# Flea Bitten Dapple Gray mare... what can I expect color wise



## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

With greys, it all depends on the individual horse. I've heard that if they're flea-bitten, they'll stay flea-bitten, just the amount of "flea bites" will vary over time.

As far as dapples, my best friend's TB gelding used to be very dappled with a dark mane and tail when she got him as a 5yo. Now, at 17, he has no more dapples and is lightly flea-bitten. His mane and tail are silvery-white.


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

Dapples and black mane and tail will go away, flea bites will become more over time.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

You must post photos, lol! I want to see her!

Grays are one of my favorite colors since I currently happen to have two. :lol: And some years before that, I had a gray Arabian. So yeah, I've had good luck with grays.

I have a 4 yr old that is just starting to dapple. I hope he turns into a beautiful dapple gray and holds that color for a while. 

Yes, they will turn white over time and loose their dapples. Some turn quicker than others (apparently my guy is changing very slow). 

The 4 yr old's momma is 20 this year and she still has just the smallest hint of dapples on her hindquarters. But mostly she's fleabit gray. 

It's kind of cool to have two horses technically the same color but have totally different looks. I love grays.


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

Yeah greys come in all shades. Not me and mommas best picture, but 2 greys. Mine shows a lot of red sometimes too. Looking almost purple.


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

Well try again for the crappy picture


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

Willow -50 shades of gray:wink:





















My lovely dapples are flea bites in just 4 years:-(


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I won't say that she will entirely white out eventually...some grays don't. I've seen a few that were at an advanced age that still had prominent dapples. Fleabites may vary in number from year to year, but they generally stick around. My guy keeps getting more and more every year. He also turned white very fast. 

This was when he was 4


This was at 7









And this is him today at 12. Don't mind the icky spots on him, he had some tumors removed a little over a month ago.


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## cebee (Apr 4, 2010)

I will put a pick of her up as soon as I can figure out how! How ironic tho.. my boy is a white/ varnish roan appy... I will end up with 2 white horses! Oh well, I can always tell MINE anyhow, in a field of bays!


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

My eventually fleabitten grey mare at birth:











At age two:




















At age six:




















At age 10:











At age 27:










You can click on these photos to enlarge to see the flea-bitten appearance up close.

Intermediate to the photos of her at six and ten was a stage where her coat had greyed out like in the ridden photo, but her mane and tail were still jet black.

My mare was a heterozygous grey - one grey gene, one bay gene - and greyed out slowly. Homozygous greys (two grey genes) generally grey out totally or near-totally by maturity.


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## cebee (Apr 4, 2010)

An acquaintance told me that if she is given ( kelp? ) that they use to keep black horses..black... it will help her keep her beautiful dapples longer. Any idea if this works?


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

I personally doubt it. Dapples disappear because of a genetic programme to reduce melanin production. I don't think that would be much influenced by nutrition, just like nutrition probably won't slow down your own hair going grey. I can see that nutrition could deepen colour, though.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

I'm kind of overwhelmed with the amount of "likes" the photo series of my mare got. I lost her in April and if anyone is interested, I am in the process of writing up her story here:

http://www.horseforum.com/horse-memorials/memorial-sweet-girl-399593/page4/

That thread will have many photos to come...when I can find them, as many are in boxes...


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