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Gray/Black mane on a sorrel/chestnut

equine_woman September 13, 2010 February 22, 2011

Forums

A good friend of mine Madeleine LeClerc is a horse trainer with R&M Performance horses. She trains and competes in the extreme mustang makeover competitions all across America. (I'm her photographer). Anyways, her newest horse for the Mustang Magic in Fort Worth is an interesting color and we wondered what causes it! He's a bay looking horse that of course isn't bay (not black points) and his tail has gray heavily in it (mane does too but it's not as evident! No idea what his parents were of course since he is a mustang. None of the light is a cream color, it's strong gray and the rest of his mane and tail is black (not anywhere near a sorrel color). From the ground up he looks flaxen (legs are lighter on the ground). Pics! (aren't the greatest for color cause he was dirty and it was muddy!) [img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs310.ash2/59065_4286049482…] [img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs210.ash2/47279_4296925882…] [img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs297.snc4/41212_4289997382…] So what causes a gray/black mane on a sorrel or chestnut?

equine_woman Mon, 09/13/2010 - 16:25

I'll get non-muddy photos asap! His fetlocks look like a flaxen horse, very light and blonde. NO black points on his legs, however we can't tell but it appears as if he might have black hairs in his feathers. . won't know until he's calm enough to bathe. Should be in the next few days. Here is a link to his training blog. . .

http://madismagicmustang.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

equine_woman Mon, 09/13/2010 - 16:27

[quote="Jenks"]My word he's gorgeous.... Spanish Mustang?[/quote]

He's your standard issue BLM mustang. . .although he's very manly for gelding. He wasn't gelded until January of this year and he is 6. So far he's a really nice gelding!! Already very loving! Madi is training two mustangs right know for two different mustang makeovers (and her boyfriend Robert that she works and trains with) is training a tip horse (mine!) and a mustang for the TN mustang Makeover. It's Mustang central at their place!

equine_woman Mon, 09/13/2010 - 22:07

Awesome!! Thanks guys! I've learned a lot here on the forum and site in just one day! lol. We had a class in college that spent a day on equine color genetics and the professor just said it was something we should study on our own. . . that was about 10 years ago. Guess not time like the present!

equine_woman Tue, 09/14/2010 - 08:31

She would love to test him I know that!! I'm not sure about the wild bay. There is no black on his legs at all (in theory there could be in his feathers but I'm almost certain that's mud, will know soon enough I guess!). They look like they belong to a flaxen maned horse if you only look at his legs. . .

rabbitsfizz Tue, 09/14/2010 - 10:16

Looking hard at the fetlocks it is pretty nigh on impossible to see if he has any "colour" in them or not, but it is the "caste" to his coat that made me think maybe Silver Bay, but now I do not know......anyhoo, the grey mane and tail are not at all uncommon on Red based horses, especially the feral ones (get a lot of mountain ponies with it, and New Forest)
I am SO happy to see an active, gentle, programme to give these horses a use, I am so fed up with seeing them herded into pens and left to rot.
I love the looks on their faces, too, they are never going to give up their dignity, and they are never going to be asked to, either!
Full marks to your friend.

equine_woman Tue, 09/14/2010 - 12:17

Thanks rabbitsfizz!! The Mustang Heritage Foundation is doing a really good job with the Mustang Makeovers! Lots of horses getting adopted because of it!! My mustang comes from the TIP program (Trainer Incentive Program) which pays trainers to find homes for mustangs!! I hope they have continued success because I've never met a breed of horses like the mustang!! Amazing animals!

madelequestrian Tue, 09/14/2010 - 15:45

Hey everyone, I'm the one that owns the horse in question (well until the makeover anyway). I also wanted to mention that he has a very odd eye color. His eyes are a light amber instead of the normal black or dark brown.
I really would love to have him tested. Seems like he is either an extreme wild bay with silver or a flaxen chestnut plus the sooty gene.

critterkeeper Thu, 09/16/2010 - 14:33

As an owner of an often mistaken for bay, chestnut - I was very interested in your 'stang. Here are a couple of pixs of my chestnut mare, Poco Smokey Valley (a/k/a Valley to the regulars). She tested ee so no doubt of color: RED! And in winter she actually looks a lot more like a chestnut.

Notice how dark her coat is along with her black mane and tail, yet her legs are clearly red above the hooves.
[img]http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i99/j…]

Here is a pix of her 5-hr. old pali foal, Delight, (out of a cremello stud)...you can clearly see the depth of sooty in Valley's red coat.
[img]http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i99/j…]

critterkeeper Mon, 11/01/2010 - 11:06

There is no test for sooty, but she is ee so there is no chance of any black and her color is so clear that there wasn't any reason to test for anything other than agouti status aa (if I remember correctly - have to dig out her papers and look - it was a moot point for now as Luna is cremello)...lol.