The Lipizzaner horse, celebrated for its elegance and the intricate movements performed at institutions like the Spanish Riding School, is widely recognized by its striking white coat. This iconic appearance often leads to questions about their color at birth. Many people wonder if these famed horses are born with the same pristine white coats they exhibit as adults.
Lipizzaner Foal Color
Lipizzaner foals are not born white; they typically enter the world with dark coats. Common colors for newborn Lipizzaners include black, bay, or shades of brown. While some foals might appear very dark, almost black, they are usually a deep hue of another base color. This initial dark pigmentation gradually changes over several years.
The lightening process often begins shortly after birth, with white hairs appearing around the eyes or on the body during the first shedding. This transition continues as the horse matures, with the coat progressively becoming lighter over several years.
The Genetic Basis of Color Change
The remarkable color transformation observed in Lipizzaner horses is primarily due to the presence of a specific genetic trait known as the “grey gene.” This dominant gene, often denoted as G, causes a progressive loss of pigmentation in the horse’s hair over time. It acts on whatever base coat color the horse is born with, gradually replacing colored hairs with white ones.
The grey gene leads to depigmentation regardless of the horse’s initial coat color, eventually resulting in the characteristic white appearance of mature Lipizzaners. This genetic mechanism explains why foals are born dark but lighten with age. The rate at which a horse greys can vary.
Adult Coat Color and Variations
As Lipizzaner horses mature, their coats become a brilliant white. Genetically, this white appearance is a very light shade of grey, not true white. True white horses are born white and have unpigmented skin, unlike Lipizzaners, which maintain dark skin and eyes. The grey gene causes the hair to lose pigment, but the underlying skin remains dark.
While the vast majority of Lipizzaners eventually turn white, rare instances of adult horses retaining a non-white coat color exist. These horses do not inherit the dominant grey gene, allowing their original base color, such as bay or black, to persist into adulthood. Historically, Lipizzaners exhibited a wider range of colors, including dun, chestnut, and even spotted patterns, before selective breeding favored the grey gene. The Spanish Riding School traditionally keeps at least one non-white, often bay, stallion to preserve these genetic lines within the breed.