Silverdapple

Icelandic: Móvindóttur. Description: The horse has a chocolate-brown body colour and flaxen mane, and usually dapples on the body. Ţokki from Ysti-Mór in winter coat. Š-LUKKA Contrasts in the silver dapple mare, and the landscape. Sól from Skarđi. Š-LUKKA. A very clear example of silver dapple in summer coat. Vindur from Enni. Š-LUKKA. Vindur from Enni again. Š-LUKKA A silver dapple yearling. The dapples can't always be seen untill they're 2 years old. Simon from Keldulandi. Š-LUKKA On the other hand, when they get older... here's a 6 year old mare in heavy winter coat, but the dapples peek through as lighter spots. Š-LUKKA The dapples showing very clearly in a summer coat. A huge horse, 14.2 hands. Húni from Ţúfu. Sometimes the contrast is not very sharp. Here is a very light silver dapple. This mare became grey later, which is propably why the body color is so light. Litfríđ from Keldulandi. Š-LUKKA This contrast is as sharp as it can get. Š-LUKKA On the other hand, here we have a very unsharp contrast. Sometimes the mane can be even blacker than here. This is not the most popular version of the silver dapple, but genetically it's a silver dapple, and can produce a light silver dapple foal. It is possible that the base color of such a very dark silver dapple is pure black (svartur in icelandic), but a lighter silver dapple has a lighter black base color (brúnn or móbrúnn in icelandic). Snekkja from Höfnum. Š-LUKKA Silver dapple with blaze, a rare sight, as Icelandics with black base color are rarely with blazes. Embla from Fremri-Hundadal. Š-LUKKA Silver dapple with star. Litbrá from Karastöđum. Š-Catharina Hedsäter Foal color: It is always easy to differ between a silver dapple and other colors on the very first day. After that it becomes difficult, untill the foal has shed it's foal coat. If the inner edge of the eyelids on the newborn foal is pink it is a chestnut or other red based color (and the foal is not silver dapple). Reminds of a red haired human. If the inner edge of the eyelids on the newborn foal is black (that is, the foal is all ready wearing make up) it is a black base coat, so the foal is a silver dapple! So: look at the newborn foal: 1) light grey beige with same or lighter mane/tail and make up on = black silver dapple 2) reddish color with lighter mane darker tips of ears greyish legs and make up on = bay silver dapple 3) reddish color with same or lighter mane and in need of make up (pink skin closest to the eye) = chestnut Silver dapple foals also have striped hooves but that is not a sign to guarantee on since since markings can interfere. This picture is taken of a few months old foal. It shows on the upper body of the foal how the foal hairs look on a newborn silver dapple foal. A newborn silver dapple is very light, often in a very unidentifiable mud-color, with little contrast between mane and body. Later when the foal drops it's foal hairs, the real body color emerges, as is happening on this foal's feet and muzzle. Š-Sigrid Younger A foal that has fully shed the foal coat. Gćla from Hofsstöđum Š-Catharina Hedsäter Some genetics: The silver colour is on the Z-locus. You need one dominant gene Z which changes a black body colour into a chocolate-brown, and black mane and tail into a flaxen mane and tail, or silver-grey mane and tail. So, one of the parents need to be silver dapple for the foal to become silver dapple. There is though one fact that makes this a bit complicated, the fact that the silver dapple gene lightens a black mane and tail. Horses that don't have a black mane and tail to begin with can thus carry the silver dapple gene without you seeing it. If a palomino, yellow dun, grey or chestnut horse is carrying the silver dapple gene you can't see it, and if a silver dapple parent has a foal in these colors, you can't see whether the foal carries the gene or not. It is thus adivicable, if you want to breed a silver dapple horse, to get a foal in this color, to breed the horse to a horse that has a black mane and tail, to increase the likelyhood of getting a silver dapple foal. For example, if you have a silver dapple mare, breed her to a black stallion, not a chestnut or palomino stallion The color in different languages: USA: Silver, silverdapple Dutch: Zilverappelzwart Swedish: Silversvart In Europe they are usually called by the Icelandic name Vindótt. BACK TO SILVER HORSES

Icelandic: Móvindóttur.
Description: The horse has a chocolate-brown body colour and flaxen mane, and usually dapples on the body.
Ţokki from Ysti-Mór in winter coat.
Š-LUKKA

Contrasts in the silver dapple mare, and the landscape. Sól from Skarđi.
Š-LUKKA.

