Taffy/Silver

Taffy or Silver is the dilution of Black. This means that red based horses are unaffected. Black horses are diluted to either a chocolate or silver colour with a silver mane and tail. Bay horses have their mane and tail diluted to silver making them look like a flaxen chestnut or even a flaxen liver chestnut. A chestnut horse with a silver mane and tail IS NOT a taffy/silver! This is a flaxen chestnut. Silver cannot be seen on a chestnut coat! If only effects black pigment. Chestnuts can carry silver but you will not know they have it until they produce a taffy/silver to a black or bay without silver.

 
Like most dilute genes any dappling expresses as reverse dappling. Slightly different to the dapples on a greys etc. If a black horse has dapples they come out very well when diluted by silver. Its looks quite distinct. Because of this many Americans tend to call the colour silver dapple. Its correct name is Silver although most people call it Taffy in Australia. The Gypsies call it Chocolate Palomino. Whatever you call it, it is a spectacular colour with either the contrasting chocolate coats with silver manes or the paler silver coats with dapples. A silver with dapples will not turn white eventually like a grey with dapples but the coat colour can change a lot in different seasons and on different feed. Silver can not be tested for but if you have a red horse with a silver mane that you suspect is silver, testing for black will at least help.
UPDATE: Silver can now be tested!! See links page for colour testing sites.

 

This link is about Morgans not Gypsy Horses but it is a good information page about Silver.

http://www.mindspring.com/~morgans/aboutsilver.htm

 

Photo from Cielo Celeste Farm

http://www.cielocelestefarm.com

A bay Taffy or Silver bay mare.

Note her black knees although the silver gene

has diluted her mane and tail and feathers

Photo from Black Forest Shires

http://www.gypsyhorses.com/

Another photo of the same stallion

Photo from Cielo Celeste Farm

http://www.cielocelestefarm.com

Another picture of the same mare

above showing her black legs

Photo from Black Forest Shires

http://www.gypsyhorses.com/

Well known Chocolate Taffy stallion.

Known as The Business or The Boss

Sire of most horses on this page!

Photo from Meadow Farms UK

http://www.gypsyhorses.org.uk/

Another Silver Bay mare.

Although not visible here, the ear tips will remain dark

which is a sign that this mare is not a flaxen chestnut

Testing for the E black/red gene will

always tell for sure in borderline cases

Photo from Black Forest Shires

http://www.gypsyhorses.com/

Photo from Loretta Rawlings

http://www.gypsycob.supanet.com/

No shes not a flaxen chestnut!

Photo from Black Forest Shires

http://www.gypsyhorses.com/

Photo from Black Forest Shires

http://www.gypsyhorses.com/

Photo from Black Forest Shires

http://www.gypsyhorses.com/

I do not know who or what he is!

But hes my favourite shade of silver/taffy.

Wow!!