Was just going to post the same thing. Are you positive these are photos of the same horse? Because looking at all the photos, the shape of the head kind of varies, too. Sometimes the head is short with jowls and in others the head looks more narrow and longer. Then again, I do have vision problems, so maybe I’m not seeing clearly. 
He looks like an older version of the grulla I liked. #8591 Cool name.
lol. One of these days i’ll ask the folks who follow this herd. I have no photos of any of my other mustangs in-the-wild. Most unusual to actually be able to have even one shot, let alone a dozen or so. This particular auction is the first one i’ve joined in that has had well-documented horses from birth to capture. I suppose in a way it’s a luxury, but to see photos of them out there, healthy and free and then having their freedom just end…well, it is very sad.
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i cannot find 8591. ??
His name is Sidekick and was#8591. High bid was over a$1000. Weird he’s not on their website anymore.
They must have pulled him for health reasons. No horse gets pulled for anything else. (such as some BLM guy decides he likes the horse and wants to keep him for himself). All of the horses go through auction unless they are injured. I do know a lady i can ask. I’ll do that for you if you want.
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Please ask. I really liked him. If I was an American I would have bid on him.
Those do look like the same horse.
I thought the rule of thumb was that duns have dorsal stripes and other primitive markings, whereas buckskins are sandy-colored with black points, but no primitive markings. The color genetics are confusing.
I was under the impression that grulla is always a variant of dun. But I could be wrong!
My PRE mare is nd1, or so I have been told. Not bay and dun-but-not-dun. She has a prominent dorsal stripe and some faint shoulder barring and leg barring. I’m not sure what that means, lol.
Dorsal stripe is very unmissable.
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Nice tail! and that dorsal stripe is very cool looking. (i’m jelly over your horsebox)
He’s just so handsome!
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FWIW, a friend of mine has a Kiger cross who goes thru every color combination of grulla/dun/buckskin he can every year. There are times he doesn’t even look like the same horse. Sometimes you see his stripes and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes he’s very light others darker. It’s weird and everyone gets a kick out of seeing “what color will he be THIS season?”
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She’s the same color as my last PRE. nd1 due to actual dun being extremely rare in PRE’s. I’m a bit sad that my current one is just pay. I did like the primitive markings on my last one.
First of all, you’re very observant, finding that distinctive “Y” marking. 
Second, I agree with what you said about the end of freedom for these horses. The photo of the herd is beautiful. Fortunately, the ones you get will end up with safety, consistent feed and room to roam. The really sad end is those who languish in a small backyard corral, alone and untouched for years. Or ultimately at a slaughterhouse.
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While the dorsal on your mare is striking, do you see how it sort of bleeds into the brown, so the edges are not super crisp? That is often (tho not always, cause when does a horse ever listen to an always statement) a sign of nd1 versus true dun.
@eightpondfarm if you really want to know, you can send hair to a lab for testing. UC Davis charges $25 for the test there. not sure if whoever helps load the horse would be willing to yank mane hairs (need 20-30 with the root attached) while the horse was in a chute, but then you would know for sure.
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huh. nah…not THAT interested. I will never breed any of them, and they’re just “Mustangs” to me. As for color, i think i’ll be able to call him a dun, right? (…without the grulla part), and be perfectly fine/unchallenged.
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Aye, I see that! I looked for dorsal stripe photos of my grulla Highland, and I don’t have any good ones because it’s usually OH standing in front of him or me shooting photos between his ears. But I took this shit one when faffing with saddle fitting last year, and you can see how solid the line is in comparison to my mare. Cool. Also, ignore how uneven he was standing under the saddle.
eightpondfarm, I think dun is right for your new guy.
Is “not dun” the official colour of nd1 horses?
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that fellow of yours is almost purple! love it!!!
I should also add that it’s not my horsebox. I wish. A friend was letting me use it for loading practice before we moved yards.
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those dorsal stripes are like where they zippered their haircoat on when they got dressed
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