Flea bitten grey

[nu5ha]

Quick question if anyone can help would be great.

When does a horse show it will turn into a flea bitten grey?

Have a pony (145cm /14.1h Aprox) Arab cross not exactly sure.
6 years old. Had him 2 years now. When I got him he was not exactly a dappled grey more of a grey with some chestnut roan around his ears, backside (lots around the tail area) the rest was lightish grey. White legs white face with pink nose. In resent months he’s started to get kind of chestnut spots on his neck they are just getting a bit bigger. He’s still pretty roanish around his backside and ears.
As his passport was not real (I can not look at his parents )
And just wanted to know if he will turn out white or flea bitten grey.

Thanx anyone who can help

[rememberthenight]

I can normally see somewhere between 2-4 years old the flea marks start to really become apparent. But the answer is… It depends. As long as it takes for them to grey out and you to notice flea bites remaining;)

[Texarkana]

I’ve always found the flea bites become visible as the dapples and darkness fade, which really varies from horse to horse. I’ve had a few who went through a “white” phase, only to become flea-bitten as they aged.

OP, it sure sounds like your pony is on his way to being flea-bitten.

[cloudyandcallie]

[QUOTE=nu5ha;8624134]
Quick question if anyone can help would be great.

When does a horse show it will turn into a flea bitten grey?

Have a pony (145cm /14.1h Aprox) Arab cross not exactly sure.
6 years old. Had him 2 years now. When I got him he was not exactly a dappled grey more of a grey with some chestnut roan around his ears, backside (lots around the tail area) the rest was lightish grey. White legs white face with pink nose. In resent months he’s started to get kind of chestnut spots on his neck they are just getting a bit bigger. He’s still pretty roanish around his backside and ears.
As his passport was not real (I can not look at his parents )
And just wanted to know if he will turn out white or flea bitten grey.

Thanx anyone who can help[/QUOTE]

within 6 months of purchase.:lol:
I was not looking for a grey horse, but when the 1/2 white, 1/2 dappled grey horse floated across the ring and popped over a few jumps with his perfect bascule, I bought him. (After trying out around 100 horses in 3 states.) He was 5 turning 6. Within 6 months the dapples started their disappearing act and he eventually became 1/2 white, 1/2 flea bitten grey. Everyone calls him white now at 21 yoa. Since he is usually covered with manure stains, I don’t worry about the grey hairs at all.

[nu5ha]

Great! I’m not the biggest fan of flea bitten but what to do. Anyone else had a horse who was grey with roan in areas turn out to be fully flea bitten?
Also have a mare who is 16(got her about 9 months ago) she’s grey with some dark spots but no flea bitten anything. And this is first time with any type of grey/ white horse. Was hoping he would just stay same color or turn white. Guess I’m out of luck!

[cnigh]

It’s a stage in the greying in process. Every horse seems to be different in how the grey out.

My guy went from perfect bay to stormy cloud grey (weanling), grey dappled (1 yr old), then looked roan for a bit at 2. Was a flea bitten grey at 3 and white by 5.

Just wait until next year. Lol.

[leheath]

My horse turned 5 in October. Most of last year she was grey with dapples and roaning - she almost looked purple because of the mix of grey and brown hairs (hid the manure stains well too!). But I noticed a few “flea bites” on the face and neck area in particular and they started to become more apparent and spread as the year went on. Now, as she sheds this spring, she is becoming more flea bitten with much less roaning and almost no dapples. I am guessing she will be fully flea bitten grey by the end of the year or next spring. If she will continue to eventually go white remains to be seen. Her dam was bay and her sire was gray (no flea bites). Some horses will remain flea bitten for life, others can become white. I have even heard of some where the flea bites get bigger and bigger until they almost become bay (although I have never actually seen this!). This is my first grey too and its definitely interesting!

[Foxtrot_s]

I was raised by flea bitten Arab mare - she remained flea bitten as long as I knew her well into old age.

[SportArab]

Mine have been around 50/50. I don’t think any of mine developed the flea bitten look after they turned white. Fleabitten seems to show up about the time the roaning look disappears. My original grey mare was a solid white and her daughter turned out to be flea bitten but produced a mix of solid whites and fleabitten babies.

[snow_horse]

Just my own experience, the darker the gray, the later the flea bites. On my really dark dapple gray, his spots didn’t first start showing up until he was 8/9. I like to think of them as freckles.