# 2 yr old starting to grow white hairs



## tiffrmcoy (Apr 13, 2012)

As I have stated before in another thread she is my first youngin and I don't have much experience with them or know much about a growing foal. I tried researching this on the internet but couldn't find anything maybe I'm going about it the wrong way or I'm not looking in the right places about a 2 yr changing.

The more she sheds out the more white hairs that show up I know her previous owner very well and she didn't change color like this when they had her. She starting to grow white hairs in her tail and her star and snip are starting to grow together. The white hairs are more around her back half and her belly I haven't found any around her shoulder, neck, mane or head other than her star and snip. I thought the first time a foal sheds was their color for life but obviously I'm wrong because she's changing. Her father was sabino/rabicano and carries the sabino gene (all this was stated by the previous owner) her mom was just a plain brown but my question is:

Do horses normally change color when their 2? 

Is their a possibility she could be graying at her age or just roaning or something? 

If she doesn't roan out and these are the only white hairs she gets will she still be considered brown?

If you find or know a good article/website about a foal changing colors or roaning or something like that I'd like to read if you'd like to share it.















Sorry it's blurry.









Her star and snip now.








Star and snip when I first got her.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I have a solid paint, had him since a weanling. Every year he gets more white hairs in his solid coat and odd tiny spots of white hairs every time he sheds out, he is 13 now, interested in what the color experts have to say.
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## tiffrmcoy (Apr 13, 2012)

Me too.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

My 7yo "black" KMH has some roan hairs. My friend's horse changes color 3x/year. It's normal.


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## Kayella (Feb 11, 2012)

You can knock grey and roan out right now. At least one of parents has to be grey or roan for it to be passed on to her. I think it's just some random hairs growing in. A lot of horses don't shed out that same every year, lord knows my yearling doesn't.
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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

tiffrmcoy said:


> Do horses normally change color when their 2?
> 
> Is their a possibility she could be graying at her age or just roaning or something?
> 
> If she doesn't roan out and these are the only white hairs she gets will she still be considered brown?


Horses can show variation year to year at any age. Sometimes it is due to color genetics (brown and roan vary seasonally), but can also be due to environmental or diet changes.

Unless one of her parents is gray, she cannot be graying. If the sire carries both sabino and rabicano, it's possible she inherited one or both of these and is getting a "roaning" effect from that.

Whether she roans out or not, her base color (brown) will stay the same.


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

My bay colt jet gets random white hairs as he sheds out but they disappear once his full new coat comes in. He even gets this random white spot on his chest but it will disappear.








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## Kayella (Feb 11, 2012)

I can show Henny shedding out his foal coat. When I saw pictures, I thought he was going to be DARK. He actually shed out to a pretty khaki color. He's doing the same thing shedding out his winter coat now, but I don't know if he'll shed light again, or dark. He's tricky. It's like he grows the black hairs while he's shedding, then sheds them out. Or they could have been there the whole time under his fluffy hair. Who knows? But she may shed them out when she finishes shedding, or they may stay there. I'd just count them as random white hairs, though.


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## Tryst (Feb 8, 2012)

It is VERY common for chestnut, bays and browns to get random white hairs. It does not indicate roan or gray. Sometimes it seems linked to sabino... But sometimes it is just something that they seem to get for no known reason.


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## oh vair oh (Mar 27, 2012)

After shedding her first coat, Lily is developing more indicative ticking of sabino/rabicano. She has more white hairs along her back and hindquarters now. I suspect she'll get more as she ages.


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## bluesurfsun (Aug 6, 2013)

If her sire was ZHR Romantic Warrior, he is a sabino and she will have roaning. He has a skunk tail.


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