Description:
The SILVER
DAPPLE factor can be a confusing one for most people. It only affects black
pigment, changing it to chocolate/liver or buff gray. Mane and tail are usually
changed from black, to flaxen, to sunburned, or almost white. Red based horses
may carry this gene but will not show it until it shows up in their offspring
because they do not have black points to show the change.
Silver dapple horses generally
have black legs similar to the bay but not as clearly defined, and the black
will not usually go past the knee.
Black that goes on up the shoulder may be
caused by the sooty factor. This factor can easily be confused with the Flaxen
Liver Chestnut, and the Chocolate Palomino.
The difference is that the silver factor
will not have a red under tone. A Buckskin silver can look like a Sooty Palomino except for the tell tale scattered black on the legs below the knees.
The silver dapple will get darker hair in its mane and tail as it gets older which the sooty will
also do , but a sooty horse will get darker on its flanks and body, the silver will usually not.
One main way to tell the difference between the sooty palomino and the silver buckskin is that sooty palomino are born with chocolate body and points which shed out to be more palomino with chocolate on flanks and body where the silver buckskin will be born palomino and darker points will show up at foal shed.
Both can continue to darken with age. Even large time Silver Dapple breeders will wait to tell if their foal is silver until
foal shed. The only sure fire way to recognize a silver dapple is by breeding or
a red factor test.
The only way to confirm that a red horse is a silver dapple carrier is by breeding. The red factor test will help you determine if your suspected silver dapple is a sooty palomino, or a dark flaxen chestnut.
Black+ Silver
Possible Buckskin + Silver
Buckskin + Silver
