This might look like a very white tobiano, which would explain why the bottom of her tail is so dark. Tobianos, even very white ones, tend to do that. But that's not a tobiano tail, because her pattern doesn't include her tail.
She's a grey tobiano, and her hindquarters are colored - not white. So that's technically a grey tail, and grey tails are not supposed to do that. Grey tails typically lighten from the bottom up, rather than from the tailhead down.
You can see her tobiano pattern a little better here. She's also a little unusual for having greyed out so quickly; her owner said she had just turned five. She also said that she was born roan, which might explain why her body greyed out while her tail remained dark. It certainly was striking, and I noticed a number of onlookers comment that they had not seen a grey horse with such a dark tail before.
Tomorrow I'll post a few more pictures from the show.
4 comments:
That is wild! She is so beautiful! Thanks for sharing these incredible photos with us. They are very inspiring!
I'd be tempted to believe that wasn't that horse's real tail. It looks like it is, but I'd look for the tie in if i saw it in person.
I suspected she had a tail switch, given how full her tail is and the fact that so many Paints show with them. But if it was there, it was really well-done, because I could not see an obvious tie even as she moved around. Still I have to imagine there was one there that replaced the lighter (greying) ends.
I also wondered, if that was completely her own tail, if the bottom had been dyed. I didn't see any oddness in the coloration though, even in bright sunlight. (Black dyes often look wrong in those conditions.) And certainly the base of the tail where it transitions from white to black is natural.
My suspicion is that, without enhancement, she probably has an unusually black tail with a greying end. But I couldn't remember if dyeing was strictly legal at Paint Horse shows, so I didn't dare ask the owner!
I have seen roans that were greying and they manes and tails greyed out normally... I would imagine her body looks so light because of the roan and grey effects mixed together.. however I wouldn't be surprised at all if the tail was painted/dyed or a switch, it is just so common. I have seen it on other greys before, the owner actually painting the legs, mane and tail so they have dark points even though the rest of the horse is totally white *rolls eyes*
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