Dapple Greys

How does the fleabitten part work? Is it something just a few of them get? Is it before or after the greying out? How do you know whether they will get them or not:confused:
 
I have a chestnut/strawberry roan gelding who's roan 'spots' only really are visable in summer. At the moment he is almost all chestnut, but in the summer he looks almost grey on his rump, so this could be similar

x
 

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Lucy(I think she was 4 in this picture)
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Two summers ago
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This is cruise, she seems to have more dapples on some days than other.

Fleabitten grey is a completely different colour to dapple grey, a horse is either one or the other.
 

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when I 1st got Pickle he had black eyelashes, but now they have gone white
here he is a couple of weeks ago, aged 4 and a half
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this was him when I 1st got him in August 2005
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Fleabitten grey is a completely different colour to dapple grey, a horse is either one or the other.

No, I was asking generally. Curious as to whether my grey will end up fleabitten or whether he's missed his chance. Some seem to think it comes later.:)
 
Fleabitten grey is a completely different colour to dapple grey, a horse is either one or the other.

Not quite true. Greys go through various stages of greying; first stage is iron grey. Then they get whiter, and gain dapples; dapple grey. Then the dapples start to fade as the horse gets whiter, and some develop into fleabitten grey. Some go completely white before they get freckles and are known as fleabitten grey; others retain some dappling at the same time as being fleabitten grey.

Not all greys go fleabitten. Some (usually Arabs or Arab types) develop what's called blood marks; big areas of pigment often on the shoulder.

And all of this is part of grey... grey is not a colour; it's a colour replacement really. In the early stages it's not just white they grow; they also develop darker pigment; a palomino greying out will go darker before it starts to lighten.

So the terms, like fleabitten and dapple, all just describe stages of greying, and stages can blur into one another (like those who have both dapples and fleabitten freckles).
 
My pony last winter 4yr old
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and him this summer 5yrs old
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Most recent pic from november this year 5yrs old
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What colour would you say he is dapple grey?? Says iron grey on his passport but i guess if they start out at that then he's probly dapple now, never been sure though. So if i understand what people have said, he'll eventually end up white?!?!?!
 
=S
In how many years will she go white?

Difficult to say; some grey out very quickly (our A mare was white by six) while others still retain some pigment into their teens.

What colour would you say he is dapple grey?? Says iron grey on his passport but i guess if they start out at that then he's probly dapple now, never been sure though. So if i understand what people have said, he'll eventually end up white?!?!?!

He'll have started out whatever colour he is under the grey. Then by weaning he'd have started to grey out, and would have been iron grey. As he gets older, he gets lighter adn more dappled. So yes, he's dapple grey right now; but he will end up white.
 
yes, although my mare Lacey (see pic posted earlier in this thread) is nearly white she is flea bitten too. in the summer she has 'very distant' dapples on her bum and belly but in winter she is completely white with a very few chestnut freckles. (flea bitten)
 
Here is my mare, she always has dapples. Dapples are genetic and can vary seasonally.

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All greys will eventually look white, just as they are born any other colour. If they inherit the grey gene they will always go white- grey.
 
hey guys
thanks sooo much!
some people are asking how long it takes for horses to go grey (white) well my mare is 11 and she is shown below (the closest horse)
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however saying this she was still steel grey when she was 7!!!! as shown below
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i mean she looks like a totally different horse!
i wish she could keep her dapples forever :p
 
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