# How do I darken my paliminos coat?



## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

Yet another grooming question, I have a very light coloured palimino. In the summer he is somewhat darker but if I could and some shine and little colour his looks would not clash so muchYa I know I am really shallow about my horses looks. So any feeds I could add to his diet or a shampoo? I figured I should find some thing now since the holiday has so many sales. What about flax seeds? BOSS?
thanks


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## lacyloo (Jul 1, 2008)

Sunshine.LOL thats all I know.


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## thunderhooves (Aug 9, 2009)

umm.... I don't think you can darken his coat with anything. Its not like human hair dye, ya know? He is beautiful, already!


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## TwisterRush (Sep 8, 2009)

I wonder if show touch-up may work ? they have one for specific coat colors, like palimino's. 

Give that a try ?


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

Sunshine will only make it lighter. I guess I should be happy with him.
Question: I blanket him will that effect his shedding out? Will his coat just go threw a normal shedding period?


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## jody111 (May 14, 2008)

Livermol... not sure what colour it would make a pally though but it makes my Bay a real red bay

Dont know if its an NZ product but surely you have the equivalent over there

surely some showies from over there should know - will find a link to livermol BRB


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## ThatNinjaHorse (Jul 26, 2009)

jody111 said:


> Livermol... not sure what colour it would make a pally though but it makes my Bay a real red bay
> 
> Dont know if its an NZ product but surely you have the equivalent over there
> 
> surely some showies from over there should know - will find a link to livermol BRB



Yeah i was just going to suggest Livamol


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## Tophandcowgirl (Jun 23, 2007)

This is strange. But I have read in a couple places and seen that adding paprika (that red spice) in the feed (about a tablespoon a day) can really brighten up a palominos coat. I don't have a pally, so I've never tried. You can buy bulk paprika in like Sam's Club or whatever.


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## JustLeaveIt2Mya (Jun 6, 2009)

Gold as Sun from SmartPak Equine <---i've never used it but, i've heard good things about it but it takes time for it to work


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

About the paprika and gold as sun arent they illegal in shows?


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## JustLeaveIt2Mya (Jun 6, 2009)

i wouldnt think so, its not really anything bad, look up in ur breed regulations if u show breed....and local shows i dont really think so, but it might depand on the area were u show...


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## jody111 (May 14, 2008)

Tophandcowgirl said:


> This is strange. But I have read in a couple places and seen that adding paprika (that red spice) in the feed (about a tablespoon a day) can really brighten up a palominos coat. I don't have a pally, so I've never tried. You can buy bulk paprika in like Sam's Club or whatever.


yep Ive heard that - and if you google it - they reckon carrots and pumpkin too...

never tried the paprika but I also think its swabbable???


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## snoggle (Jun 13, 2009)

I have a palomino that I'd like to darken a little bit too. I've read the paprika thing as well as nutmeg. I read that those were both in the "Gold as sun" supplement, but I'm not sure. I don't show, I'm just shallow about her looks too (LOL) so I'll try at least one of them for a while. I'll see if I can find more info on the ingredients in the "Gold as sun" supplement. 
The carrot suggestion might work too. I think I read once that hay doesn't have as much Vit. A in it as grass does. Carrots have Vitamin A so I'll try giving her those regularly too. Might help, can't hurt.


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## snoggle (Jun 13, 2009)

Okay here is the info on the label from the Gold as Sun supplement:

*Ingredients
*Ground Extruded Whole Soybeans, Vegetable Oil, Western South Dakota Chopped Wheat Hay, Molasses, Paprika, Celery Seed, Seaweed, Nutmeg, Pure Cane Sugar, Annatto, Riboflavin, Biotin, Bioflavonoids.

I'm a bargain hunter so I'm going to try giving her a mix of the paprika and nutmeg with some veggie oil for a little while with plenty of carrots for treats. We'll see how it goes.


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

^ I want to know how it works out. I will try the Paprika cant hurt I dont show at breed shows til mid summer. Has anyone tried flax seed?


