Super curious here. My very good friend’s mare had a super cute foal yesterday. It appears to be bay with a very pronounced dorsal stripe.
Mom is Trakehner
http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/havelle
Dad is Holsteiner
http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/lotus+t
Can someone educate the uneducated on what a dorsal stripe means, or where it came from? I’m not a breeder, but would love to learn more. TIA!!
Very very common for foals. More pronounced, usually, on browns than bays, though bay foals can have a very pronounced one.
If the foal looks more chocolate than red, if he had “shading” on his withers, he’s probably brown and not bay.
Picture? 
Dorsal stripes in non-dun foals are the result of a phenomenon called “countershading”. I had a grey chestnut foal born this morning who has one, though no where near as distinct as the one in your photos (I think I saw this baby on fb…looks familiar!).
Thanks WW! I have never heard of countershading, so will Google it for more information. The little guy is Tony Stark, and I think he looks pretty super already! :winkgrin:
That’s pretty pronounced alright! I’m a LITTLE on the fence about him being brown, but I do think he’s bay. Just with a strong dorsal stripe, aka countershading
He’s probably going to be a light bay, similar to his damsire Caprimond
My new filly has a dorsal stripe (like her daddy Fielding), but it goes away in the saddle area. She has blacker areas over her shoulders and on the sides of her face. Does this mean she’ll darken?
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3171821543398.2127998.1501311931&type=1&l=cfd218e3a0
hansiska, she may ended up a darker sooty bay, but I think she may be brown
