# Flea bitten in jumper\eventing world?



## Horsesforu1104 (Sep 27, 2012)

I'm defiantly not one to buy bc of color, but I am curious to know what y'all think about flea bitterns I've never been partial to them but they are kinda growing on me!


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

I see lots of grays in jumping & eventing- not all grays get flea bites, but I don't see why that would make a difference


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## tlkng1 (Dec 14, 2011)

Just refer to them as a gray roan . People who don't know horses will be importantly impressed with the term and those that do know horses will just smile politely..you can't lose


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

The horse probably won't stay flea bitten and will turn white eventually anyway, so I'm not sure it would matter.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Drafty, fleabitten horses actually tend to get _more_ the older they get (or at least, more become visible). Dobe keeps getting more and more every year.

OP, I have no personaly experience in the j/e world, but I can't imagine that color would matter if the horse has the ability and scope to do the level you are wanting.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

smrobs said:


> OP, I have no *personaly* experience in the j/e world, but I can't imagine that color would matter if the horse has the ability and scope to do the level you are wanting.


 Typo. Supposed to be "personal". :lol:


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## caleybooth (Mar 11, 2011)

Well Sylvester did it, so why can't any other gray...


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## xlionesss (Jan 30, 2012)

There ya go LOL


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## Sweeney Road (Feb 12, 2012)

Fleabitten greys are gorgeous! I have three  . The genetics are pretty interesting, but basically boil down to some horses which are heterozygous have a mutant gene which dies off as the horse ages and because the gene is deactivated, the underlying colour is allowed to show. The speed at which this occurs is different for every horse. I've seen a 16 year old Holsteiner who was probably 35-40% covered with fleabites. My own three fleabitten greys are 25, 37, and 30 years old, and are probably around 10% fleabitten.


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## Bridgertrot (Dec 2, 2011)

tlkng1 said:


> Just refer to them as a gray roan . People who don't know horses will be importantly impressed with the term and those that do know horses will just smile politely..you can't lose


IMO, please don't refer to them as grey roan because that is not what they are. I wouldn't smile politely, I'd facepalm and correct you LOL. Mind you, there are such things as grey roans (aka a horse _with_ grey _with _roan). But a fleabitten grey is not a grey roan. lol


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

If I came across someone who called a fleabitten gray a "gray roan" I would smile politely, but would then would be much more likely to discard the person's other statements and opinions.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

I have 2 red flea bitten greys. one is 18 arab one is 32 tb and the only time they look white is in winter and from a distance. A grey will turn white over time. I have not seen the flea bittens turn white as the other greys tend to. Both of mine are registered as grey.
And by the way.. thats a very pretty horse !


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## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

It would be more like a reverse roan anyway, since the flecking is in the darker color, not white, lol.

I have a flea bitten grey that is a paint, that started out black and white, and he did hunters. He fit right in. I would think with jumpers/eventing, that it would be even more about ability than appearance. In the hunter world, appearance is half of everything, it seems.


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## holsteinerACE (Jan 6, 2014)

Grey flea bitten horses are very beautiful! My horse is a 17 year old grey flea-bitten Holsteiner he has had a very long career in show jumping and is the best horse I've ever met. And I agree with Bridgertrot I wouldn't call it grey roan because that is not what they are!


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

I've certainly ridden my share of greys of all colors over my lifetime. The stallion in my avatar was homozygous for grey and EVERYTHING he produced was some sort of grey. For a while there, it was odd for me to not be riding some kind of grey.

Other than the problem of keeping them clean, I like them just fine. Sometimes nothing stands out like a sparkling clean grey......and nothing stands out like a nasty dirty grey!


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## holsteinerACE (Jan 6, 2014)

> Other than the problem of keeping them clean, I like them just fine. Sometimes nothing stands out like a sparkling clean grey......and nothing stands out like a nasty dirty grey!


That is soooo true!! Allison Finch


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## Rosieredpony (Jan 9, 2014)

Some people that don't know what a flea bitten gray looks like ask me if my mare is a Appaloosa.... She a big dutch Warmblood. She's still beautiful even though she gets more spots every year. She was an eventer by the way
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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