THHNGrey.pdf

HORSE COLOR

Lesli Kathman, 4700 Lone Tree Ct., Charlotte, NC 28269 <leslikathman@earthlink.net>

The Grey Gene

The previous installment of this column covered the

difference between the basic colors of horses (bay, chestnut

and black) and the genes that modify those basic colors. In this

issue we will deal with the first, and probably the most common,

modifier of those basic colors, which is grey.

there is a common pattern for the progression. The first place to

lighten is usually the face, with the exception of the nasal bones

(which often develop an irregular, dark splotchy pattern) and the

cheeks. Also typical in the early stages are white hairs in the tail,

especially the tip. After that, the white will begin to show up at the

groove of the neck behind the throatlatch (forming a "V"), on the chest

and between the front legs, behind the elbows and along the flank.

Usually at this point, if the horse is destined to dapple they will begin

to appear on the sides, shoulders and neck. The dappling will become

progressively more vivid and widespread, while the areas that greyed

first remain the lightest. The dappling will spread to the limbs, usually

starting with a light ring around the coronet and progressing in

irregular blotches up the cannon bone. The insides of the legs will be

lighter and more blotchy than the outsides. The forearms and stifles

will often have erratic lines of white hairs, sometimes referred to as

spider veins. The dappling will spread and fade until the horse seems

mostly white, with the knees, hocks and hindquarters remaining

darkest longest.

The manes and tails of most greys will lighten along with the

coat, but this is largely influenced by the original color of the horse.

Colors noted for light manes and tails (flaxen chestnuts and silver

dapples) will have manes and tails that appear white quite early, while

colors with black manes and tails will lighten much more slowly. Base

colors with pale body colors and darker manes and tails (such as

buckskins and duns) will seem to keep very dark manes and tails long

after their bodies are white. Some rare greys keep a dark mane and

tail regardless of their original color.

How the Grey Gene Works

Many people do not realize that grey is not a distinct, separate

color. Because it is so common, it is often classified along with bay,

chestnut and black as a "basic" color. However, all grey horses are

also either bay, chestnut or black, in addition to being grey. This is

because the gene for grey (G) is a modifier which, over time, replaces

the original dark hairs with white hairs. In other words, grey is not a

color, but rather a gene responsible for the progressive loss of the

original hair color. Because the gene affects the hair, and not the

pigment in the skin, grey horses retain the black skin they were born

with, which makes them easy to distinguish from horses that are truly

white.

In regards to inheritance, grey is what is termed a simple

dominant. This means that if it is inherited, the effect (progressive

lightening of the coat) will be visible. It is not possible for grey to

remain "hidden" in a breed for generations and crop up unexpectedly;

the grey gene will lighten the horse no matter what other colors,

modifiers or patterns are present. For this reason, a grey horse will

always have at least one grey parent. Statistically, a grey horse will

produce 50% grey foals, unless he carries two grey genes

("homozygous" for grey), in which case all his foals will be grey.

Variation in Greys

The Greying Process

Most greys will go through similar phases of the greying process,

but there is some variation. There are terms used to describe the

various kinds of greys, but it's important to remember that in real

horses, any particular shade of grey is temporary; a horse that is

In general, foals are born a few shades lighter than they will be

as adults, but grey foals are an exception; they will usually be darker

than a foal of the same base color not destined to turn grey. This is

the reason for the saying among Percheron breeders that "blacks are

born grey, and greys are born black." Aside from being born unusually

dark, another tell-tale sign that a foal will eventually turn grey is the

presence of a light grey ring around each eye. Otherwise, grey foals

tend to be hard to distinguish from non-grey foals. (Although there

have been rare reports of grey foals born white, Breyer's alabaster

and dapple grey foals are basically unrealistic.)

So greys are born dark and turn progressively lighter each time

they shed out. The rate at which a grey will lighten varies with each

individual, although certain breeds have been bred for a certain rate of

change. Percherons, for example, have been bred over time for a

slow rate of greying, and tend to stay at the "rocking horse" dappled

stage the longest. Some Shetland Ponies were specifically bred to

turn near-white rapidly. The base color will also affect the apparent

rate of greying, since it takes fewer white hairs to make a pale color

seem white than it would with a dark color.

Just as with the speed of change, the areas that lighten first or

remain darkest longest will vary somewhat among individuals, but

Although aged greys can appear white, their dark skin is still visible where the

hair is thin, like the muzzle and inside the ears (left). Even in areas where the

hair is thicker, dark skin will make the horse appear somewhat grey - as

illustrated by this light grey overo mare (right).

This dark grey mare shows greying on the poll and in the characteristic “V”

along the jugular groove, while her cheeks, ears and neck remain dark.

