# My palomino is starting to get dappled!!??



## Spirit Lifter

My Spirit is starting to dapple. She is a palomino registered QH. Her sire was a sorrel and the dam was a palomino. Where does that come from? My farrier said that a palomino will start to do that at optimum health. I've had her a little over a month and she has probably added about a 100 lbs. or so since I got her. Does she have a dappled horse in her ancestry line?:?:?:?:?


----------



## texasgal

I love dappling on a palomino .. You know that pictures are REQUIRED! (Hee hee .. not really, but ... puleeeeeeeeeeese.)


----------



## RisingGlory

My Palomino does that too!!! I've always sort of wondered if he was true Pally or what because he's not registered.... It's not a dark dapple but you can tell it's there... ESPECIALLY in the winter....


----------



## NdAppy

Dapples (on colors other than grey) are just a sign or good health and diet.


----------



## CLaPorte432

Horses will dapple when they are in superb health.

So, good job!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Spirit Lifter

Off to the barn to take pictures! I'm glad to hear that it's good health! What a compliment to me and her new home!!! I take very good care of her!:lol:


----------



## smrobs

Yep, like others said, dapples are generally a sign of good diet and a healthy coat (which comes from a healthy body).


----------



## greenbryerfarms

NdAppy said:


> Dapples (on colors other than grey) are just a sign or good health and diet.


 
this is true my bay dapples out well every spring since i got him at our farm =)


----------



## RisingGlory

SCORE!!!! That makes me feel SO GOOD!!!


----------



## dee

Will all healthy horses dapple?


----------



## greenbryerfarms

If hedoesnt dapple it doesn't mean you arnt taking good care of him, my baysdapples are hard to see. Shiny coat. It'll blind you
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## smrobs

No, not all healthy horses will dapple. It is more common in certain colors like bay, brown, buckskin, palomino, etc. It's not so common to see a chestnut with dapples. Even horses in the common colors won't always dapple. My Dad's buckskin has never shown a dapple in his whole life and he's always been super healthy and shiny.


----------



## Spirit Lifter

Didn't turn out as good as I would have hoped but you can see some of it......


----------



## Spirit Lifter

Not only do I have the dapple effect but guess what??.......She now has a medium brown stripe down the middle of her whatever that is called!!!! Just like a buckskin. SO pretty! So what is that called???


----------



## Cinnys Whinny

Cinny is black and when you look at him from certain angles you can see dapples. I stopped giving him his supplement to keep him black and just give him good coat supplements now... so he's fading and the more he fades, the more dappled he looks  

I love seeing happy dappled horses  Your Pali looks AMAZING wit those dapples...and I'm not really a Pali fan.


----------



## Spirit Lifter

Cinnys Whinny said:


> Cinny is black and when you look at him from certain angles you can see dapples. I stopped giving him his supplement to keep him black and just give him good coat supplements now... so he's fading and the more he fades, the more dappled he looks
> 
> I love seeing happy dappled horses  Your Pali looks AMAZING wit those dapples...and I'm not really a Pali fan.


It's funny you say that you are not a fan of Pali's. Me either!!!!! I'd been searching 100's of horses, phone calls, visits, ride, etc. and the one's I decided on were always sold. So here is this Palomino, and I went "nahhh" I don't really care for them, after others I was really interested in that this guy had for sale and....well you know......she came out on top of temperament! I always had the opinion that they and their owners are prissy! I hate prissy!!! But here I am. With the best horse I could ever wish for. I still can't believe my final select was a Pali. I SO wanted a buckskin or a blood bay. Goes to show you that you can't pick a horse by their looks!!!!


----------



## Cinnys Whinny

SpiritLifter said:


> It's funny you say that you are not a fan of Pali's. Me either!!!!! I'd been searching 100's of horses, phone calls, visits, ride, etc. and the one's I decided on were always sold. So here is this Palomino, and I went "nahhh" I don't really care for them, after others I was really interested in that this guy had for sale and....well you know......she came out on top of temperament! I always had the opinion that they and their owners are prissy! I hate prissy!!! But here I am. With the best horse I could ever wish for. I still can't believe my final select was a Pali. I SO wanted a buckskin or a blood bay. Goes to show you that you can't pick a horse by their looks!!!!


Been there. When I bought Cinny I was looking for a nice Leopard Appy or a very LOUD paint. Something loud and flashy..... And I ended up with a Spotless Paint because I fell in love with his eyes LOL!


