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Saturday, 25 August 2007, 11:31 GMT 12:31 UK

Rare colour changing foal is born

Emy (left) grazing with her filly foal (right) A rare foal has been born in Suffolk to the UK's only breeding herd of colour-changing horses.

The horse is black at the moment but by the time he is four he will have become completely white.

The famous Camargue horses, bred at Valley Farm Riding Centre in Wickham Market, are born black or brown to help the young foals absorb the sunlight.

But they then shed their coat every autumn and it comes through a lighter shade each year.

Sarah Ling, who co-owns Valley Farm Riding Centre with her husband David Robertson, said: "They gradually go from the ugly duckling to the beautiful swan stage and most of them have changed their coat completely by the time they are four."

Camargue horses are a small breed which come from the Rhone Delta in France, where they are exposed to extremes of hot sun in summer and cold winds in winter.

"Visitors love to come and see the foals and enjoy watching them change their coats each season"
Sarah Ling

The riding centre brought the horses over in 1991 and began breeding them two years later.

Mrs Ling continued: "Most of the horses are trained to work in our centre where they do things like Western riding and side saddle.

"They have adapted extremely well to life here. We're very lucky because we have got wetland here and the horses are ideally situated for that."

Mrs Ling added: "Visitors love to come and see the foals and enjoy watching them change their coats each season."



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Related to this story:
Famous horses in 1,000-mile trek (15 Oct 05 |  England )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Valley Farm Riding Centre
White Horses of the Camargue
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