Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Buttermilk Buckskin: Going Grey

Harley's winter coat is sneaking up on me.  I noticed that he was shedding his summer coat in the beginning of September, but it wasn't until recently that I really looked at him and realized that he is much lighter now than he was this summer.  In certain light, he almost looks grey.

Good-bye brown points and reddish hairs

Good-bye dapples.  His coat is now more blended in with the white hairs at the top of his tail.

Good-bye dark stockings behind

Fading up front, too

Hello cute star and whorl

Look at how tall and dark his stockings were this summer!

And such pretty dapples and reddish color!

He almost looks like a different horse.  I can see why some of the kids call him the "white one".  Luckily, his coat still hides dirt pretty well.  Off-white is quite fashionable!

Thanks for the new fall colors, Harley!  I can't wait for your dark, black nose, a sure sign of winter.

16 comments:

  1. Dawn's nose also gets very black in winter - we call it her black velvet nose.

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    1. I love the picture you have posted of Dawn's nose. Looks like a heart.

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  2. He does look like a different horse! Shy gets darker chestnut. . .I was just thinking today while lunging that she looked darker. Crazy how they change so much!

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  3. He's still a handsome boy :)
    Flurry looked like a big cream teddy bear last winter, he gets the THICKEST coat.

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    1. Cream teddy bear. I like that one.

      I am sure it keeps him nice and toasty.

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  4. Do you use Photoshop? This is the perfect tool if you want to change more Harley! :D
    I stop my silly jokes :) I often prefer the horses coat during the summer, it's brighter and more contrast.

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    1. Harley could get really silly with Photoshop. How about zebra stripes? They have lots of contrast. :)

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  5. Clearly, Harley enjoys a wardrobe update with the change of seasons. Wouldn't want to have those spring and summer colors (that are sooooo last week) as the temps change!

    PS. I am jealous of his dirt-hiding capabilities, no matter what the temps. So. Jealous.

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    1. Hehe.

      I understand. I used to show a grey. ;)

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  6. Harley looks quite dashing in both colors!

    Spider's coat does the opposite: He goes from a reddish bay in summer, to almost black in winter. I bought him in late winter, imagine my surprise when my black horse suddenly started shedding out red!

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    1. That would be quite the surprise! Reddish bay is gorgeous, too, so you get the best of both worlds.

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  7. We've been following the changes in our horses' coats, too! Sydney got REALLY dark all of a sudden. Speedy's changes are more subtle as most of his color vanished several years ago. It will be spring before he shows a new change, and it will involve even less dark hairs with more "flea bites." Although some gray Arabs do go WHITE, but since Speedy developed a flea bitten pattern early on, I suspect those will just continue to get more numerous.

    I am surprised at how dark to light Harley's stockings get; I've never seen that happen. Or, it could be that I've just never had a horse that did that. :0)

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    1. I love Speedy's flea bitten pattern. He looks rather dashing.

      Isn't it funny how the coat color can change so suddenly? Almost seems like it is over night.

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  8. Harley is gorgeous no matter what color he is. They do seem to change colors like the trees in fall don't they. Dusty gets much lighter in the fall and almost brown in the summer. Go figure.

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    1. So Dusty is darker in the summer, too? Does she keep her lovely dapples all year? Hers are really striking.

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