White hairs on bay horse?

[mandal]

Sophie is rising nine (according to EDT) she is a bright bay TB?X. Or should I say was a bright bay! This year her coat appears darker although summer coat isn't fully through yet so well have to see. I've noticed in past years white hairs in her coat but this year the white hairs are throughout her coat , much more numerous and even and quite noticable. She seems very well, shiney coat, lively etc. so I was wondering if white hairs in bay is common or could it be a symptom of something amiss or a deficiency??
Arghhh, she's not turning grey is she? lol I love greys but dread keeping one clean!

[BJMM]

Jasmine is only 3 and jet black, but this year she has quite a few white hairs around her flanks, the odd one or two in her mane and tail. B****y hope she's not turning grey! I like having a shiny black horsey! xx

[BJMM]

EEK!! Jas is also TBx! Hope it's not catching!!

[Karon]

Some of my Arabs have had this too, it seems to be a trait in their genetics.

[jill]

Don't worry, it is happening to an Irish cob on my yard - basically black but now with distinct white hairs around his stifles. He is around 8 years old too.

[mandal]

Hehe, thanks all. I just wanted to check it wasn't something I need to check out.

Wonder if she'll become a rose bay??

[tomrabbit]

She couldn't have a bit of roan in her, could she? My daughter's bay has a touch of roan, but people just think he's very, very old! Funny thing is, when he moults, it's always the white hairs that come off on your clothes....

[aniapril]

My bay gelding is bright bay. He is a new forest, 10 years old.
People he suggested he might have palomino in his heritage.
He is cream underneath from his stifle and rear flank. It shows up really well when he rolls in his field.

At the moment his muzzle is golden but the rest of him is still the dark winter coat. He has quite a few white hairs in his mane and tail. Not sure if they are visible in the picture though!
(I'd like to think he is in sympathy with me I'm 39 and have more grey then coloured hair now!)

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[aniapril]

OK so the only thing that shows up well is the piece of straw stuck in his tail!
Try the front end this time. He likes to have a centre(ish) parting with his mane so this picture shows a section of it!
These two pictures where taken mid March.
I caught him pretending not to be chewing the lead rope!

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[BJMM]

Blaze is bright bay with creamy colour under her belly and between her back legs. Mind you, at the moment she is a fetching shade of dust Don't know if it's volcanic or the fact that she spends hours rolling on her back with her legs in the air!!

[mandal]

Sophie isn't cream underneath nor has she any white hairs in her mane and tail. Here's a very unflattering pic of her about two years ago (only one on PB and my old PC is knackered). I'll have a go at getting one of her coat showing the white hairs this year but my camera is not very good so close ups may be blurred.


Looking at that pic her coat seems to have been gradually getting darker even then.

[Roz]

White hairs can be a sign of copper deficiency, but usually the rest of the coat looks dull as well. You can feed for this though.

Have a look at this article www.forans.com/nutrition.asp?Action=Detail&ArticleID=12

[hmt]

My bay tb has a creamy coloured belly, OH calls it his “silly pony belly”, I was told the genetic name and it begins with P?? Gah, will have to go and have a look! Bear with me…

As for the colouring, could the EDT be off in the age? Could just be that she’s a little younger and roaning out? I used to have an awkward pony who’d be a nice brown roan in the summer (when it was easy to stay clean!) and would go white with black legs in winter, ready for MUD!

[varkie]

Pale colouring on a bay can be a number of things

- pangere, which makes a horse have creamy bits around tummy/stifle/elbows, etc

- Rabicano, which gives a scattering of white hairs usually around stifles, flanks & quarters (can range from just a few barely visible hairs, to almost looking roany)

- sabino, which gives the impression of roaning, but tends to be associated with higher white leg markings, and can have white spots on the body and face too

Usually, a horse that is truly going grey, starts on the head first - so grey hairs in the coat on the body are unlikely to be a sign of going grey, without an equally, or more so, grey head.

Equally, I'd be surprised to find an older horse, suddenly developing roan - if they're roan, they show roan usually from the first coat shedding.

[mandal]

Sophie's age is a bit strange... she keeps getting younger! From what the dealer told me she should be rising 13 now but two separate EDT's have aged her much younger and their assessments agree. So nine or rising nine seems to be likely.
Here's some pics to show, as you'll see erm grooming isn't my strong point, and in my defense she has been rolling in dust.
The greying is like this on her body and gradually gets less towards her neck where there is very little and none at all on her head.
She also has three small white tufts on her offside quarters, but not sure if these could have been old scratches or scrapes.







Thanks for the link on copper Roz. I have given chelated gel over the past two years (copper is low here) and gone back to a top spec supplement. I actually thought copper deficiency caused the coat to lighten rather than hairs become white, so for eg black horses start to have a browny, reddish tinge. It is something to consider though definitely.
What do you think varkie? Some sort of toxin was another thought I've had.