Thursday, July 2, 2009

Josephine

I have to interrupt my vacation pictures to show you all pictures of Josephine!! The first thing I did when I got back from vacation was go out and check on my animals. I was so happy to see that Ozzie had kept his weight up and that my fillies were doing wonderfully. There was just one thing tough, about Josephine. She changed a bit in the color department. But I think it's going to be an okay thing, it's a neat color. Here is the color she was when I left. And now here is the color she is now!! A bit different huh? I am really excited at how unique she is turning out to be. She is such a sweet girl. She lets me pick up all her feet and she puts up with me brushing her. Here is her butt shot. You can still see her white hairs on her lower leg. I knew those legs would shed out black, so that really wasn't a big surprise. It was her body that surprised me. This is a better shot at what her color really looks like. It's hard to take pictures of a horse when all the horse wants is to be in your face. She really is a nosy little girl. Here is a close up shot of her tail. She still has a faint dorsal stripe. But I think by the next time she sheds out it will be gone. The inside hairs of her ears are super light. I think if they were shaved they would be darker. Her mane is growing in black. So she looks funny with black roots and orange tips. But that is Josephine. All shedded out. I think she is super cute and very different. Does anyone want to guess what color she is? Okay, I won't make you wait. She is a smutty/sooty buckskin. She is a very dark one at that. I think she will lighten up. Her sire is a cremello. So, by breeding a cremello, that has a double dilute gene, to my brown mare, I get a diluted baby. So, there is no way my filly will ever be a bay or a brown. It's just not possible. It's like added a lot of bleach to your washer with black clothes in it. The clothes will come out a bit diluted!

Josephine can not be a smokey black, because her Dam was a brown horse, that isn't an option of color. So, when you take a brown mare and breed it to a cremello sire, you can get a palomino or a buckskin. And Josephine is defiantly not a palomino. So, that just leaves one option, buckskin.

The double dilute gene is so much fun!! There is so much that you can do with it! But that is an entirely different post. Here is a picture of another sooty buckskin filly. Seeing her makes me really excited to see what Josephine will look like as she grows and matures. I can see similarities in the sooty buckskin traits with that filly and with Josephine. But only time will tell and foals have a way with shedding out some pretty strange colors! But so far I am likeing what I see. Strange colors sometimes have a way with catching a judge's eye.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

She's soooo super sweet. And her rooty mane reminds me of a lady I stood behind of at the store the other day. (kidding) :)

Melanie said...

Oooooohhhhhh....I like those smutty buckskins!!! Unique coloring is fun to look at. I also like those chocolately palominos that are sometimes dappled.
In any case, Josephine is beautiful, and I really like her name-it's quite regal sounding. :)

Nuzzling Muzzles said...

She does have unique coloring. I am always amazed when people who own a lot of animals can take vacations. My family hasn't taken a vacation together in over 12 years because our Shelty is a non-stop barker and our Corgi has the bladder a size of a pea. We'd have to have someone living in our house who could let the dogs in an out every few minutes. Doggie doors don't work around here thanks to all the burglars who like to use them to enter houses, and we've never been keen on kennels. The horses are easy compared to the dogs.

Grey Horse Matters said...

She's a great color. I love buckskins. And she couldn't be more adorable.

The Wife said...

what a cutie! Love the color.

Carroll Farm said...

Gorgeous!! Love the coloring. We don't take many vacations either - finding someone to take care of all my animals is a pain.

Pony Girl said...

Goodness, she does look completely different! I think the sooty buckskin is cool and different!!! Can't wait to see her when she's fully shed. I'm glad you enjoyed your vaca and that the critter crew was doing well when you got back!

Paint Girl said...

I love the color she is turning out to be! I think it is very different!
She is such a pretty filly!
I hear ya on the vacation, we don't go anywhere either. We would need someone to stay here, because of the dogs and horses. The cats can fend for themselves!

Unknown said...

pangare bay, again. The muzzle, around the eye and the way her mane is growing in gives it away. Sooty don't grow in that way.
However because pangare is not a registered colour you can register her as a sooty bay. Looks like her mama may have a Pp allele.

Unknown said...

I meant sooty buckskin, not bay. Anyway where I was getting at before blogger prematurely posted is that sooty horses still have a black muzzle and around the eyes, shes got grey, like the pangare gene and by her stifle/belly is starting to turn grey.

Alex said...

any which way she sheds out, shes gonna be a stunner!

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

She's such a pretty girl. Sure makes me wonder now what color Va's foal is going to end up. Wow! Those babies sure can shed out to such interesting colors, eh?

Have fun with her. And I'm glad you had a nice vacation. We've not a family vacation for as long as we've had our ranch. Too pricey to hire someone to come in an feed and care for all our critters.

Staycations are what we have now.

Maybe we should start a "House/Farm Sitter co-op" where instead of a babysitting style co-op, we can sign up to fly/drive in and care for each other's farm and ranch, while the owners go on vacation!
~Lisa

KD said...

Look at that bedonkadonk!

Carroll Farm said...

KD said it!!

No, the arena is dark, but not as dark as the pictures always turn out. It is lighted, but about half the lights are out and the club that owns/runs it hasn't replaced any. The horses do ok, though they aren't fans of the flash from the camera. We are hoping that since the club is starting a buckle series (gymkhana) for 4 weeks that they will fix the lights. LOL :)

Rambling Woods said...

Hello Andrea..I enjoyed seeing the photos of your vacation and seeing all the fun the kids had. I can't add anything to your horse discussion, but there is something funny about the term 'smutty buckskin'. lol.. Michelle

TjandMark/AKA PearlandHawkeye said...

Weird. She really changed and I love the color. Our little one is super sweet too and hard to get a photo of for the same reason. Babies are fun, but I know the teenage years are right around the corner.....

Fantastyk Voyager said...

It looks like she's going to be stunning! I love her coloring, very unique. Buckskins are gorgeous but Josephine's color looks even more impressive with the smoky, 'sooty' tones.

Andrea, you won my contest for naming the foaling date for Annie. I haven't forgotten. I am currently working on the prize and I do hope you'll like it. I have a tough school schedule four days a week and time is flying by. But never fear, I will present it to you soon!

The Wades said...

You sure do know your horse "stuff"!! I never even knew that color existed. I think she's gorgeous. Super cool coloring, whatever it is.

Five O'Clock Somewhere said...

She'll be gorgeous whatever color she turns out. It always a bit of a mystery when they start shedding out their baby coats and that weird blond hair gives way to black legs? Sooty buckskin..what a cool color!