Pedigree of

COLOR CHANGES IN SILVER DAPPLE FOALS

All foals pictured are from the Sterling Morgan breeding program and are sired by Zeulner's Silver Legacy, a homozygous black silver stallion.

This page is arranged as follows:

1. Common characteristics of silver foals at birth

2. Black and bay silver foal examples from birth to yearling

3. Tracking the color changes of two black silver foals through first year

4. Interesting individual characteristics

Silver dapple foals go though a number of color changes, especially in the first year. The silver gene affects only the black pigment: on a black horse it usually, but not always, lightens the mane/tail. On a bay horse, the silver gene lightens the coat color and usually lightens the mane/tail to a flaxen color.

Characteristics of a silver foal at birth (These are often, but not always, present)

Unique coat color: pewter with white

White/light eyelashes

White in tail and mane

Striped hooves

Birth to two weeks

Black silver

Coat can be a pewter color to very dark, white eyelashes, mane/tail white or grey.

Obsidian Fire in Sterling 2009

Whambition Sterling 2008

Polished Sterling Silver 2009

Bay silver

Coat is a light bay with a gray undertone, mane and tail are usually light, light eyelashes.

Flightime in Sterling 2009

Attitude in Sterling 2008

First few months

Black silver

A black silver foal will start to turn brownish in a few weeks.

Polished Sterling Silver 2009

Whambition Sterling 2008

Silverella Sterling 2008

Bay silver

A bay silver foal will appear to be a light bay with a lighter mane/tail

Flightime in Sterling 2009

Flightime in Sterling 2009

First Year

Black Silver

Silverella Sterling 2008

Obsidian Fire in Sterling 2009

Filigree in Sterling 2009

Bay Silver

Attitude in Sterling 2008

Flightime in Sterling 2009

Yearling year

Black Silver

The coat color can appear more black or more brown, depending on the light.

Silverella Sterling 2008

Silverella Sterling 2008

Bay Silver

Attitude in Sterling 2008

Two black silver foal changes over a year

Silverella Sterling 2008 black silver EeZz	Whambition Sterling 2008 black silver EEZz	Although she looks brown, she does not have a bay/brown gene. She is genetically a homozygous black with silver
At birth, she was pewter colored with white eyelashes.	At birth, she looked like a black horse. The only clue was white in her tail (but black foals often have white in the tail). Her eyelashes were black
2 weeks Soon, she started to turn brown	At two days, she did not look so black
2 months Lighter colored and more brown	At three days, white eyelashes were evident
3 mo She is more brown but black skin pigment is evident at the head and neck.	At eight days some brown was evident
4 mo She is darker and less bown, more gray/black. Evident dapples	At two weeks she was brown She was tested for genetic color and is black silver.
7 mo Getting her first winter coat, she is much darker	At 4 weeks with her black dam.
10 mo Shedding out the winter coat, gray with lots of dapples.

12 mo summer coat Definitely brown, with many dapples
14 mo Sun faded, she looks like a palomino!!!	As a yearling she is still brown but has an undertone of black. She does not have black points characteristic of bays. Her mane has come in dark with lighter ends. Her tail has light and dark areas
17 mo Coat is now much darker, few dapples.

Interesting individual characteristics

Zeulner's Silver Legacy has blond feathers on his fetlocks.		Zeulner's Silver Legacy at age one developed light areas on his front legs. they appeared quickly, stayed about 6 weeks, then disappeared. It is hard to see in this picture, but some on the light areas looked like lightening bolts running down his legs.
Filigree in Sterling, age 6 wks, shedding out. She retained white hair on her legs for about a month.		Silverella Sterling went through a sun-faded phase and looked golden, like a palomino. That has passed now and she is quite dark.
Obsidian Fire in Sterling "Alynga". She had white eyelashes at birth and they darkened, as is usual. BUT at age 5 months, her eyelashes have turned white again. I have never seen or heard of this.		Flightime in Sterling 09 bay silver Her mane and tail are not just white, they are actually silver colored!

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