# striped down the barrel?



## lubylol (Aug 8, 2011)

Brindle?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Need pics before I can guess.


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## banman (Dec 14, 2009)

this is pretty much exactly what they look like.

Between The Fenceposts: A Horse of a Different....Stripe?


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## banman (Dec 14, 2009)

i didnt actaully red anything on the site i just saw the pics and put it on here.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Would still like to see pics of the actual horses you are asking about. With unusual markings, it is much better to look at each horse on an individual case basis. 

In that link, both look like they are being caused by a change in the texture of the horse's coat.


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## banman (Dec 14, 2009)

thay have always had them though


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

I don't mean a change like a new type of hair has grown in this shed or something like that. I mean that the texture changes from the "stripe" to the non-striped area.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I think what Chiilaa is saying is that they are something like cowlicks, where one portion of the hair grows in a different direction than the rest.

ETA: as for cause. I am willing to bet it's a genetic throwback to the camouflage of prehistoric type horses.


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## SullysRider (Feb 11, 2012)

I think the color in question is brindle...but a photo could really help!


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

I don't think it is brindle. Brindle covers the whole horse. Not just the barrel.


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

It's not brindle as such. Actually, faint to moderate rib striping is quite common. It does tends to be a little more obvious in Appys that are varnish roan.

Subtle rib striping is just a vestigial remnant of a striping pattern that many or most horses had thousands and thousands of years ago for camoflage. Striping of one type or another is very common in herbivore herd species that occupy open plains...the striping both breaks up their profile and confuses predators when the herd is running. It's been bred out of them since domestication has negated natural selection, but a lot of horses still show the remnants...


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