The Old Grey Mare

The Old Grey Mare

I didn’t understand why white horses were always called greys so I looked it up several years ago. Then, looking it up again to make sure I was correct, I discovered I wasn’t and that not all white horses are called greys. A grey (white) horse is born with coloured hair and black or grey skin. As the horse ages, the colour gradually fades until they are an overall silvery white. Only horses with the grey gene turn white. Other horses without the grey gene retain their coat colour but may develop white hairs around their eyes or muzzle.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Genetically white horses have pink skin and white hair from birth. They usually have brown or blue eyes. The difference between horses born white and those who go white with age can always be told by the underlying skin colour. A grey will have dark skin around the eyes and muzzle while a white horse will always have pink skin.

Most genetically white animals have a tendency to deafness, though this does not seem to be the case with white horses. For example, Dalmatian puppies are born white, the spots developing over the ensuing months. There have been many instances of deaf Dalmatians but careful breeding is eradicating the problem. All registered Dalmatian breeders are required to have their proposed breeding animals tested. The BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) test measures brain wave activity in response to particular sounds or tones. It is completely safe and non-invasive and is also used in small humans or others who cannot reliably cooperate with a standard hearing test (though obviously not for breeding purposes!)

                        Jack Russell Biddy with Dalmatian puppy Cariadd 1984

Affected registered Dalmatians are not allowed to be bred from, even if only unilaterally deaf. In this way, the number of deaf Dalmatians has been reduced considerably.

The Old Grey Mare is a traditional American folk song from the early years of the 19^th century. It is about an old, tired horse that is still loyal to her owner.  It is not a compliment to be likened to an old grey mare, another name for old mare being 'nag'.

                                      Although it might not appear to be an appropriate name for a welcoming pub, The Old Grey Mare is the name of at least four pubs in the UK, as well as a pale ale brewed by Greene King. Greene King is a brewery in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.

 On the other hand, The White Horse is the name of around 270 pubs, and is the eighth most popular pub name. The White Horse at Blakeney was run for several years by my late sister and brother-in-law. Their younger daughter and son-in-law ran The King’s Head (tenth most popular name) in Letheringsett. My grandmother, a teetotaller, ran a pub in Saffron Walden, so the tendency seems to have run in the family.