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What color foal?

Can chestnuts be born with normal dark skin? I think they only ones I've seen have been somewhere between pink and the purple/pumpkin, but never normal dark. This guy has had normal dark skin from day one and he has odd slate blue eyes. His legs are very pale. His tail has some blackish color in it but is mostly silver/blonde. [img]http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa217/alankfan/2009ColoradotripMay50…] [img]http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa217/alankfan/2009ColoradotripMay50…] [img]http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa217/alankfan/2009ColoradotripMay50…] [img]http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa217/alankfan/2009ColoradotripMay50…] [img]http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa217/alankfan/2009ColoradotripMay60…] Do I see ear tips? Do I see slate blue eyes? I don't know what I see... he has me confuzzled.

rabbitsfizz Tue, 06/02/2009 - 06:22

Your pictures are HUGE!!!
So I cannot see them properly but it looks as if he could be Silver Bay to me...
In the birth pictures he looks a normal Chestnut but he looks different in the dried off ones.

TheRedHayflinger Tue, 06/02/2009 - 11:15

over half the foals born during my broodmare/foal care class in college were chestnuts...and about half of them(4) were born with dark skin. One of the 4 with dark skin at birth did end up a grey as an adult though.

accphotography Tue, 06/02/2009 - 12:12

Here I'll give you links Rabbit so you can see them better:

http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa21…" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa21…" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa21…" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa21…" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa21…" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And FWIW, a little dorsal stripe. Countershading?
http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa21…" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

rabbitsfizz Tue, 06/02/2009 - 14:18

Looking at the other pictures it does just look Chestnut....false dorsals are common in Red.

accphotography Tue, 06/02/2009 - 14:45

I admit he looks chestnut, but I don't think he is. Call it a hair brained hunch, but I've thought from moment one that he was bay silver. I guess we'll find out.

Daylene Alford Tue, 06/02/2009 - 14:58

I think he's just chestnut. He doesn't have the white eye lashes that so often go with silver.

Daylene Alford Tue, 06/02/2009 - 15:33

I did a quick search through the chestnut foals for sale on equine.com and it seemed most have some kind of darker red at the tips or around the rim of the ears.

accphotography Tue, 06/02/2009 - 15:38

Hmmm I hadn't thought about that.

Well I guess we'll find out when she test or clips him (which she will likely do both).

She says the hair under his blonde baby fuzz on his legs is gray... but that doesn't tell us much.

Morgan Tue, 06/02/2009 - 15:43

She reminds me a lot of Brick who ended up flaxen (pangere) she looked like a dark golden palomino in the summer and a dark red chestnut with blond mane in winter.

accphotography Tue, 06/02/2009 - 15:47

Well there's plenty of possibility genetics wise here. Sire is silver buckskin and dam is bay silver tobiano (which he obviously didn't get). Both have produced reds and non silvers. So I guess we've got Ee A_ Zz CRcr to Ee A_ Zz TOto.

critterkeeper Tue, 06/02/2009 - 22:37

If that is what you have, then they have hit the lottery (or missed it depending on your outlook)... :laugh1

accphotography Tue, 06/02/2009 - 23:04

:laugh1 My sentiments exactly! I know these people very well and have no doubt this little boy will be ADORED no matter what his color. For my own selfish reasons I just hope he's not just chestnut.

BamBam Wed, 06/03/2009 - 12:03

I can't help you, because I had the same questions about Pebbles. Our foal from 2007. She was born with a dark skin and black 'eye' also. The eye colour was a pale blue and at the age off 14 months still was pale blue.
After shedding her babyfur she had grey legs and her bodycoat was cream. Her colour was lighter at birth as the foal on your pictures. Here some pictures from Pebbles: http://anita.sloot.googlepages.com/pebb…" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

accphotography Wed, 06/03/2009 - 14:00

So what color IS Pebbles?? :laugh1 If she's chestnut, then that means this little boy having gray legs underneath doesn't mean anything. *GAH* *pulls hair out*

BamBam Wed, 06/03/2009 - 14:21

[quote="accphotography"]So what color IS Pebbles?? :laugh1 If she's chestnut, then that means this little boy having gray legs underneath doesn't mean anything. *GAH* *pulls hair out*[/quote]

I don't know. My guess was Palomino.

Morgan Thu, 06/04/2009 - 21:31

hmmm

for comparison, chestnut APHA x chestnut AQHA filly:
1 week old I think (sorry day 1 pics are hard copies and for these I didnt have a good camera, I'm not sure if I have an eye pic...I THINK they were dark greyish) Skin was dark on the face, very light under fur. You can see here her roots starting to come in white, shocked me at first lol.
[img]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y87/Da…]
[img]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y87/Da…]
just before shedding foal coat:
[img]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y87/Da…]
summer, weanling (4-5 mos old):
[img]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y87/Da…]
winter, 8 months old:
[img]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y87/Da…]

no older pics, but new owner said her mane darkened some.

edit: socks on left front and right rear, the other legs are just light colored.

accphotography Thu, 06/04/2009 - 21:38

WOW she's striking!!

I'm still sitting on the fence with this little colt. *sigh*

lipigirl Fri, 06/05/2009 - 03:38

Cherish looks silver bay in the summer with greyish legs but she is just liver chestnut with flaxen, I truely do not think this one has silver but only testing will tell. :)

accphotography Fri, 06/05/2009 - 18:14

I'm not going to encourage her to test. I can wait and if he's silver, we'll know it when he sheds.

BamBam Sat, 06/06/2009 - 02:07

[quote="accphotography"]I'm not going to encourage her to test. I can wait and if he's silver, we'll know it when he sheds.[/quote]

On what things will you know it then (when he sheds)?

accphotography Sat, 06/06/2009 - 03:06

I suspect it will be obvious if he is chestnut or silver (or palomino :laugh1 ) when he sheds.

accphotography Sat, 06/06/2009 - 13:40

Well I think it will be obvious enough I'll be confident enough to say. I've not seen many bay silvers shed out and leave me questioning if they are silver or not.

He will likely be gelded so it's not crucial to know.