# Is this foal really "black?"



## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

Basically for learning purposes. I found this ad 2 week old foal And it pictures a mare and foal. The mare is black and they keep repeating in the ad that the foal IS black, he just has to shed his baby hair. But... it looks buckskin to me. I don't really see any indication on him that he is black. The sire is palomino.

What do you guys think? I'm really interested in genetics etc, and telling correct color, so I"m really interested in knowing.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

If the sire is palomino, then it is entirely possible that he is either black or smoky black. There is also a possibility that the foal could be a very sooty buckskin or a bay, depending on whether the sire carries an agouti gene or not. Without knowing the exact genetics of both sire and dam, there are lots of variables and the only 100% way to know would be to test the baby.

Basically, though, there is an option for palomino, sorrel, black, buckskin, smoky black, and bay.

Lots of black foals are born more of a smoky, mousy color.

This was Taz when he was a foal and now he's just as black as he could be (and no, his legs aren't black, he had just been walking through mud)


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Another thing to bear in mind is the lighting of the pictures themselves. The pics aren't great to start with, but they are evening shots - the sun is very low to the horizon. They call this the "golden hour" in photography, and the light is VERY yellow. It gives everything in the picture a warmer hue. The foal looks black to me.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

I would guess he's black too. Both the light like Chiilaa said and black foals are a weird mousy brown until they shed out their foal coat.


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

Chiilaa said:


> Another thing to bear in mind is the lighting of the pictures themselves. The pics aren't great to start with, but they are evening shots - the sun is very low to the horizon. They call this the "golden hour" in photography, and the light is VERY yellow. It gives everything in the picture a warmer hue. The foal looks black to me.


True...he could in actuality be more of the typical mousey grey/brown color of a black foal than the lighter browner color seen in the pictures...


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## WSArabians (Apr 14, 2008)

Definity entirely possible. He almost looks like my mare that turned black. Have to see if I can dig up some pics later.


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## xJumperx (Feb 19, 2012)

He looks like he has a pretty large 'dorsal stripe,' and he's got some dark patches. I vote dark bay or black.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

many black horses are born a grulla-like color and shed out to black. my mare did =]


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## marykatherine (Mar 8, 2012)

I bred my black mare to a blue roan stallion and the resulting foal was a lightish gray so I was thinking blue roan. But when the filly matured she was coal black. I think this horse might be a bay because of the brownish tones but that might be just the lighting.


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