# Mare's Colour?



## jessicapworkman (Jul 10, 2011)

Ok so I've been browsing around on this section of the forum and have come to realize that horse colours are WAY more complicated than I previously thought. As such I thought I would post some photos of my mare and see what people have to say about her colour. A few important things to note: she apparently was very dark, almost black the previous winter before I bought her, she shed out to this colour in the spring, she has quite a bit of dappling, she has a small white spot under her belly and she has one blue and one brown eye.


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

I would say that is a brown. 

ETA - or did you want her color pattern as well?


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## jessicapworkman (Jul 10, 2011)

Does this mean I get to join the Badass Brown Club? Woohoo! lol I actually figured she was brown but her previous owner had been calling her bay and thats what everyone else has been calling her as well so I just kinda rolled with it. By colour pattern do you mean like paint pattern? I'm SO new to this whole paint patterns thing so excuse me if I sound like an idiot lol but yes I would be interested in her colour pattern as well.


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Yep that is what I meant by color pattern.  Do you have picture of her belly spot as well?


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## jessicapworkman (Jul 10, 2011)

Unfortunately I dont. Its a tricky little thing, I didnt even notice it until we got her home lol. I'll try and get some pictures of it later on and post them though.


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## weefoal (Apr 4, 2009)

I think shes bay as you can see the black points on the legs. 

Blue eye is either from splash or frame. If she has a belly spot its probably frame. She could also be carrying tobiano. 

Only way to know for sure is to test


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## ShutUpJoe (Nov 10, 2009)

She's a bay and she's pretty. : )


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

weefoal said:


> I think shes bay as you can see the black points on the legs.


Brown horses can and do have black legs. She is brown, you can see the lightness in the flank area.


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## weefoal (Apr 4, 2009)

Chiila if every horse that was lighter in the flanks was brown I guess there would be no bay or even black horses  

We all can sit here and guess all day but a color test will tell the story. 

Keep in mind different monitors will show colors differently. On MY monitor she looks like a bay. But I would never say for sure from a computer picture


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

weefoal said:


> Chiila if every horse that was lighter in the flanks was brown I guess there would be no bay or even black horses
> 
> We all can sit here and guess all day but a color test will tell the story.
> 
> Keep in mind different monitors will show colors differently. On MY monitor she looks like a bay. But I would never say for sure from a computer picture


There are many, many horses that are bay and black without being brown. This doesn't look like one of them to me. This mare is a classic bad-*** brown - dark in the winter, probably with the classic "mealy" on her nose and flank, shedding out to a bay colour in the summer. The paleness is still visible on her flank, while not glaring. In this case, I am not just going by the horse I see in pictures, but by the description of the horse across different seasons. As I am sure you already know, the best way to tell a horse's colour without testing is to see how it changes, either as the horse grows from foal to adult, or as the seasons change.


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

It's not just the flank that gives it away. Look at this pic - 









See how it is really light on the back of her thigh/butt? That is not a normal place for sunfading, but that is a very, very typical place for brown lightening. That and the flank are what make me think brown and not just bay.


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## weefoal (Apr 4, 2009)

Just for reference. Here is my black Tobiano stallion. Color tested black with one tobi gene. I suspect he also carries splash (you cant see the odd white blaze) 










Same day/same show different lighting










This pictures hes lighter in general, lighter in the flanks and almost looks like he has black points on the legs.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

There is a lot of difference between your boy in certain light and the OP's horse - those pale parts would be pale in all lights.


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## whitewater (Jul 9, 2011)

When I first read the Op she looks to me bay,but looking better to the pics I think she's brown an not bay!


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