# A question about chestnut



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

He looks like he'll be a lovely liver chestnut when he finishes out.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

I agree, I think it's just the liver color  I like the livers myself.


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## sunny5 (Mar 21, 2012)

Both his parents are normal chestnut and he was born normal (light) chestnut, pretty much the same colour as the filly he's next to in the first pic.
I thought he might just be going through a phase.
Maybe not.

ETA: I like liver chestnut too, I just didn't think they looked kind of blackish. I had a liver chestnut gelding once, but he was still recognisably reddish.


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Remember the foal she is usually the darkest shed of all. He could go back that light or her could stay a dark liver or any where in between. 

And yes, livers can be so dark as to appear black.


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## yourcolorfuladdiction (Feb 19, 2012)

What you have there is a dark liver chestnut foal, doubt it's going to lighten up unless you leave it out in the sun too long. Liver chestnuts are born looking "normal" (I suppose this has something to do with chestnut horses skin pigment being lighter at birth) but after their foal shedding they start to darken (and some continue to darken for a couple years).


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

He's definitely going to be a darker chestnut, not the copper color your hoping for.


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## sunny5 (Mar 21, 2012)

Oh ok, interesting. Thanks. Goes to show how much I know, I thought liver chestnuts needed at least one liver chestnut parent. And I thought they would look different as foals to normal chestnuts.


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## sunny5 (Mar 21, 2012)

I think I might have to change his name from Tabasco.


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## sunny5 (Mar 21, 2012)

Thanks z, I like it too, but he's not really red anymore that's why


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Call him Toby then


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## sunny5 (Mar 21, 2012)

Well I've started calling him Black Beauty, he has the star . Toby's good. I swear someone else did reply but then removed their post for some reason, I'm not chatting to myself!

So you can see he really was a red-head once:


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## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

It looks like you have a color changing horse like I have! Nutrition and season may very well impact how much "sooty" is expressed on his coat at any given time and you may find him redder at some points and darker at others. Or he may just stay dark. Who knows?

But this horse:










and this horse:










and this horse:










Are all the same horse during his 2 year old year.


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

sunny5 said:


> Thanks z, I like it too, but he's not really red anymore that's why


So change his name from Tobasco to Soy...:lol:


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## sunny5 (Mar 21, 2012)

Soy, lol!
Cat, he's very unusual! Funny how his legs are so pale. What colour did he end up, or is he still changing?


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## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

That was just last year and his coat still looks like that middle picture. Who knows what shedding will bring. And yeah - he always looks like he has 4 socks from a distance but really only has one actual sock. I think he is just a combination of chestnut, flaxen, mealy and sooty and they all just play back and forth on his coat never knowing which modifier will be more pronounced at the time.


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

I would say that he has pangaré as well cat. That is what is causing the lightness of his legs and his belly.


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## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

Mealy/pangare are the same.


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Blerg. Didn't even see that you had said mealy. Shows how my day is going :rofl:


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## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

LOL - we all have those days!


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