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Going to be grey? *updated 4/30/12*

TheSwingHorse June 11, 2011 April 30, 2012

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Ok, so our neighbor bred his Andalusian/Thoroughbred mare with our Friesian, Teake, last year. The foal was born earlier this year. The dam is probably 5 or 6 and is turning grey but very slowly. Teake, is obviously, not grey. :P What do you all think? Does he look like he'll be grey?(testing aside, I doubt the neighbor is going to pay cause he doesn't care either way.) Phone pics from the day he was born. [img]http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/196056_198410830179441_1…] [img]http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/189729_198058760214648_1…] Earlier this week: [img]http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/250848_172057219520664_1…] [img]http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/254076_172057319520654_1…] [img]http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/248288_173445346048518_1…] Thanks everyone! :)

RiddleMeThis Sat, 06/11/2011 - 17:26

If he was anything but a Freisian cross I would say yes IMO definitely going gray. But Freisians tend to have a lot of their foals born black black. So now I just don't know. I would be prepared for either.

TheSwingHorse Sat, 06/11/2011 - 19:33

Yea, thats where I was confused. The only thing telling me "grey" was the born dark thing. But some of our other friesians (purebreds) have had dark dark foals too. ugh! He didn't have goggles and didn't have white anywhere aside from his little forehead star. :P

He'll definitely be interesting to see! This boy is HUGE. He was born a month early almost. The owner is ready for either, thankfully, as he's going to be keeping him. :) So we get to watch him grow up. This was Teake's first baby so we're naturally very attached. ;) And he's SO social.

TheSwingHorse Sun, 06/12/2011 - 18:20

Is the progress of grey genetic? Like... since mom greyed really slow, do you think he will if he is, in fact, grey?

Monsterpony Mon, 06/13/2011 - 16:40

Heterozygotes tend to grey slower than homozygotes, otherwise I don't know of any genetic basis to greying rate.

WhyNot-Ponys Thu, 06/16/2011 - 01:01

Watch the eyes - when he sheds his foal coat the area around his eyes is were it usually starts - if he get´s one itzibitzy tiny white hair there, then he´ll grey.

TheSwingHorse Thu, 06/16/2011 - 14:42

I've been keeping an eye out for all the signs but so far, nadda. I was hoping for an opinion based on the birth pic but as Monster said, friesians tend to have dark foals...

With our andalusians, I can almost always tell the day they are born if they're going to grey or not... but he has me stumped due to the friesian part. ARG. lol