# What color is she?



## Hrsegirl (Mar 16, 2010)

So as most of you know, I just recently bought a new mare. She was advertised as Grulla. But as there has been some question of her color in some of my other posts, I started to do some research. I had never seen a grulla in person before, so I just figured that is what she was. Someone had suggested she was a sooty/smutty buckskin. So I looked more into that color. She shows most of the characteristics of a sooty buckskin. 

Most of the sites I've looked on, say smutty/sooty buckskins have dapples. And she does, oddly enough. When we first went to look at her, she didn't have any dapples what-so-ever. The day I went to get her, her dapples have appeared and have stayed ever since. 

She also has a very distinct dorsal stripe. But I also read that counter-shading is a form of the Sooty / Smutty gene which mimics the dorsal stripe associated with Dun. Sites also say that their sooty color comes and go's with the seasons. Her previous owners say that in the summer, she is more of a golden tone. Let me know what you guys think. I'll post some pictures that were taken for her for sale ad, which were taken this spring and then some pictures of now. 

The first two are from her for sale ad.














The last two are from the day I got her home. October 1, 2010


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## HorsePoor_n_BigSky (Dec 19, 2006)

She looks smutty buckskin to me with countershading. A picture of her back could help determine that. Nice looking mare. 
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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

I agree with sooty buckskin. In the last 2 she almost looks grulla except her face isn't dark enough.


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## sswtness75 (Oct 6, 2010)

New here, but I thought I would give my two cents... I actually deal with questions like this a lot (work for a vet). Grulla is the color to be these days and _everyone _seems to have one. Unfortunately, most that I have seen are just dun horses.

Your horse (from the pictures) is a dun. The dorsal looks quite distinct, to much to be counter-shading. I looked at both threads. A sooty buckskin will not have a dorsal. 

She is very pretty.


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## Plains Drifter (Aug 4, 2009)

She's gorgeous...but while her body looks grulla, I'd guess, dun because of the stripe. One of the requirements for grulla is the face has to be darker than the body.

Some examples:

My grulla filly:









A friend of mine has a grulla filly:









And this the the above filly's grandsire:









And this guy is mine: Despite his dark face he's a dun. (though his dad was a grulla)









Ps..I have a sooty buckskin too. She also has a faint dorsal stripe and dapples in the winter. Hard to see in this picture though.


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## HorsePoor_n_BigSky (Dec 19, 2006)

She very well could be a dun. I have seen buckskins with counter shading well over two inches thick. A back picture and even the ears will help rule out dun or buckskin. 

I agree though defenitely not grulla.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mliponoga (Jul 24, 2010)

I would call her a dun, but with a different shade than most. The thing that I would say rules out grulla is her lighter face. Here's a picture of my grulla mare:


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## mliponoga (Jul 24, 2010)

Either way, she's gorgeous!


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## Hrsegirl (Mar 16, 2010)

Well the tips of her ears are the same color as her head. I will get a picture of her back and her ears tonight and post them.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## HorsePoor_n_BigSky (Dec 19, 2006)

If she has tipped ears then she's a dun. Either way she's a nice mare. Looks laid back and easy going.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Hrsegirl (Mar 16, 2010)

I took a few pictures of her ears and dorsal stripe. They are from my cell phone so I hope they aren't bad quality.


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## HorsePoor_n_BigSky (Dec 19, 2006)

She is definitely dun
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## haviris (Sep 16, 2009)

What color are her parents? She appears to be smutty buckskin w/ counter shading. She's very pretty, I like her!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Well, she is definitely not a grulla. In all honesty, she looks like a sooty dunskin to me. Her dorsal stripe is awfully dark and defined to just be countershading and she still has the very dark black mane/tail/legs characteristic of a buckskin. So my guess is dunskin.

Here are some other examples of dunskins.



























Just add a sooty modifier on any of those and they would look exactly like your girl.


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

I agree with Smrobs on this one...I just now saw the dorsal on her...and she is definitely not grulla by any means. I would say dunskin


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## Hrsegirl (Mar 16, 2010)

I agree. I'm glad we finally figured this out haha. I've never even heard of a dunskin before but that is interesting. I've been out of the horse world for too long. I need to do more research and investigating to learn it all over again!


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## haviris (Sep 16, 2009)

Just saw on the other thread you don't know the parents color. Check out,
Dun Central Station - Look-A-Like Colors
Scroll down to the colt Casanova, I wish it showed an adult pic, but as a baby his color is almost identical, and he is not a dun.
Also check out CJ Sprakling Gem, how defined his dorsal looks, but it's only counter shading.
And the ear tips comparison, buckskins often have tipped ears to, I was looking for pics of buckskin ears since I don't have any, but this is even better because it shows both. 

To me in the pics her ears do not look tipped, they look like the smutty gene is expressing and making it look that way, her dorsal also doesn't look that defined to me even though it is dark, but on the other thread the pic from behind (not a great pic, but as best I can see), generally a true dorsal runs through the tail and most often w/ frosting along the sides, hers doesn't look that way to me in that pic.

W/out knowing parent colors or having her color tested there is no way everyone (or even the majority) will be able to agree on a color. Although I feel there is a slim chance she's a smutty bucksin dun, I'd put money on her not having the dun gene and just being a smutty buckskin.


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## Hrsegirl (Mar 16, 2010)

How do you go about getting her tested?


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## haviris (Sep 16, 2009)

Horse Coat Color


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