# What color is she?



## Tori Taylor (Oct 9, 2015)

Rescued mare Lombok horse. 14.1 hands 4 to 5 years. Can't decide what color to call her. Mane is same color as body, tail has darker red hairs in it. Legs are darker red no bars, has a light dorsal stripe. There also appears to be white/grey hairs all over giving her an odd appearance looks dappled in the sun. I am sure the coat color will deepen and improve with better diet and worming.


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## SunnyDraco (Dec 8, 2011)

Without seeing pictures through different seasonal coats, it is a bit of a guess unless you color test. 

My first thought would be brownskin (brown based buckskin), second thought is a smoky black (usually fades worse than a typical black), third thought is a black that fades really bad. 

The lighter/redder colored hair in the mane/tail/forelock is due to sun damage. 

Having scattered white hairs is actually fairly normal. I have a black mare who has scattered white hairs all over that have nothing to do with grey or roaning.


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## Tori Taylor (Oct 9, 2015)

I will try to get some better photos. I don't think she was in the sun too much as despite general poor care they nearly always have shaded stables.


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## jgnmoose (May 27, 2015)

Bay

In my experience a lot of bays can look exotic in the Summer months. My personal horse gets dapples on her body as well, particularly in the Spring and late Autumn.


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## SunnyDraco (Dec 8, 2011)

jgnmoose said:


> Bay
> 
> In my experience a lot of bays can look exotic in the Summer months. My personal horse gets dapples on her body as well, particularly in the Spring and late Autumn.


I have never actually heard of bays being called "exotic in the summer months". The seal browns can sometimes look like bays in the summer, but they still have the distinct cinnamon color around the muzzle and soft areas in their winter coats. 

However, most blacks fade after sun and/or sweat caused damage and some fade really badly. 
Here is an example of one:

















She is a true black, coat color tested because my sisters were certain she was a dark bay, she has no coat dilutions to alter the coat color and no agouti to make her a bay. Every year she is a different color (inconsistent in her continual fading) and is almost never a solid black because as soon after a new seasonal coat comes in, it begins fading as well. So, I guess she is an "exotic" black LOL


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

I would say either a black that has faded (you can certainly see it in the forelock) _maybe _smoky black. As someone else mentioned, white hairs here and there can be quite normal. The faint "dorsal" will only be counter-shading, which many horses have.


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## Tori Taylor (Oct 9, 2015)

She has supposedly been housed in shade exclusively but who knows. I was not around for a few days but now have more time available so will try to get some more photos. No real "seasons" here it is always hot lol. Also no idea how I would color test from Indonesia?


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## SunnyDraco (Dec 8, 2011)

Tori Taylor said:


> She has supposedly been housed in shade exclusively but who knows. I was not around for a few days but now have more time available so will try to get some more photos. No real "seasons" here it is always hot lol. Also no idea how I would color test from Indonesia?


With hot weather comes sweat, sweat is more damaging to coat colors (especially blacks) than what sun does. The sweat sits on the hairs and bleaches out the color as it dries and really bleaches out color if the sun or sunlight reflection (off other surfaces) makes contact to wet sweat. 

To color test from Indonesia, there may still be a way to test from a lab in the USA. Not sure about other labs around the world and where they might be. But a coat color test is mailing in hairs that were pulled with roots attached. The results for the test are usually emailed to you (quickest method to get results). Since you are mailing hair and not blood/liquid/tissue, there should not be any reason why you would not be able to mail internationally.


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## Tori Taylor (Oct 9, 2015)

The vet who helped work on her infected foot says brownskin...


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## Tori Taylor (Oct 9, 2015)

Another photo


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

she looks like a sooty buckskin .


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## Tori Taylor (Oct 9, 2015)

Yea I am kinda going with sooty buckskin or brown skin. I think I will breed and color test both rescues for educational purposes will be interesting


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## Tori Taylor (Oct 9, 2015)

Dorsal stripe?


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## Tori Taylor (Oct 9, 2015)

More photos


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## SunnyDraco (Dec 8, 2011)

Counter shading, completely normal. A dorsal stripe from a dun dilution gene is very different, as it is dramatic in contrast with crisp edges and is wider.


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## Tori Taylor (Oct 9, 2015)

Ok thanks that is what I was wondering


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## Tori Taylor (Oct 9, 2015)

better photo of her color here


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

I would still say sooty buckskin.


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