A very clear example of silver dapple in summer coat. Vindur from Enni.
Š-LUKKA.

Vindur from Enni again.
Š-LUKKA

A silver dapple yearling. The dapples can't always be seen untill they're 2 years old. Simon from Keldulandi.
Š-LUKKA

On the other hand, when they get older... here's a 6 year old mare in heavy winter coat, but the dapples peek through as lighter spots.
Š-LUKKA

The dapples showing very clearly in a summer coat. A huge horse, 14.2 hands. Húni from Ţúfu.

Sometimes the contrast is not very sharp. Here is a very light silver dapple. This mare became grey later, which is propably why the body color is so light. Litfríđ from Keldulandi.
Š-LUKKA

This contrast is as sharp as it can get.
Š-LUKKA

On the other hand, here we have a very unsharp contrast. Sometimes the mane can be even blacker than here. This is not the most popular version of the silver dapple, but genetically it's a silver dapple, and can produce a light silver dapple foal. It is possible that the base color of such a very dark silver dapple is pure black (svartur in icelandic), but a lighter silver dapple has a lighter black base color (brúnn or móbrúnn in icelandic). Snekkja from Höfnum.
Š-LUKKA

Silver dapple with blaze, a rare sight, as Icelandics with black base color are rarely with blazes. Embla from Fremri-Hundadal.
Š-LUKKA

Silver dapple with star. Litbrá from Karastöđum.
Š-Catharina Hedsäter

Foal color:
It is always easy to differ between a silver dapple and other colors on the very first day. After that it becomes difficult, untill the foal has shed it's foal coat. If the inner edge of the eyelids on the newborn foal is pink it is a chestnut or other red based color (and the foal is not silver dapple). Reminds of a red haired human. If the inner edge of the eyelids on the newborn foal is black (that is, the foal is all ready wearing make up) it is a black base coat, so the foal is a silver dapple!

So: look at the newborn foal:
1) light grey beige with same or lighter mane/tail and make up on = black silver dapple
2) reddish color with lighter mane darker tips of ears greyish legs and make up on = bay silver dapple
3) reddish color with same or lighter mane and in need of make up (pink skin closest to the eye) = chestnut

Silver dapple foals also have striped hooves but that is not a sign to guarantee on since since markings can interfere.

This picture is taken of a few months old foal. It shows on the upper body of the foal how the foal hairs look on a newborn silver dapple foal. A newborn silver dapple is very light, often in a very unidentifiable mud-color, with little contrast between mane and body. Later when the foal drops it's foal hairs, the real body color emerges, as is happening on this foal's feet and muzzle.
Š-Sigrid Younger

A foal that has fully shed the foal coat. Gćla from Hofsstöđum
Š-Catharina Hedsäter

Some genetics:
The silver colour is on the Z-locus. You need one dominant gene Z which changes a black body colour into a chocolate-brown, and black mane and tail into a flaxen mane and tail, or silver-grey mane and tail. So, one of the parents need to be silver dapple for the foal to become silver dapple. There is though one fact that makes this a bit complicated, the fact that the silver dapple gene lightens a black mane and tail. Horses that don't have a black mane and tail to begin with can thus carry the silver dapple gene without you seeing it. If a palomino, yellow dun, grey or chestnut horse is carrying the silver dapple gene you can't see it, and if a silver dapple parent has a foal in these colors, you can't see whether the foal carries the gene or not. It is thus adivicable, if you want to breed a silver dapple horse, to get a foal in this color, to breed the horse to a horse that has a black mane and tail, to increase the likelyhood of getting a silver dapple foal. For example, if you have a silver dapple mare, breed her to a black stallion, not a chestnut or palomino stallion

The color in different languages:
USA: Silver, silverdapple
Dutch: Zilverappelzwart
Swedish: Silversvart
In Europe they are usually called by the Icelandic name Vindótt.

BACK TO SILVER HORSES