Shetland Pony Sales Australia

PONYKID · Posted: Mon May 17, 2010 11:38 pm Post subject: What kind of buckskin? (Pics)

OK so earlier this year I bought a 3mth old filly foal (I put her up for sale for a while on here but since decided to retain her). Her mother is a brown unreg Shetland, her sire was a cremello partbred Arabian.

I don't want to have her genetically tested as it is not really that important to me, just wanted some opinions from the "colour experts" on here!

So she was born looking like your typical buckskin (can't find the photo the seller sent me). When I got her she had lost a lot of the paler foal coat but still had the golden sections. Later in summer she went brown with golden muzzle and golden rings around eyes and golden in ears. Now that she is in winter coat she looks like a typical brown other than these really long golden guard hairs all over her, and still has the golden colour inside her ears, on muzzle and around eyes.

So she is definitely a buckskin, right?
But is she a "brown buckskin" or "burnt buckskin"?

I am a little confused by the definitions on the dilutes website. Question

3mths:

5mths: Full summer coat.

6mths: (You can see the golden guard hairs starting)

I'll post up a current pic (7mths) tomorrow. Now she has those golden/pale guard hairs all over.

Millwood · Joined: 26 Aug 2006 Posts: 335 Location: NE Vic

Either/Or! They are both often called sooty buckskins anyway. So you could just call her that. To be 100% sure you could colour test for the At gene, which is the genetic confirmation of 'brown'.

Otherwise I really wouldn't worry too much, call her either, a 'Brown Buckskin' or a 'Burnt Buckskin'. As her gold bits can still be seen maybe burnt or sooty buckskin works better!
Cheers

Danni

PONYKID · Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 2:40 pm Post subject:

It decided to rain last night! Rolling Eyes

But here is a photo of her in her current winter woollies, she almost looks like she is greying out.. but it's just not possible! The bits that look greyish are really long pale golden hairs.

luvemhairy · Joined: 06 Jan 2010 Posts: 21 Location: vic

Hi Ponykid, I had a QH who was very similar to this one and he was registered as grulla. He didn't have black points but had darker legs and the dorsal stripe. His coat color changed a bit with the season's too. Hope this helps. Smile

Millwood · Joined: 26 Aug 2006 Posts: 335 Location: NE Vic

Sooty buckskins sometimes have that silvery look in their winter coat, so she's still a buckskin!

Clarmack Park · Joined: 07 Feb 2009 Posts: 218 Location: Cowra NSW

Hi,
in most of those pics it looks like she is in her 'mid coat' my bucky mare gets it show goes that brown colour when she gets her mid coat inbetween loosing her winter and summer coat.
I'd call her a burnt buckskin because she still has the gold on her nose and ah - mind blank - the grion bit.

Mind she could be a black buckskin- it all depends on what colout the mother was really. and weather the mother gave her the bay gene or not.

As to the brown gene i think they are still debating as to weather or not it exitsts, i dont know myself as all that i have read is conflicting so i'd ask a proper expert on that.

The only real way to tell what colour she is, it to wait unitll the foal coat is completly gone and look at her in full summer coat.

KimptonPark · Joined: 08 Aug 2010 Posts: 19 Location: Ballarat

Can someone please tell me what to look for to distinguish between Black Buckskin and a normal black/brown pony colour.

We have a shetland that we originally thought was a black/brown, but am beginning to think she might be a black buckskin, but am not totally sure.

PONYKID · Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 9:30 pm Post subject:

It can be really hard to tell without a DNA test for the dilute gene, or breeding it and getting a dilute from it! I had a black buckskin who just looked like a black, but in summer coat he had these slight tinges of a slightly lighter golden colour around his eyes, flanks and elbows.

KimptonPark · Joined: 08 Aug 2010 Posts: 19 Location: Ballarat

I haven't seen much difference around her eyes, but she does have a much paler colour inside her ears, underneath her belly close to the legs and she does have a dorsal stripe. Will attach some pics, they are not very good as she is standoffish and hard to get close to.

KimptonPark · Joined: 08 Aug 2010 Posts: 19 Location: Ballarat

tillies head

Millwood · Joined: 26 Aug 2006 Posts: 335 Location: NE Vic

Cream doesn't effect black much, and it varies betwen ponies so hard to know for sure without colour testing. As you say it can be pretty hard much of the time to tell the difference between a brownier black and a black with the cream gene. I think those creamy ears like your pony is a good indicator for a black buckskin, but it's certainly not fool proof! Only colour testing is that. I think if you wanted to register your pony as a buckskin, Dilutes Australia anyway gets you to colour test.

PONYKID · Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 11:02 am Post subject:

If she has a dorsal stripe, she could be grulla. Can you get grulla coloured Shettys?

Millwood · Joined: 26 Aug 2006 Posts: 335 Location: NE Vic

You can but that mare doesn't look Grulla. They are much more obviously dun. Any colour can have a slight dorsal stripe, they often call it counter shading to separate it from the true duns and their dorsal stripe.

KimptonPark · Joined: 08 Aug 2010 Posts: 19 Location: Ballarat

Thanks guys, we are not overly worried about doing DNA tests to prove it. Just extremely confused, as I keep seeing black/brown ponies in my opinion that are stating that they are Black Buckskins and was having trouble seeing how people can distinguish the differences. Then when I found out a few possible differences started looking at our own Tilly a bit closer and noticed a few distinguishing marks on her. If anyone else wants to add their bit, please do.
Cheers
Kimpton Park