These horses become flea-bitten grey over time and are not born with this coat pattern. We commonly see the flea bitten pattern on many mid to older grey horses, but not every grey horse becomes flea bitten grey.
A flea-bitten grey horse breed has freckles on a white coat.
That process occurs due to re-pigmentation. Flea-bitten breeds can either have large but dense speckles on their coat or a few barely noticeable speckles. The re-pigmentation happens in grey horses that are more than ten years old.
Flea-bitten is used to describe one specific coat marking. A white or grey horse speckled with reddish brown or black flecks is known as flea-bitten.
Flea-bitten gray is a color consisting of a white hair coat with small pigmented speckles or "freckles". The flea-bitten pattern is seen primarily in heterozygous Grays. Most horses who become flea-bitten grays still go through a brief period when they are pure white.
Grey horses or horses with white markings are the more susceptible. Make sure there is shade in the turnout arena, not all horses will use it but might take advantage of the cooler temperature. Applying sunblock on the sensitive skin parts can also help, as well as protecting them with fly masks.
More than 80% of grey horses will have at least one melanoma during their lives. Horses can develop melanoma at any age – some can even be present at birth! As melanomas are very common in grey horses, many people think they must be benign, incidental skin tumours.
Vitiligo. Vitiligo is another common skin disease that most often appears in gray horses as well. This condition is considered an autoimmune disease and leads to depigmentation of the skin due to destruction of melanocytes.
Horses with N/G genotype will be gray and will show a progressive graying of the coat. They may transmit this gray variant to 50% of their offspring. Matings with N/N genotype will result in a 50% chance of producing a gray foal. Horses with G/G genotype will be gray and will show a progressive graying of the coat.
Do Dapple Greys Turn White? Yes, the large majority of dapple greys will turn completely white. This will occur gradually over several years, but typically after nine years old, the dappling will be gone. Depending on your horse, this color fade can occur at slower or faster rates.
(Although somewhat confusingly greys can also have pink skin if the horse is genetically a cremello or other dilute, or in areas with white markings.) In addition, non-grey horses are born with light highlights in their coat (lower legs and underside).
After a flea bites you, a small, discolored bump forms. A discolored ring or halo may appear around the bite. Flea bites may appear in a straight line or a cluster of many bites. Flea bites most commonly occur on your legs, especially your feet, calves and ankles.
While theoretically horses can get fleas, they do not make the best host for this insect. Fleas are wingless, parasitic insects that can infest a variety of animal species. They are found all over the United States, however they prefer warm and humid habitats to spawn. While they can infest horses, it is quite rare.
When horses are infected with fleas, they develop patches of raw skin. The irritation and itching on a horse are so intense they rub their bodies against posts, trees, or anything else they can to provide relief. This action scrapes the hair off the horse's coat and exposes its damaged skin.
Groom your horse regularly. If not daily, groom them several times weekly. Make sure that your horses are healthy and take them to the vet occasionally. Reduce how often you take your horses out when it is flea, tick, or mite season.
Treatments like Absorbine Ultrashield contain pyrethrins, which are effective against lice, fleas, and most pests. Grooming your horse regularly and using a fly spray like Absorbine Ultrashield will help keep most pests under control.
adjective. flea-bit·ten ˈflē-ˌbi-tᵊn. of a horse : having a white or gray coat flecked with a darker color. : bitten by or infested with fleas.
We all agree that grey horses look the best in dark colors. Don't prefer light or neutral colors as these will blend in. We can advise some matte dark colors such as charcoal black or navy blue, as well as some dark and glittery colors.
Dapples on horses are commonly mistaken for another color variation that's known as “flea-bitten” horses. Although the two can look similar in some cases, flea-bitten horses will have spots that appear more like freckles, or tiny clusters of “flea-bites”. Whereas dapples are larger, round-shaped, and more spread apart.
According to University of California at Davis – one of the leading equine genetics labs – grey horses typically complete the depigmentation process and become fully white by age 6-8, though some horses may turn white more rapidly or remain grey past the age of 10.
Equally true is that a Greying horse will always produce at least 50% Grey foals (and 50% non-grey) if it has ONE Grey allele, but if it has TWO Grey alleles it will produce 100% Greying foals.
However, owners of grey horses often face a far more serious problem than mud. On average, grey horses have an 80 per cent chance of developing a melanoma (skin cancer) during their lives. Melanomas develop when skin cells that contain melanin deposit excessive pigment, leading to abnormal production.
Although there is no way to prevent melanoma occurrence, increased surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment could reduce the number of horses that develop non treatable lesions.
A household washing detergent, such as Fairy liquid or Persil, in hot water is said to work wonders on cleaning grey tails, especially for mares, whose tails can become stained with urine.
Melanomas are common in aging gray horses, with an incidence of 80% in gray horses older than 15 years old. Common areas for the development of melanomas include under the tail, around the genitalia, in the parotid gland region, on the lips and eyelids.