# Grey or sorrel?



## Ebonyisforme (Oct 23, 2013)

More pictures


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

I vote chestnut. His coat isn't nearly adult enough in shade to make me think grey and he really doesn't have any of the other classic grey indicators.

It's not uncommon for chestnuts to have black and/or white hairs mixed in with their mane and tail hairs. Also, all horses have black/grey skin under their coats except for the skin under white markings.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

The first grey hairs usually show up right above their eyes. By this age there should be a noticeable amount, if he were grey. If you don't see any, he is probably staying chestnut.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

My vote is for chestnut as well <3
What a cutie!


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## Triple E (Jan 27, 2016)

I think chestnut too! Here is a pic of a 6 hour old bay colt born a week ago, even at this age you can see the grey around the nose and eye.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

I think you might be lucky, that the colt did not inherit the greying gene, however, there are cases where a horse with the greying gene, showed little, if any, until he was a few years old
I would say wait until he sheds out as a yearling, to be more sure.



Changes in the color of gray horses[edit]

A gray mare with suckling foal. The light hairs around this foal's muzzle and eyes indicate that it will gray like its mother. Not all foals show signs of graying this young.
A gray foal may be born any color. However, bay, chestnut, or black base colors are most often seen. As the horse matures, white hairs begin to replace the base or birth color. Usually white hairs are first seen by the muzzle, eyes and flanks, occasionally at birth, and usually by the age of one year. Over time, white hairs replace the birth color and the horse changes slowly to either a rose gray, salt and pepper (or iron gray), or dapple gray. As the horse ages, the coat continues to lighten to a pure white or fleabitten gray hair coat. Thus, the many variations of gray coloring in horses are intermediate steps that a young horse takes while graying out from a birth color to a hair coat that is completely "white."


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## BekahBear (Jan 16, 2008)

i would guess not grey but hes too young to know 100% yet just by looking. if you wanted to be sure you can always send in some hair and test for the grey gene. its usually only $25 and you get the results pretty quick.


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## Southern Grace (Feb 15, 2013)

Also, if you register him as chestnut and he greys out later, most registries will change the color on the papers for free.


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## Dehda01 (Jul 25, 2013)

What color was the lids of his eyes and skin around his eyes when he was born? Pink or black? Pink means he is chestnut- the pigment then darkens after a day or so. Being dark skinned means that he will grey.

It can be hard to see the grey hairs on chestnut foals, I often guess on them the most of all my babies. Some grey out faster than others. Some you can tell in a week, others by the first shed in 3 months. Other you guess for a while longer. But the black skin vs pink skin right when they are born is 100% for me- it only works with chestnut greying foals.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

@Triple E -- Your colt is so cute! Ugh, I cry.
Sorry, OT~


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