# What color is this?



## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

This is a new boarder at the farm I keep my horse at. He is Arab/Paso according to his owner. She also says the vet calls this red roan. I am not convinced. It is like a flea-bitten grey pattern, but in a pali color NOT red. Here are the best pics I could get. He is very timid. (and I had my guy and another trying to battle for my attention.)


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

I'd say flea-bitten grey. He was probably palomino before he greyed out, which is why his "flea bites" show up as more palomino, not red.
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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

They look more like individual patches of colour, almost spots than an intermixing of two hair colours
This site gives some pics of red roans and other roans as 'colours' - including one called a palomino roan which is about the closest to that one
American Roan Horse Association What Is A Roan?


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Yes, they are more like "spots" more like you would expect with a flea bitten grey. To me, roan is a less "spotty" interspersing of white and colored hairs. And that forelock color throws me way off. lol Perhaps if he had a bath…..not mine, so not my decision. ;-)


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## squirrelfood (Mar 29, 2014)

The horse is gray with chestnut ticking. What is called flea-bit. Unless it's Appy related, which looks possible. Owner could be wrong.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

Fleabitten grey. Roan does not affect the face or lower legs like that. Hard to say what the base coat was. My mother-in-law's fleabitten arab has very pale bites and he was born bay.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Grey.

VERY common in Arabs. (Arabs do not have roan)

He is fat.

I think he would love very different with a bath lol


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

But grey comes in yellow? That was my thought too, but his flecks are not what I have seen previously. I know it is really common in Arabs.

Honestly-I have seen his "mom" twice, and she just took a brush (A brush, meaning ONE) out into the pasture. That is it. I know he is fat…..not going to lose weight where he is! They are all very well fed with beautiful pastures. Mine wears a grazing muzzle. It has been suggested. Honestly-I have never even seen a halter on him as of yet. Owner says she wants to trail ride…..we go almost every day, and would be happy to show her around!


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## Dehda01 (Jul 25, 2013)

Grey affects all colors, but the flea bite marks stay the original base color he was born with. My grey horse range with color and quanitity of flea bites. They range from chestnut-bay-black flea bites. If any of them had been born a palomino or buckskin the flea bites would be that body color. But some chestnuts can be very light in color. 

I once saw an interesting grey haflinger cross. She was grey with a ton of pale chestnut flea bites. She had so many that she almost looks solid in color from far away.
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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

I think he would look less yellow with a bath, and more than one brush lol.

But as to the spots being yellow, they can be in any color. I agree it's unusual but expect for the close up he looks very normal.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

Fleabites are tricky, but just think of them as pigment cells that have either not been affected by the grey gene, or have regenerated themselves, which is why some horses can develop more fleabites over the years long after they've finished greying out...


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## Change (Jul 19, 2014)

There's a pretty little champagne palomino grey yearling filly for sale in my area. She really pretty and would be on my go-look-at list if she were a year or two older.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Yup, fleabitten gray. Even in extreme roaning situations, the roan doesn't cover the _entire_ body.


Yellow fleabites aren't common, but they do happen. Dobe is the same color except he doesn't have quite as many fleabites as this horse. He was listed as a buckskin when he was captured (though I am beginning to question whether he might actually be a palomino and the start of the graying process just made him _look_ buckskin), but there is little doubt that he is yellow based.


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