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## Taihoa (Nov 11, 2009)

Paprika is definately swabable!! They removed it from a product called 'Black as Knight' for that very reason. DO NOT use it, or anything with it in if you are competing


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## roro (Aug 14, 2009)

Using "Gold as Sun" or some of the ingredients in it is your best shot. Personally I would look around for genuine customer product reviews and/or before and after pictures before buying anything, it would be better to live with the light coat now then to waste money and still have the light coat.


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## Ravenmoon (Aug 5, 2008)

You're problem is the exact opposite of mine. lol My palomino mare got a lot darker as she aged, especially her hindquarters, so it makes it look like she's been rolling in the dirt all the time.


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

So Paprika is harmless?
When will I start to see a change?
How much do I feed him?
P.S. I have paprika in the spice rack


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## Attitude05 (Nov 11, 2009)

Try Speedi Beet, its a feed. It darkens your horses coat, and gives them dapples if they dont already have them.

I used it on my mare and she changed from bright orange or a browny orange (cant describe it well), but its also what we use to keep our friesians black.


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## snoggle (Jun 13, 2009)

The dose for gold as sun is 2 Heaping Tablespoons per day, but it says you can double or triple that if needed. I made up a mixture of 2/3 paprika and 1/3 nutmeg and mixed 1 Tbs of that with a shredded carrot, some canola oil and a little molasses for flavor. She ate it just fine for the last two nights. 

I figured if it is safe to give up to 6 Tbs. of the supplement (which of course has several other ingredients) it would be fine to use 1Tbs of these two. Also, I found several things on the internet where people mention giving 2 or 3 Tbs. of paprika per day. I figured I'd err on the side of too little rather than too much for now.

I came up with the 2/3 paprika to 1/3 nutmeg because of the order they are listed on the label and because paprika costs about half of what nutmeg costs. 

We shall see...


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

Hi, I added some paprika to his feed to day I hope he will shed out a little darker. His diet is getting more complicated hehe =) he has sweet feed a large scoop( I know nobody likes sweet feed but i have been using it for three years and it is great) Sure crops feed a scoop ( more fibre) Pro Choice half a cup( I am just wanting to use this up and then I wont feed it again) Canola oil 8 ounces ( he shines after a couple days of feeding) and Paprika 2-3 table spoons.
How does it sound?


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

Paprika is great for coat and hooves, but it will test. Take a horse off it 3 weeks before the shows start. If your shows dont test, then its not an issue. Part of a horses coat problem can be attributed to poor diet. I had a bay with a dull coat, we added a multivitamin/ mineral our chiropractor swears by and diatomacious earth and he looked amazing. Cheepest solution- get a uv fly or rain sheet for him.


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

Well I have been looking around I think I am going to have to change his diet. Sweet feed is reported to cause problems in the future.


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## speedy da fish (May 7, 2009)

he looks fine to me


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## snoggle (Jun 13, 2009)

Yeah, a friend of mine is a vet and she said that sweet feed has been found to lead to "Metabolic Syndrome", basically diabetes, later in life. We kinda had to feed it to ours while they were being boarded at the neighbor's for 6 months, but now we're slowly switching them off of it.


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## SaddleUp158 (Dec 26, 2008)

I have heard that you can feed pumpkin to horses and that helps to enhance a palomino's coat. I recently got a palomino, but have not tried any of these things yet. I want to find out first what color her summer coat is when kept up during the day and turned out at night. She has gotten so dappled this winter, that I really hope she keeps them come summer.


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## taylor12 (Dec 12, 2009)

Do you let your palomino out in the sun!? NEVER do that! It will make it lighter!


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## tscowgirl (Dec 11, 2009)

i like *sho glo* and corn oil
i wonder if the sho glo shows up in tests for competition?


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

taylor12 said:


> Do you let your palomino out in the sun!? NEVER do that! It will make it lighter!


 Um well horses are ment to be outside. And I dont like spending 100 bucks to make him un happy hes a horse not a fish


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

taylor12 said:


> Do you let your palomino out in the sun!? NEVER do that! It will make it lighter!


 First of all what am I going to do coop him up in a stall all his life
Second hes a horse not a house plant.


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## Annaland13 (Oct 28, 2009)

I think the lighter palominos are the best.


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## Honeysuga (Sep 1, 2009)

you do know that* nutmeg is a poison* right? The only reason it is used in supplements is that they use very small trace amounts of it, mostly for the smell....