----------



## JanetsPaintedRayne

Lol, Can I just say I am not prissy ;-) and I believe my filly is starting to dapple too! I noticed it today when I was grooming her. We shall see though!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Allison Finch

I had a pally that would dapple. She was a quarab and the best mountain horse EVER!!


----------



## equiniphile

SpiritLifter said:


> Not only do I have the dapple effect but guess what??.......She now has a medium brown stripe down the middle of her whatever that is called!!!! Just like a buckskin. SO pretty! So what is that called???


 Countershading. My miniature sorrel has one


----------



## JanetsPaintedRayne

I thought maybe it was the way Daisy was losing her winter coat but it has been this way for weeks. I could be wrong though!


----------



## Spirit Lifter

Nice!!! Now let's see if you get the countershading down the back like I did. First came the dappling then the stripe!


----------



## SplashsKwikSand

My aunt and uncle had a filly that once she turned one she began to turn dark dark palomino and she began to dapple but only on her rump. She was truly a beautiful yearling and was on her way to becoming a wonderful ranch horse. Your mare's a beautiful color (both are!). But as for the dorsal line down her back, that's odd but cool sounding.  I only find it odd because I thought red duns, buckskins, and grullas got that marking. She sounds like a very interesting and beautiful mare!


----------



## greenbryerfarms

Dorsal stripe?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## SplashsKwikSand

Yes, a dorsal stripe. that's what the line on her back is called (runs down back and through tail sometimes).


----------



## Spirit Lifter

Yes. She now has a dorsal stripe. I'll try and get a picture of of it for your guys. I didn't know palomino's got that it. It's really pretty!


----------



## greenbryerfarms

SplashsKwikSand said:


> Yes, a dorsal stripe. that's what the line on her back is called (runs down back and through tail sometimes).


I know what it is lol thank you though. Just never seen one on a pali
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## NdAppy

Any horse can have counter shading, palominos included. Only horses carrying the dun gene will have a "true" dorsal stripe.


----------



## OwnedByAlli

aww! Loving the dappley pictures!! Alli dapples in spring/summer too, soo pretty  I think i read somewhere it was due to the texture of the skin fat which caused dappleing in non-grey horses, but i could be completly making that up haha, so in spring when fat levels rise the dapples show through


----------



## Spirit Lifter

I got a pic of the countershading so I'll post tomorrow when I'm not full from dinner! It's nice!


----------



## Spirit Lifter

So here is the countershading. Much more pronounced in real life. Well now I got the buckskin I always wanted (sort of)!:happydance:


----------



## SplashsKwikSand

that is weird, but pretty on a palomino!


----------



## Spirit Lifter

SplashsKwikSand said:


> that is weird, but pretty on a palomino!


It is weird. What causes this? Do all palomino's do it? Genetics?:?


----------



## SplashsKwikSand

well wut do her parents look like?


----------



## QOS

Biscuit has dapples on him now...I am thrilled to see that because when i got him a year and a half ago his hair was dead and lifeless looking.

I have always like palominos in pictures - Trigger always looked nice but I never was one of the folks (like my hubby) that thought palomino's were the end all...be all of horses. Now I have a palomino that has gone from a light cream to a nice golden color - and he gets compliments where ever I take him. LOL hubby says I am going to make Biscuit a sissy with all of the purple I ride him in....I say he is tuff enuff to wear purple!!!


----------



## TexanFreedom

I thought sooty/smokey/smutty(?) was what causes countershading. I could be wrong, though.


----------



## greenbryerfarms

Horses are odd... My sorrel mft has white hairs so prominate that you'd think he was roan, but also in the summer I heard someone call him a strawberry pali I was all flustered his reg papers said painted champaign red roan fox trotter not at all what I see.. And that's more then one color! Lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## SplashsKwikSand

I was talking to my aunt about dorsal stripes on horses and she said horses usually get them if they go darker in winter and when they fade to a lighter shade they get the counter shading dorsal stripe. If that's right, I'm not sure.. but it makes sense for the horses at my aunt and uncle's farm.


----------



## GoldSahara

My paly mare has always had dapples in winter (love them!), but never a dorsal stripe or counter shading. This year she has a few dapples on her rear end even in the summer, looks like an appaloosa! Lol! They are really really faint, I doubt they will show in a picture.


----------



## CBailey04

NdAppy said:


> Dapples (on colors other than grey) are just a sign or good health and diet.


