# Bay colt shedding black?!



## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

I think your foal is gray.


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## CowgirlShay (Dec 1, 2009)

Darn :/ I thought that maybe he wasn't going to grey, since isn't the new coat that appears underneath the old baby coat the color that the foal ends up being? I mean I figured if he was going to grey he would show more signs sooner like the grey around the eyes and legs ect. instead of the new appearing black hair the only grey he has is that tail which he has had ever since he was born :/ oh well greys are pretty I just wish they wouldn't be such a pain to keep clean!  lol thanks


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

The tip-off, to me, is that the was born so dark, like an adult rather than a baby bay. I could be wrong, but that is generally a characteristic of gray foals, due to early overproliferation of hair follicle melanocytes (and their subsequent early depletion).


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## CowgirlShay (Dec 1, 2009)

Yeah that's totally what I thought at first, but then he started to shed black instead of grey! Well I guess we will find out sooner or later what he really is going to be! Darn foals and their confusing ways of coloration xD


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## haviris (Sep 16, 2009)

I think he'll be dark bay. I think if he was gray is legs would have been darker at birth, not a 100%, but most I've seen have been.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

He will change color, but who knows how much. He really looks like he's graying but that's always interesting to watch


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## palominolover (Apr 28, 2010)

I always thought if one parent was grey then the foal will ALWAYS turn grey =/ so yes than this foal is going grey.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

If the one gray parent is homozygous (carries 2 copies of the gene) for gray, then yes, there is 100% chance of a gray foal. However, if the gray parent is heterozygous (only carries one copy of the gene), then there is a 50% chance of a gray foal.

I agree with Bubba that he will turn gray. What really gave it away to me is the skunk-tail look he's already getting with the whiter hairs around his dock, plus the silvery look of his legs.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

First photo is my colt Zane, when he was born. He didn't have a white hair on him (except for his markings). But he is turning gray. He started getting white hairs when his baby coat shed (which was also very dark, dark bay). Looking back in it, he also appeared to have a little frosting in his tail. But none of the white around the eyes and face you always hear about.

So yeah, I bet your foal is a gray too. Like Smrobs said, the silvery legs are kind of a give-away. 

Here is a comparison for you. First foal is a gray, second foal is a bay.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Here are some progression photos as he was shedding his foal coat, after his foal coat was out, and this summer as a yearling. For a little while I didn't even know if I had a bay or a liver chestnut. :lol:


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## crimson88 (Aug 29, 2009)

IMO, my vote is for grey. I had a mini filly born dun, shedded her foal coat out to pitch black, and by the time she was a year an a half she was nearly white.


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## PVPH (Nov 10, 2011)

It's difficult to tell by the photos, but it almost looks like extreme Countershading.

ETA: The greying around the eyes, muzzle and tail head make me lean towards Grey.


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