My mare threw a light bay?

I have a mare, that is "brown" in color. (meaning her hair color is black with a very LITTLE amount of sorrel on her nose, and her flanks. ) She was bred to a all black stallion. Well, the baby was born 6 days ago, and well he is NOT black at all. He is "light Bay" (meaning his main and tail is black, and his body is light sorrel.) I was then told that after the first year, baby horses lighten when they shed off, then someone else told me they darken. ????? what do they do? Can they do both? I have been a horse trainer for many years, and have known them to lighten when they shed off, but not darked? I was very confused when he came out Bay. Will he stay bay? lighten into buckskin? or darken like his parents?

My mare threw a light bay?
We have never had a baby here that stayed the color they were born. I even had a bay and white that turned black and white when she was almost three, that one freaked me out.


Give your baby till it sheds out to see the color, a buckskin would be cool if it happened.
Reply:This really depends on genetics and depends on what the stallion and your mare have. As for shedding, I have seen dark foals shed out lighter, and light foals shed out darker, so it really depends. You'll just have to wait and be surprised! If you're really impatient, you can have the vet do blood work to determine this, but I personally like surprises :)
Reply:I had a dappled grey shetland pony mare (that was bred to a sorrel and white paint) have a bay stud colt with flaxen mane and tail and light points with light hooves as he got older he changed into a real red sorrel with dark flaxen mane and tail hooves changed to black and light points changed to dark. In the summer he would get sun spots that were like 2 or 3 shades lighter. he almost looked dappled sorrel (if there ever is such a color)
Reply:That's the FOAL COAT. He'll start changing out in about a month, so don't worry. I had a grey mare bred to a grey stallion and the foal was born bay, then changed to black and now at 3 he's just starting to grey out. Don't be in such a hurry! My 3 yr old filly was sorrel at birth, then stayed sorrel until she was nearly a yearling. She's 3 now and is chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail...
Reply:It would all depend on the genetics...he could turn out bay, buckskin, or black I just recently (yesturday) went and saw a Miniature Horse pinto filly that is chestnut, they clipped her the day before and undet the baby fuzz is BLACK!!! So, maybe in a few months or so if he isn;t showing any color diffrence clip his neck (underside) or muzzle to see his new color xD





might help a little foal chart is at bottom


http://www.abmoracres.com/HBlack.html
Reply:It really depends on the genetics of the horse for example if the mare is brown black and the stallion is black chances are you will get a brown horse, as that i think is stronger then black and if the stallion has the brown gene or bay then this will be a factor in this as well. So in short you cant really say you will get a black horse just by the stallions colour, the genetics really do have the last say. I would look into both horses back ground.


Try this website as it this will explain it better.


members.aol.com/MFTHorses/sponenbg.htm


www.geocities.com/Baja/Outback/2936


www.mustangs4us.com/Horse Colors/Genetics1.htm


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_coat_colo...
Reply:I would wait until the colt sheds his baby coat at about 3 months of age, and then look at his color at that point, because his true color will be visable for the first time then. He may darken or lighten up as he matures- but for this first situation, I'd simply wait and see what happens. Congratulations on your new foal !!
Reply:My colt was born sorrel but shed out to be a darker liver chestnut...it can happen. The stallion OR dam could have had the agouti gene, which restricts the black to the legs, ear tips, mane and tail (like bays and duns, etc), which is why your foal might have come out bay. He could darken some, or he COULD stay pretty much the same color.
Reply:Our baby horse was born a light brown of two almost black parents (not sure what the term is for black nose and black legs but dark brown body). She later went on to darken to the same color and we were thrilled to see she had a white leg!
Reply:he might stay bay he might not. A horses color is all about genes somewere in the past either the mare and the stallion (probably both) had a bay in their family. Its all about dominate and recessive traits
Reply:He will probally turn into his parents. Or you got a lucky magic buckskin.





Whatever the color, congratulations on your new colt! He will be awesome (and cute) either way!
Reply:It is sooo hard to tell!! I bought a Palomino filly %26amp; now she is looking to be bay. Go figure!!!!! Good luck with your color!!

















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B.S.B.- I love the way you put it!!!! LOL
Reply:I'd wait until the foal coat has moulted before getting too concerned.....As for moulting lighter yes that can happen so can darkening just as easily,I have seen that happen much to my dismay
Reply:one word....... genetics..... look up the punnet square on goolgle and you will see how it could have come out bay!
Reply:both can happen, you just gotta wait and see.
Reply:Breeding horses is like a box of chocolates....


You never know what you are gonna get!!!!





Sometimes the mare %26amp; stud's colors don't mean a thing %26amp; the foal's color can throw way back into the bloodlines where there was like one single bay in the entire line (top %26amp; bottom). That is why breeding for color can be a crap shoot!!!


He can still shed out to a seal brown or possibly even black. Just give him sometime %26amp; see.


We had a seal brown mare that was bred to a sorrel stud %26amp; we got a chestnut. The mare had almost no white on her %26amp; same with the stud, but the colt had a white blaze %26amp; two white socks.





I say, just be happy %26amp; the mare %26amp; baby are healthy.
Reply:some darken others lighten. There is a possibility that you have a buckskin. If the stallion is black but fades heavily the fading could be the result of the cream dilution gene. It has little effect on black unless the horse is homozygous for it, but the horses can throw a buckskin if bred to a bay or horse that has an agouti gene.





Such a black horse is actually better denoted as a smoky black. They range in color from black to dark bay when their hair is first shed but usually lighten as the summer progresses.





No way to tell for certain until the foal sheds gets its summer colt in his second year. That is the color they generally stay, however you will probably get hints as to whether the horse will lighten or darken as the first foal coat starts shedding around the muzzle and legs.





Hope this helped.