 
On greys its not a sign of good health? Just curious:wink:


----------



## Hoofprints in the Sand

Your mare is so beautiful!!  YAY for dapples!! My mare started getting some this spring when she was shedding out her winter coat:









Once she finished shedding though, they appear to have faded away, boo!


----------



## NdAppy

CBailey04 said:


> On greys its not a sign of good health? Just curious:wink:


On grey's it is a coat pattern and not an indicator of health.


----------



## smrobs

Many grays will dapple just because that's part of their color regardless of their health. I've seen dapple grays that were terribly skinny/sick/unhealthy.


----------



## Spirit Lifter

Hoofprints in the Sand: Your horse is gorgeous! 

smrobs.....just read all your blogs. I LOVED them!


----------



## Hoofprints in the Sand

SpiritLifter said:


> Hoofprints in the Sand: Your horse is gorgeous!


Thanks!


----------



## StellaIW

Dapples are so pretty! My mare gets dapples all the time.


----------



## Spirit Lifter

Now THOSE are some DAPPLES! Wow! Magnificent! :shock:


----------



## Hoofprints in the Sand

StellaIW said:


> Dapples are so pretty! My mare gets dapples all the time.


omg yeah Stella is a beauty queen that is for sure!!


----------



## paintluver

Ive never seen dapples like Stellas before! They are so pretty! 
My bay mare Demi gets dapples in the summer, I just thought it was pretty but now that I know it means she is healthy that makes me feel great!


----------



## Tejas

I concur! More stella pix please!!!


----------



## Spirit Lifter

Can we see Stella's face?


----------



## greenbryerfarms

Wow to stella perfect name for that girl!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## lilkitty90

my girl gets incredibly dappled. i just need to find a better picture lol


----------



## greenbryerfarms

Awe 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Hoofprints in the Sand

OOOOHH Sandie's dapples are coming back!


----------



## StellaIW

SpiritLifter said:


> Can we see Stella's face?


Sure!











Right now, she only have a few spots on her butt. 










Sometimes she has a lot of dapples, but most of the time they are small. Here are some more pictures.


----------



## greenbryerfarms

What's kind of a horse is stella? I love her color!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Hoofprints in the Sand

Stella just has THE coolest markings!!


----------



## Spirit Lifter

Oh now I recognize Stella. She's had the foaling thread with her very cute baby buckskin! I've never seen dark dapples like that.

And was that a Palo before that post? Nice dapples!


----------



## Hoofprints in the Sand

SpiritLifter said:


> Oh now I recognize Stella. She's had the foaling thread with her very cute baby buckskin!


Yes! She actually has a little Pally filly :wink:


----------



## Spirit Lifter

That'll be one heck of a cutie Pali!!


----------



## JustAwesome

These are some pictures of my old old oldddd filly, she was a yearling here









She was a reg pally QH

she would go real dark and have dapples









*









*


----------



## Hoofprints in the Sand

^^oh she's beautiful!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## foreveramber

*dappled chestnut!*

check out my chestnut mare's new dapples!


----------



## Ponies

My old horse used to dapple in the winter. She was a palomino too and was a deep golden in the summer. I'm hoping my bay dapples out too! The old owner said he has so I'm really looking forward to it. Lol.


----------



## Customcanines

Nibbles' dapples. I haven't had her long, so i can't wait to see what she does in the winter!!


----------



## Saddlebag

She may fade over the winter to a bleached out pally. Don't fret it, in spring she'll look like newly minted gold.


----------



## AnnaHalford

Love all the dapples! And I love all the dark pali horses...


----------



## Poseidon

My mare only dapples in the fall and winter. I have no idea why. I told the people at my barn to prepare themselves because Abby is starting to dapple..fall must be coming. She sheds them out with her winter coat in the spring. No difference in feed or general living arrangements. 

September/October:









Mid-winter









Spring shed (also gets sooty looking while shedding.. )









Theeeen nothing in the summer..


----------



## lilkitty90

my mare is typically always dappled, sometimes you have to squint! and sometimes they pop out and hit you in the face lol 

here's a fall picture, one where you kinda have to squint a bit.. but you can see them on her neck.
and ignore the paint lol we were native americans for halloween








late winter again.
















mid summer.. again you have to squint at her shoulder lol








summer








and then in the spring and summer she looks like this..


----------



## Hoofprints in the Sand

^ gorgeous mares!!!!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------