It is like the same things with dogs and onions, you can't tell right away that it bothers them, but it slowly chips away at their health.


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## heyycutter (Sep 26, 2009)

i have a palomino too that id like to darken a bit. make sure to let us know how the paprika works


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## New_image (Oct 27, 2007)

*Do you let your palomino out in the sun!? NEVER do that! It will make it lighter!*Really? Because... not only is that cruel but my mare has not been inside in over ten years...
And to prove my point look under her mane where the sun doesn't hit often, its nearly white!








(picture showing, generally her mane is down on this side, no sun can get threw and the rest of her is as gold as... well... gold!)









OP I think your palomino is just a lighter pal. If its the horse in your avatar there doesn't appear to be anything wrong coat/condition wise. He shines and is pretty. The is no way to make a light palomino this gold color I'm afraid you'll have to love him for him!


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

New_image said:


> OP I think your palomino is just a lighter pal.
> 
> The is no way to make a light palomino this gold color I'm afraid you'll have to love him for him!


Correct.

We own four. All are different shades of "yellow". Cream to solid gold. Two of them are siblings out of the same sire, two are siblings out of the same mare.

They tend to be lighter in the winter with all of the extra hair.

The old brood mare darkened one winter to a chocolate. She had her only colt (so far) that year. Vet said hormones!

Last night I noticed she is looking dark again . . .


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## Tasia (Aug 17, 2009)

Well keeping my horse inside is not a option I am at a boarding stable with bad acomidations. I have him on paprika it is good for his heart too. Thanks everyone for your replies


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## MuleWrangler (Dec 15, 2009)

I just got a cream pally too, and I can't wait to see how he sheds out in the summer! It looks like he has some dapples and I really hope they stay in the summer.


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## snoggle (Jun 13, 2009)

Honeysuga said:


> you do know that* nutmeg is a poison* right? The only reason it is used in supplements is that they use very small trace amounts of it, mostly for the smell....
> 
> It is like the same things with dogs and onions, you can't tell right away that it bothers them, but it slowly chips away at their health.


Oh, I had no idea it could be toxic. I looked around and found some stuff saying that it can cause hallucinations in large quantities. However, I found other things where people said that they used nutmeg alone to successfully darken a palomino coat. I haven't had any problems yet, but I'll cut down the amount of nutmeg I'm using just in case. 

Thanks for the info.


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## Supermane (Sep 23, 2007)

You said you put him on paprika, I use black as knight on my boy and it works wonders (main ingredient is paprika)
Just make sure if you are are planning on taking him to a show where drug tests will be administered to take him off of at least a week ahead. While it isn't illegal it will cause the horse to come up false positive for a drug that is illegal.


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## Honeysuga (Sep 1, 2009)

snoggle said:


> Oh, I had no idea it could be toxic. I looked around and found some stuff saying that it can cause hallucinations in large quantities. However, I found other things where people said that they used nutmeg alone to successfully darken a palomino coat. I haven't had any problems yet, but I'll cut down the amount of nutmeg I'm using just in case.
> 
> Thanks for the info.


 Yeah, I know plenty of people who claim nutmeg isn't dangerous. But the fact is that it is, you just don't see the side effects unless there is an overdose until later on down the road. That is why people think it is harmless, they don't usually have the animal long enough or use it long enough to see the effects.

It was really funny, I was watching food network the other day. There was an Alton Brown special on and they were making food for all of the guests. One recipe(when multiplied for the number of guests) needed a decent amount of nutmeg and the head chef was saying 
" I was making the recipe when Alton came up to me and started yelling "DO YOU WANT TO KILL EVERYONE!!??" he told me nutmeg is a poison if consumed even in small amounts over time or in moderate amounts at once, and I dropped my soup ladle..."

Apparently he was about to poison a bunch of people with all the nutmeg he was using, poor guy, he must have felt terrible.:lol:


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## rockaway (Jan 14, 2010)

HI does anyone know where you can get livermol in canada? I would like to try it. thanks


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## Honeysuga (Sep 1, 2009)

This is a really old thread... Why dont you just start a thread asking your question, you will get a much better response.


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