Some rare variations in greys include blood marks, white spots

and depigmentation. Blood marks are irregular areas of dark hair,

usually red, that appear on some greys. Blood marks can develop at

any time, and may increase in size as the horse ages. They can

appear in any breed, but are most commonly associated with

Arabians, where the trait is called "bloody shoulders", although they

do not appear exclusively on the shoulders. Some blood marked

horses can be so extensively marked as to appear pinto--patterned,

like the famous Arabian stallion Al Nahr Montego. Other greys will

develop large, oblong white spots in the coat that look like a reversed-

out leopard pattern, but it is not believed to be related to any of the

appaloosa patterns. As horses with this pattern grey further, the spots

eventually blend in with the rest of the coat and disappear. Because it

is a transient pattern, it does not currently have a formal name,

although some authors have used the term chubari (which is actually

another word for "leopard"). Thoroughbred breeders will often refer to

them as Tetrarch spots , after the stallion of that name who was

famous for having the pattern. Finally, some greys will begin to lose

the pigment in their skin as well as in their hair, giving the skin on the

muzzle and around the eyes a mottled appearance similar (but not

related) to the mottling found on appaloosas. This depigmentation is

fairly common in Lipizzaners and some strains of Arabians, and is

considered by most to be quite undesirable.

dappled grey at five years may be extensively fleabitten by age

seventeen. But for models, which don't change over time, these

descriptive terms can be particularly useful.

Dapple greys are those greys that show dappling. Because the

light and dark contrast is particularly striking, they are the most

frequently seen greys in the model horse world. Unfortunately, most

real horses don't stay this shade for long! Iron greys are greys that do

not go through the dappling phase as they grey, but rather are a pretty

even mixture of white and dark hairs. White greys (sometimes also

called porcelain greys ) are those greys with hair that is uniformly

white. Black grey is a term used to refer to those horses who are very

early in the greying process, and still appear mostly black.

One term that frequently confuses hobbyists is rose grey .

Because the Arabian registry uses the term in their literature, many

are under the mistaken impression that it is a uniquely Arabian color.

The truth is that rose greys are merely greys that were born either

chestnut or bay; it is the red hair present in the original coat that gives

the grey its "rosey" tint. A rose grey can occur in any breed where a

horse can be chestnut or bay, and grey. Because those two colors

are statistically more common in the general horse population than

black (the source of ordinary greys), rose greys are actually the most

common variety of grey! It's also important to remember that the term

is fairly subjective. Because bays (and even chestnuts) vary in how

"red" they actually appear, the "rosiness" will vary with each horse.

Some bays or dark chestnuts will never really seem rose-colored as

they grey, or will only have rosey tints in some areas. For this reason,

few registries distinguish between grey and rose grey, and register all

such horses as "grey". It is probably more useful in most cases to

designate the base color (bay-gone-grey, or chestnut-gone-grey) than

it is to use the term rose.

Another variation of grey is the fleabitten grey . Some greys will

develop small flecks of dark color - usually deep red - throughout their

coat. Most horses that develop fleabiting do so after they have turned

white, or nearly so, but it is possible for a horse to begin getting

fleabites before they have finished dappling. The size and density of

the fleabites varies with each individual. Fleabites do tend to increase

as the horse ages, with the pattern stabilizing at some point. In some

rare cases, horses have fleabitten so completely that they appear to

have reverted to their original color.

Grey as a “Solid” Color

One thing that can confuse new hobbyists about the color grey is

that the model horse hobby and the real horse industry have slightly

different definitions of the term "solid". When horsemen refer to a

"solid" colors, they usually are talking about colors other than pinto or

appaloosa (patterns of white markings on the body). When hobby

artists use the term "solid", they are often referring to those colors that

are less complicated to paint. The non-solid colors are those that

require more time and skill to create, and dapple grey is a notoriously

difficult and time-consuming color to paint! For this reason, many

pricelists do not have grey grouped with the solid colors. It's not even

unusual to see white-greys placed on price lists under "solids" and

dapple greys under "non-solid". Just remember that all greys are

solids for the purposes of real horse classification.

This mare was born bay. Traces of her original color can be seen in the cool

greys of her points (once black) and the warm greys of her body (once red).

Colors Confused with Grey

Because grey foals are born dark, they are frequently registered

by their base color by owners unaware they will later turn grey (stud

book errata are filled with statements like "so-and-so registered bay,

now grey"). For this reason, some obvious greys will actually have

papers stating they are black, bay or chestnut. But once they are a

few years old, greys are usually pretty easy to identify.

One color that does cause confusion is roan. While both grey

and roan involve a mixture of white and dark hair, the major

differences are location and progression. White hairs on roans are

restricted to the body, leaving the head, mane/tail and legs

predominantly dark, as opposed to greys which lighten all over. Roan

is also permanent, whereas grey is progressive. Roans will remain the

color they are born, and not get progressively lighter. Some iron greys

will look roan, especially if they have dark legs and dark manes and

tails, but the lighter face is a good tip-off that they are really grey.

