What colour is my mare?

[Imp]

She's passported as black, was described by her original owner as a very dark bay.

She has two white rear hooves, rear sock and stocking. Her coat is stippled with white hair in patches (hips, tail, dock and withers); underneath and is particularly heavy and white between her back legs, although it runs along the entire length of her body underneath into a point just before her girth area. I don't have a picture of her rolling to show but have a couple of shots that may help the more knowledgeable.

I did ask a while ago about the white hair and I think Chev said it was Sobiano (SP?) gene. I'd like to know really because somebody commented that she is actually a coloured horse, mainly due to the heavy white patches under her belly?

It doesn't matter to me any way but I'm interested and so any ideas welcome.

Summer coat hips:

Withers and base of her mane (this is not white hair from bad fitting tack, she's the same on her dock and throughout her tail)

ETA: Whole body shot:

 

[Mehitabel]

the belly splashes are cause by 'sabino' gene, as well as the long back stockings.
the roaning on her flanks is just that - roaning. it's reasonably common for some horses to have roaning there - we've got a bay mare on the school who has the same on her flanks and hips, and on her mane and withers.

 

[flintybaby]

OOh shes gorgeous. I love the dapple on her. We have a pony very similar to yours and he's got dapple in him!!

 

[flintybaby]

Hmm you cant see no dapple on him at all there - bloomin weather! Trust me he does have some dapple lol

 

[Imp]

Ha haaa, that's a lovely hairy boy you've got there! Beautiful winter coat; Megan looks much the same and is very black in winter. The body shot of her is her 'conker' look for summer She really is a hairy fairy now though

 

[chev]

She's either a very very dark bay or what some people term brown; she would have both E (black) and A (agouti or bay) alleles if you had her tested. Horses with this colour can get very very dark in winter; I have a filly who is actually darker than your mare all year round, and she's EeAa (black based with agouti).

The roaning is indeed common, and caused by the same gene that gives her the stockings, belly splash and blaze.

Strictly speaking no she's not 'coloured' in teh sense that she wouldn't be registerable with a coloured horse society such as CHAPS, and is unlikely to throw foals with loud patterns.

But sabino *can* be expressed really loudly, so that patches of white on the belly extend right up onto the body, along with stockings that go up onto the hindquarters and shoulder - those horses can be registered (although again there's no guarantee they'd throw loud foals themselves). So whether a sabino is classed as a coloured really depends on how much white they have; your mare doesn't have enough to be called coloured.

Most people think of tobiano when they refer to coloured horses in teh UK - she definitely doesn't have that gene.

 

[joey_olop]

I havnt a clue Im afraid but just wanted to say your horse is gorgeous

 

[Imp]

Thanks for the help, and the nice comments about her *gushes with pride*

I always think her ears look like little devil's horns when they're pricked... she doesn't behave like one though, she's a darling girl ... a darling, very, very dark bay girl (ETA: I don't think she's true brown because her main and tail are really black).

 

[Black Beastie]

I think that she is dark bay as you said she has black mane and tail.

Kia is black, here is a piccy

Nikki xxxxx

 

[domane]

She's VERY similarly coloured to Cherry - including the roan... but Chez doesn't have the "sabino" white....

Chez is passported as dark bay (and I agree with that!) but like Meggymoo, at this time of year she looks almost black....

 

[Pink's lady]

OMGH, it's Pink!

Pink's the same colour as Megan - very very dark bay , so what chev said She too has a belly splash - I considered teaching her to lie down and roll over so I could take her into coloured classes

 

[Unbeatable-TB]

a black/brown i had a pony very similar to her...he just had the lighter muzzle and flanks, they were like a chestnut. but he was classed as a black/brown. dont know if that is right fot your mare though. she is gorgeous! love her!