominos. Also high protein grain will darken color

 

[CMR]

It's a longshot, but maybe in the past his hair has just always been sunbleached so you never saw the darker shades? I know one of the reasons I'm feeding BOSS is to try and keep my black horses black.