# Fading coat



## cowgirl928 (Feb 4, 2012)

When I first got my horse it was in a few crappy cloudy spring, and our state was only getting about 1 day a week of spotty sunshine. When I purchased her, she was the color of a new penny, no lie. Now, she is a faded palomino with the only color remaining of this gorgeous penny being some faded copper around her knees. :?

When I bought her she looked like the picture taken with me...now she looks like the second photo! It makes me so sad!

What can I do to bring back my girls beautiful coat color? She looks so dingy and bleached now. I know that a good horse is never a bad color, it just makes me sad because she doesn't even hardly look the same now. I don't want to be washing her 24/7 to bring it back...


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Well she a palomino. 


There are some supplements that you can try, but I am betting the really lightness is due to being in her winter coat. 

Coat colors boil down to a couple of things. Genetics, environment, and health.


How long ago was the second picture taken?


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## DejaVu (Jul 6, 2011)

Paprika helps with my bay. I put two tablespoons daily in his feed.

She really is a nice little palomino though. Like said above, a lot is probably her winter coat. Her legs and muzzle are still pretty dark, so I have a feeling when she sheds out, she'll be darker again. 

If you consider paprika, now is a good time to start on it, so her body can start using the paprika, so her spring coat will come in nice and dark.

How old is she? It's common for horses to lighten out with age to their true end color.


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## Country Woman (Dec 14, 2011)

like the other posters said its her winter coat


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## cowgirl928 (Feb 4, 2012)

No she was this light when it was about September already! She is only 5, so its not because of age. The second photo was taken just about a week ago. 

How much paprika should I give her? Should I blanket her this winter so the sun doesn't bleach it more? This summer I am going to be having a fly sheet on her whole body almost constantly because she gets absolutely mauled by flies no matter what I do, so this is the only solution. I have been seeing that some fly sheets and sets have UV blockage percentages on them. Will this help?


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## mudpie (Jul 15, 2011)

There's a supplement called "Gold As Sun" that I've heard really helps with palominos... I think paprika is more of a bay thing... The winter coat often differs from a horse's summer coat, so it might come back in the summer. Blanketing is always a good idea, as long as you can take off the blankies when it's warm

Gold As Sun is kind of pricey, though, so there's tons of other supplements that could work... just do some research

SmartPak is a good place to look


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

If it is bleaching, then the damage is done this season already. No supplements will change the coat back until she has shed. The easiest way to keep a horse from bleaching is to minimise sun exposure - rugging or keeping inside during the day and turning out at night. A very well balanced diet creates a healthy coat that does not fade, or only fades slightly. Beware of using a coat supplement if you want to show - paprika is in a lot of them, and is a restricted substance if I recall correctly.


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