A Gulastra Plume is light hairs mixed in with the black tail (and sometimes mane) hairs on a bay animal that is not genetically silver. Arabian breeders call this Gulastra’s Plume, named for a chestnut stallion called Gulastra who did not exhibit the trait, but passed it along to his bay progeny. The coloration has also been found in other breeds and it’s also called silver tail. This type of marking can come from a minimally expressed pinto or appaloosa white pattern.
Glustra Plume Characteristics
This coloring can affect more than the tail and is subtly distinct from the silver gene. Glustra tail hairs tend to be a warmer, more cream-like color and their points stay black. Leg markings may be reduced and they can have flaxen hairs on the lower leg. Silver tail coloring is generally cooler and their points diluted to chocolate brown.
Example Notes
A few of the examples pictured are mealy, which may be responsible for their diluted tail hairs. There are also a couple of wildtype bays in there (one with pretty interesting leg markings). While there is frost on its coat, there are white hairs in the mane. Another looks suspiciously like an appaloosa, but it’s difficult to say for sure. The black arabian isn’t bay and probably has a pinto white pattern working, but the animal was too pretty not to share.
