I have a colt that was born in March out of a grey mare and by a black sire. He was born a bayish type color with buff legs. I could not find a grey hair on him. He shed out to a beautiful dark seal brown for the summer, still no grey hairs. Now his winter coat has started coming in and only one front leg from the bottom of the knee down is sprinkled evenly with grey hairs. He still has no grey hairs anywhere else. Is it possible for a foal to start greying with only one leg from the knee down?
Picture?
The buff foal legs all but guarantees non-gray. The legs are very rarely among the first to show signs of gray, even if he were. The head and tail are almost always the first to start showing. Even if it was to start at the legs, it would be bilateral.
So, he’s got a lot of things stacked against being gray.
Some horses end up with a “sock wannabe” that is sort of roan-y. Not even pink skin, still dark skin, but a light or heavy sprinkling of white hairs.
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There is an inexpensive genetic test for gray.
You might check out this thread http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/fo…stion-roan-leg sounds like another roan leg foal.
I bumped it in case the link doesn’t work.
There is also Chimerism to consider.
Would love to see a picture of your foal.
I’ve known two standardbreds that had a gray hind leg. My friend said it’s called a fast leg. One of her mares had one and she passed it on to several foals. (They were all decent trotters, but none were super stars)
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I had an Arabian (Egyptian, if it matters) with a roany sock on a hind leg. Visible summer and winter coat, but more so in the summer. He was high probability a minimally expressed Sabino, all he had was a star and the heavily roaned “sock,” but he had white throughout his whole coat, some bird catcher spots, and the base of his tail was roan. Nothing in his breeding to indicate this and he threw plain Jane babies.
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Thank you all for the information. Thanks csaper58 for the thread bump. I have never heard of a “sock wannabe” or a one leg roan. Chimerism crossed my mind. I have attached photos. First is at 3 days old. [ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:“Click image for larger version Name: DSC_0322.JPG Views: 2 Size: 27.9 KB ID: 9883749”,“data-align”:“none”,“data-attachmentid”:“9883749”,“data-size”:“full”}[/ATTACH]
Then 3 months [ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:“Click image for larger version Name: DSC_0332.JPG Views: 1 Size: 26.4 KB ID: 9883746”,“data-align”:“none”,“data-attachmentid”:“9883746”,“data-size”:“full”}[/ATTACH]
then 6 months with close ups of the legs. The odd leg has a black hoof. [ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:“Click image for larger version Name: DSC_0329.JPG Views: 1 Size: 15.4 KB ID: 9883747”,“data-align”:“none”,“data-attachmentid”:“9883747”,“data-size”:“full”}[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:“Click image for larger version Name: DSC_0328.JPG Views: 1 Size: 9.8 KB ID: 9883748”,“data-align”:“none”,“data-attachmentid”:“9883748”,“data-size”:“full”}[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:“Click image for larger version Name: DSC_0330.JPG Views: 1 Size: 14.8 KB ID: 9883750”,“data-align”:“none”,“data-attachmentid”:“9883750”,“data-size”:“full”}[/ATTACH]
my KWPN mare has a roany hind leg as well. She also exhibits many other sabino/rabicano features including skunk tail and white ticking throughout her chestnut body. All four legs have socks/stockings, and the RH has a small sock, and then roany up to the hock. Her first and only foal has 4 high stockings, so I have no idea if she could pass it on, but I think it’s super cute.
But I agree, your boy isn’t turning gray; he’s just bay with a cool roany leg.
