What do you think of my horse? and is it normal for them to change colour?

Ok, i got a free horse last year, she's now a 18 yr old TB beginners horse. For the last 6 months or so i've left her in the paddock because of the EI outbreak and to get her to put on some weight before I ride her again as she was really poor when we got her. When we first got her she was a coppery bay colour and really thin, then we had her teeth done recently put on a fair bit of condition then turned brown. Now she had changed again to a really dark brown almost black colour. Is this normal and is it from getting more nutrients/minerals etc. we're feeding her 1 biscuit of lucerne per day with equilibrium along with being in the paddock 24/7. Also, what are the best foods to give TB's to gain condition and not make them hyperactive. We've tried weight lifter, but that made her lose hair from her body in clumps, so we ditched that pretty quick. She is generally very good and hasnt really displayed any stupid behaviour when I ride her and such, but just in case as TB's are supposed to

What do you think of my horse? and is it normal for them to change colour?
It is perfectly normal for horses coat colors to change to a degree throughout the year. I have a bay thoroughbred who seems to go from a very light bay that almost looks buckskin in the summer when turnout daily, to a dark almost blood bay if stalled frequently. He also will turn to a medium bay in the winter, after he's grown his winter coat. I've also heard that a lot of it has to do with nutrition... I've heard that when your horse has a darker, shinier or dappled coat, they are "healthier", but of course a horse left out to pasture for extended periods of time in the sun, will have a lighter and less shinny coat from sun bleaching regardless of their health.
Reply:Horses changing color is perfectly normal. Most bays fade in the sun. Most horses that you see are grey were born black. Appaloosa, for example, change from one year to the next every year. I had a bucksking app who is now the most gorgeous white-ish, brown-ish,black-ish, horse that you have ever seen. As for the weight i think there is something called like bucky or something. Beat pulp also helps older horses put on weight
Reply:course it is... it could be from fading and because of how healthy she is now. as horses get ill for a long period of time, they lose the sheen and their coat color starts to dull. Now that you have fattened her up, she is healthy and her coat is shiny again.
Reply:When was the last time you groomed her? A good wash in the summer time(winter time is too cold) would also be good too but it is normal because when horses age they may change color.
Reply:perfectly normal my horse changes color to so its fine
Reply:I would suggest beet pulp for putting on weight. I feed it to my TB, and it doesn't make her hot. I feed about 3 cups, soaked, which makes quite a bit!
Reply:i would try shreeded beet pulp to put on weight. it helps their digestion too, by the way. flax seed oil would help her coat if you want her coat any better. it's likely she was just down on nutrients and good grass, so her coat got dull. also if you got her in the summer and it changed thruout the winter, that's normal too, i had a black horse who completely bayed out in the summer cuz of the sun...


anyway hope the answers work for you!
Reply:horses change with the seasons my guy is a sorrel


and he goes from a copper color to almost a burnt


orange in the summer all depends on the amount


on sun they get


your horse looks good i would just give her oats


and whole corn that way she won't get to hyper
Reply:yep totally agree with most responces, that it is quite normal for the horse to change color to the various seasons. I have an Appaloosa mare, that quite frankely has changed to every color under the sun hence the nickname horse of a thousand colors.! As for the feed, try Copprice (M) mature. It's great weight gainer or Mitavite is another, both of my horse bulk up on that feed. I aslo have an Arab and he's on the heavy side at the moment, so i have had to knock back their hard feed and put them on grass/oaten hay. You can try a little bit of seaweed meal in their feed as it's fantastic for their coates. They come out super shiny.