Let me give a little back story...
We have a good friend named Francisco who bred 3 of his quarter horse mares to our blue roan stallion.
He had these mares boarded at a friend's house about 2 hours from us.
Last year, he had to move back to El Salvador to care for his mom. While he was there, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and has been very sick. He left his horses (the andalusians) in our care and the quarter horses with this lady in Barstow.
He was sending us money for a while but after a bit, it dwindled off. We spoke to him and he agreed we could sell his horses in our care to make up for our expenses. We went up to Barstow after to see what the other lady wanted to do with his other horses. She, of course, had become attached to them and wanted to keep them all. Now, this lady is not a horse person at all and really has no business owning horses.
After almost a year, she contacted us asking if we wanted to buy the three foals by our stallion. But she wanted entirely too much money! Especially since we don't have the mares papers to register the foals!
Last week, she contacted us again and agreed to sell the foals for a cheaper price. My partner went up and took her pick of the 3 foals. After contacting the original breeder of the mares, we got a hold of their papers so she can now register this foal.
I saw this foal when he was born. He was (to me) without a doubt, a sooty buckskin and looked just like:
http://equine-color.info/gallery/v/modifiers/sooty/Valentina+Foal.jpg.html
When we went to pick him up, he is extremely dark. And I'm torn as to whether he's really buckskin now. Especially since the bay colt I asked you guys about from Texas a while ago was supposed to be a sooty buckskin and turns out, he's just a sooty bay...
So anyway, here is the poor kid. He's underweight a bit, needed worming and vaccines when we picked him up and their forage quality was low. Poor kid isn't even all the way shed out yet...
Sire is our blue roan and dam is (undoubtedly) a dark buckskin.
I realize his condition is poor and judging his true color may be difficult. But does anything scream cream to you?? Oh, and these were not taken in the sunlight. Flash had to be used...
Thanks everyone!
[Edit]: Dam: 
Papa: 
IMO definitely buckskin roan.
So you think he is sooty buckskin and not just sooty bay? xD lol
I see sooty bay possible roan but I would have thought he would have mroe roaning on his rump as its shed out?
http://lenzoperformancehorses.webs.com/
http://www.freewebs.com/etongrove
Eton Grove Stud is the is home of:
Amaroo Forgotton Hero (QH) & Lazy D Rocks Golddigger (QH/ASH)
I see Buckskin, but I do not see any Roan. Those "shading" markings that look like ticking are typical of a shedding out, sooty, Buckskin.
Yippee I have a website!!!
http://www.shadowplayminihorses.co.uk/
Yea, we aren't too concerned with roan. We are just really torn now as to whether he's cream or not.
We'll be having him tested in about 2 weeks.
I would test to...hes got me curious!
http://lenzoperformancehorses.webs.com/
http://www.freewebs.com/etongrove
Eton Grove Stud is the is home of:
Amaroo Forgotton Hero (QH) & Lazy D Rocks Golddigger (QH/ASH)
I don't see roan either, I see sooty buckskin, but some of that darker brown hair looks like baby fuzz to me, I think when he's done shedding he'll be lighter underneith..... I love Papa
.
I. Want. That. Butt. *squishes it*
Here are some updated pictures of the little guy.
He is obviously the one with no face white.
I'd say so. Sooty buckskin.
Here is a recent photo of him. Those who were thinking roan... do you still think so?
Ok, few more from today.
His sire is our blue roan and my palomino roan is his uncle. The palomino didn't show his roan until he was 5...
So, those who guessed roan, do you still see it? Those who said no roan still think no?
Gonna be testing him towards the beginning of the year but if its a total waste, we'll save our money... lol
And these are from a couple months ago when he got body clipped that day.
Daddy yesterday in his winter fuzzies. lol
"Uncle Tweetie" our palomino roan during the summer.
I think yes on roan, but it is so hard to tell with buckskin in the mix.
.
Yea, I'm sure you remember me being all mixed up with the palomino. Cream just makes it such a pain!
If he were bay, I would say yes, absolutely roan. But buckskin hides roan and they mimic each other quite well.
.
I agree, Buckskin, Dun and Grullo all "hide" Roan very well, but I still think no Roan.
Yippee I have a website!!!
http://www.shadowplayminihorses.co.uk/
Video from today after being body clipped again. Funny how the soot isn't as distinct after this clipping! Sorry my friend and I are sorta childish.
lol
His legs and face weren't clipped, btw.
http://youtu.be/U6DZD-ZYvwg
Photos
Took some photos today after his color grew out a bit from his last body clip.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Definitely Buckskin and I am almost certain no Roan.
Yippee I have a website!!!
http://www.shadowplayminihorses.co.uk/
Rabbit, what is your theory on what causes the light hairs mixed in? Really just curious what causes this whether its roan or not.
I dunno about you guys but I'd say roan.
Those could just be very light buckskin hairs. The best time to tell if he is roan will be in the spring. Especially if he's not clipped. If he's roan the darker hairs will shed first leaving him almost white for a week or so.
It seems to be exactly the same thing that causes dappling on some Silver Blacks- so, basically, I have NO idea!!
My Buckskin mare was almost black in winter, then she got all that "frosting" on her neck, then it extended all over her top line- along with some very long guard hairs, then in summer, she went a rich dark creamy colour with dapples, with roany hairs throughout.
No Roan in this Mare (even though Buckskin is notorious for "hiding " it, I saw her dam , who was what I call a "proper" Buckskin, ie golden with black mane and tail, and I saw a picture of her sire, who was Bay, so if either of them had Roan, you would have been able to see it!
Yippee I have a website!!!
http://www.shadowplayminihorses.co.uk/
Thats what I thought with our palomino roan. His sire was that light buckskin and figured the roan would have to be from him since the dam's side has no roan. But he doesn't LOOK roan at all. Yet he has the get to prove it. Our blue roan (this boy's sire) is roan by the light buckskin.
Our palomino (same sire as the blue roan) had the same sort of "dapples" caused by white flecks in the winter. That was when I discovered he was roan. Or suspected it, rather. Tested him after and sure enough, he was roan. I've been experiencing so many hidden cream roans lately that I'm just really suspicious of this boy.
You can see the light buckskin I'm referring to and the palomino here: http://colorgenetics.info/equine/content/very-minimal-roan-palomino-resu...
Hair is in the mail to Davis! Also testing to see if he's homo black or not.
So his test results for roan came back negative. I am only half surprised. With the varying opinions, I wasn't holding my breath one way or the other. However, he did surprise us being homozygous black!
So, my question is... any theories on what causes the "ticking"? Can a horse have sabino ticking while not having any actual white on him? He doesn't have frosting in his mane...
So... thoughts?
In answer to the Sabino question - Yes, definitely, although it isa Mini (
) but I know of at least one where the Sabino is confined to fairly heavy ticking, that shows more in summer (red base male, on which we know patterns show best)
Yippee I have a website!!!
http://www.shadowplayminihorses.co.uk/
So is it to be assumed something like that is going on here?
There seem to be some single white hairs on top of his tail, could it be he is a rabicano roan? At least I would not rule that out, since it really looks like he is roaning, but not the sabino kind. Interesting boy!