# What genes cause the Medicine Hat pattern



## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Tobiano, splash, frame and sabino in various combinations can cause the medicine hat appearance.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

Is the horse in the first few pictures deaf, by chance? She's got a lot of white on her ears. 

Like NdAppy said, most medicine hats are a combination of genes expressed loudly. The ears tend to be very last to have white cover them because the lack of pigment causes deafness.


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## cmarie (Dec 19, 2011)

No she is not deaf she responds to voice commands and to noises around her she knows her name and comes when called. Is the deafness a progressive thing or are they born that way. I have heard of blindness in the overo pattern, none of my horses appear blind or deaf.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

No. I would assume it is an evolutionary aspect that ears are one of the last places to lose pigment because the lack of pigment on the ears causes deafness and I can't imagine a deaf horse lasting very long when a predator is around. 

For example, this is a mare named Can't Hear Guns. She is a maximum splash. I can't remember if she's positive for all 3 mutations or just two. Either way, she is genetically a bay. Her name is because the splash covered her entire body, including her ears, causing deafness.


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

What is needed is the pigment inside of the inner ear. Gunner (Colonels Smoking Gun) is also deaf. He has pigment on his out ears, but not where it is needed on the inner ear.


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

Hah he looks like he got dunked in paint. Awesome coloring!

(Now I need to know how they get his tail so white)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## cmarie (Dec 19, 2011)

So he has pink skin in his inner ear NdAppy?


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## Annanoel (Mar 29, 2011)

Wow! What a cool looking horse. I'm no color / genetics guru. BUT it says that horse is a stud and if he's deaf is there any way possible he can pass it on? Forgive gurus if it's an easy answer, just curious!


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

From what I remember, splash is associated with congenital deafness- most horses with splash have normal hearing, though. Assuming his deafness is associated with his splash pattern, I'd guess that he has no more chance of passing along deafness than any other horse carrying splash. I'm not 100% sure on that, so someone please correct me if that's wrong


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

I'm not sure if it's a specific splash mutation that's involved with the deafness. I know Gunner is SW2. And Can't Hear Guns is a granddaughter of his.


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## CCH (Jan 23, 2011)

SW2 does cause deafness. SW3 is rare and often found in combination with SW2. I don't think there is an official stand on whether SW3 *may* cause deafness on its own or if there just isn't a large enough population of only n/SW3's to say for sure.

SW1 does NOT cause deafness.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

when I saw the first post about white causing deafness, my first thought was, "o lord another old wives tale," So I did some research, and surprise surprise, the hairs in the inner ear need pigment to work. 
Based on a couple papers by Doctors or Doctorate students, No it isnt progressive, it either is or isnt deaf or partially deaf. 
An affected horse or even a pair of affected horses arnt any more likely to throw a deaf horse than any other with the genes, Its all a matter of where the un pigmented hair ends up.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Joe4d said:


> when I saw the first post about white causing deafness, my first thought was, "o lord another old wives tale," So I did some research, and surprise surprise, the hairs in the inner ear need pigment to work.
> Based on a couple papers by Doctors or Doctorate students, No it isnt progressive, it either is or isnt deaf or partially deaf.
> An affected horse or even a pair of affected horses arnt any more likely to throw a deaf horse than any other with the genes, Its all a matter of where the un pigmented hair ends up.


I want to like this over and over. Because this represents my favourite quality in a person - a willingness to adapt your point of view and change how you think. Joe, we may not see eye to eye on everything, but right now, I am humbled by your willingness to better yourself :hug:


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