# My black horse is getting a little brown?!



## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

Its called sun fading and its 100% normal. In fact, most black horses do fade if they're in the sun more than a few hours a day. The only horses that don't turn brown are those that are non-fading black. If he lives outside 24/7, there really isnt anything you can do about it, although there are certain things such as sunflower seed oil and nutmeg (I think? Not sure, we just let ours fade)that you can add to their diets to make them not fade quite as much. Once fall comes around again though, he'll most likely start darkening up on his own though.

Personally, I think the fading blacks are kind of cute xD we have a black miniature gelding who gets BRIGHT red highlights in his ears, back, and mane/tail every year. I think of it as a sign that he's healthy, happy, and in the environment that he was created to be in. Outside!


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## Kayella (Feb 11, 2012)

He looks brown to me, actually. A very dark brown, but a brown nonetheless. The bleaching in his flank area tells me so, as that would be one of the last places for a horse to bleach.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## WellWornBridle (Jun 20, 2012)

Feeding paprika or a commercial supplement (such as Black As Night) from mid-winter on next year will help reduce or even eliminate sun fading next summer. Be sure to check with your respective associations if you show though- some coat enhancing substances will test positive.


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## ThirteenAcres (Apr 27, 2012)

Agree on the brown. If it were sun fading, I wouldn't expect so much fading beneath the belly.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Sorry - not a true black. Looks to me more a brown or bay horse.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

Horse coloring is a very interesting subject 

There are a number of colors that look like black (liver chestnut and brown/seal bay/dark bay are the most common), but aren't really, and then there are some black horses that don't look like it because they fade in the sun! Smoky black horses (black + cream gene) can be particularly sensitive to fading in the sun.

How long have you had this horse? Has he ever shown any color variations before? Do you know what color his parents were?


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## Quixotic (May 22, 2009)

My black horse fades SO much in the FL sun! In fact, at our first dressage show, the judge called him "bay" =\


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

A true or homozygous black will not fade. If he gets reddish tinges it could be a deficiency in copper. My twh is out as he pleases and is black as coal.


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## Quixotic (May 22, 2009)

A true black can certainly fade. Not all will (they're referred to a "non-fading black"), but fading doesn't make a horse a non-black.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

I am going to disagree with those that say brown. This is exactly what I mean when I say the coat will bleach very evenly. The best photo to judge his colour from is this one:










Now, he appears redder in these pictures than you would expect, because they are taken so late in the afternoon. However, he is definitely a faded black, and not brown, The colour is just too even.



> A true or homozygous black will not fade. If he gets reddish tinges it could be a deficiency in copper. My twh is out as he pleases and is black as coal. Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-col...se-getting-little-brown-127792/#ixzz1yNQiCVOz


Saddlebag - homozygosity has nothing to do with if a black will fade or not. There is probably something genetic going on, but it's not anything to do with the horse's extension status.

OP - you can do some thing to stop him fading. The most simple is to keep him with a sheet on all day. This stops the sun from fading his coat. He would probably end up cooler than he would be without a sheet too, if you got one that was a light colour that could reflect most of the sun's rays. That is the ideal solution. You can also have a good impact on his coat health by making sure he is getting all vitamins and minerals, but that can be slightly more difficult with a horse that you are trying to trim down.


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## Calming Melody (May 20, 2012)

I have only had him for little over a month and he used to be darker but keeps on fading ...The farrier just came out , and I asked him about it and he said he was a black horse , just the sun was bleaching him out....I dunno I guess I will find out in the fall and winter how black he really is lol...now I know in his mane and tail he has ,what I call anyways, red highlights ; P I love him either way !


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## Quixotic (May 22, 2009)

I've had my black horse for a year now, & I've certainly seen quite the difference in his colour, depending on the season.

This is what he looked like in June of last year (SO sun bleached!):









December of last year:









April of this year:


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## Calming Melody (May 20, 2012)

Wow that is a big difference...I think I may try the blanket thing or something ...I would love for him to be black all year round...like black beauty lol


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

I agree that he's definitely black. He doesn't have the characteristics of a brown.

I've heard that adding paprika to the diet or BOSS (Black Oil Sunflower Seeds...shells included) will help to prevent a horse from fading.

The only other thing to do is either keep a light sheet on him with UV protection or to keep him in a barn during the day and let him out to pasture at night.

I currently have a liver chestnut mare here and she is so dark in the winter and spring. By summer she is so faded she doesn't even look liver chestnut. Just red. Blah! LoL.


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## Calming Melody (May 20, 2012)

I will look into the supplements , but not for sure if I will cause he needs to lose weight , but I plan on starting to ride him soon !!!


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## horseandme (Jun 4, 2012)

sun burn. I have a buckskin htat gets light colored when in the sun for a long time ,put him where he can get in the shade,or put a sheet on himHis black will come back next summer though


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

I'm going to throw my guess in with those who say "black". I'd expect to see at least some lightening on the muzzle if he were brown.


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