Another color that can sometimes be confused with grey is

sabino. Sabino is actually a pinto pattern that varies greatly in

appearance. In some cases where the sabino is very evenly flecked

with white, the horse can appear grey (the horse on the cover of The

Ultimate Horse Book is a good example of this type of sabino). Like

the roans, the sabinos differ from grey in that they do not

progressively lighten. Another tell-tale sign is the presence of

extensive or irregular white markings. Many times the sabino will have

an unusually dark mane, and very white legs, while a grey of the

same shade that will tend to have a light mane and relatively dark

legs.

These two photos show the kinds of things to look for to tell sabinos from

greys. Both of these Shires are sabinos. The horse on the left has an

unusually wide blaze that continues under the jaw. The irregular mottling

where the blaze covers the muzzle is also typical of sabinos. The horse on

the right looks much like an iron (undappled) grey, but the irregular leg

markings - especially the knee patch and belly spotting show him to be a

sabino instead.

white. Sometimes it isn't until the horse is greatly aged and all color

disappears that the grey gene becomes apparent. In the same way,

grey can obscure patterns and colors that would otherwise

be obvious, especially when the horse is at the all-white stage. This

is the reason why some breeds that are predominantly grey (such as

Andalusians and Welsh Ponies) occasionally produce "surprises"

such as palominos, leopards and pintos.

While there can be some confusion in identifying greys, the

biggest problem is caused when registries confuse the issue by

calling greys by another name, or by calling something grey that isn't.

Thoroughbred breeders refer to black-turned-grey as grey, but often

call chestnut-turned-grey as "roan". Tennessee Walking Horse

breeders will often register their blue roan sabinos as "grey", while

Quarter Horse breeders often register their greys a "blue roan"

When in doubt, believe the color you see on the horse, and not

the name it is given!

Another color confused with grey is true white. Greys that have

completed the greying process do look white, but their dark skin will

usually give them a slightly grey or bluish cast, whereas true whites

will have a creamy, or pinkish, cast from their underlying pink skin.

Pink skin will also be visible around the muzzle, eyes, ears and

genitals of a white horse, while those areas will be greyish-black on

grey horses (unless the area was covered by a white marking when

the horse was darker).

It can also be hard to spot a grey when the colored areas are

small, such as with leopard appaloosas or pintos with a great deal of

Painting Greys

This is the type of sabino pattern often mistaken for grey. The wide white

facial markings give a clue to the horse’s true color, as do his high white

stockings (which are partially obscured in this picture by his muddy feet).

It's already been said that greys, particuarly dapple greys, are

among the most difficult models to paint. While the technical aspect

of painting a dapple grey is beyond the scope of this article, there are

a few things that painters need to be aware of that will help them

create more realistic greys.

The first thing to remember about greys is that most of them are

actually chestnuts or bays, so most greys will be a warmer, browner

shade of grey, even if they are not "rose" greys. Even black horses

tend to be a warm black, with "blue" blacks extremely rare. Yet many

dapple grey models appear unrealistically blue. A more realistic

shade of grey can be achieved by adding a bit of burnt umber to the

grays being used, even when the color being portrayed is a true

black-turned-grey. Avoid using colors like Liquitex Concentrated

Acrylic French Grey, which is already too blue, straight from the

bottle. For those using Prismacolor pencils for dappling, the French

Grey in that line is ideal for realistic grey tones.

Another common problem involves the size, shape and spacing

of dappling. On a single horse, dapples will vary in size and shape

distinct on the forehand and underside of the belly. In light greys, this

area may just have a blotchiness that only vaguely suggests dapples.

The saddle area tends to contain the most vivid, distinct dappling, but

the individual dapples are still irregular in shape. Many areas on greys

are not really dappled at all (face, legs, etc.), but have indistinct

blotches of light and dark.

A final problem comes with tails that are shaded "backwards". In

most greys, the end of the tail will grey first, with the hairs at the base

of the tail remaining dark the longest. Occasionally models are

painted or haired with a light dock and a darker tip, which is less

realistic. Manes usually grey pretty evenly, without strong areas of

dark and light.

That covers greys and greying. Our next modifiers will be the

roan gene and its close cousin, rabicano.

Although this gelding’s front feet are quite light, they are not true markings,

but part of the greying process. The coronets - along with the face and the

tail tip - are one of the first areas to grey. In contrast, the hind feet have short

socks, as is evident from their shell-colored hooves.

on horse color that originally appeared in The Hobby Horse News, a

magazine for the model horse collecting community that is no longer

published. The articles may be copied for personal, non-commercial use.

Individuals may also offer the files for downloading provided they are properly

attributed, but inclusion in commercial publications (magazines, newsletters,

books) is forbidden unless written permission is obtained from the author.

depending on the location on the body, yet many models are painted

with uniformly round, evenly spaced dapples, much like those found

on toy rocking horses. On real horses, dapples will tend to be small,

faint, and more widely spaced on the rump, and larger and less

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: