# Half Blue Eyes



## Nitefeatherz (Jan 23, 2012)

Its called sectoral heterochromia. Its usually related to color. My blue Merle Shetland Sheepdogs all have it as well.


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

my horse has that too! half of his left eye is blue. I hadn't ever seen anything like it before until i got him.


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## TrojanCowgirl (Jun 1, 2012)

Does it have to be any specific coloring or just a pattern? What is the pattern called?


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## TexanFreedom (Apr 2, 2012)

He probably has a blue eye because he is sabino. It may be splash, but I don't think that is found in mustangs.


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## Quixotic (May 22, 2009)

Sabino is not known to cause blue eyes. It would have to come from either Splash or Frame. Do you have a full body picture of him?


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## ThirteenAcres (Apr 27, 2012)

I'd also like to see a full body pic.

Blue eyes are something I haven't looked into much, but should. My mare's half sister is a solid bay with one blue eye, but no blue eyes found ANYWHERE in the family as far as records could be traced. Full QH.


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## TexanFreedom (Apr 2, 2012)

Quixotic said:


> Sabino is not known to cause blue eyes. It would have to come from either Splash or Frame. Do you have a full body picture of him?


I have seen them before


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## Quixotic (May 22, 2009)

TexanFreedom said:


> I have seen them before


Horses can have more than one pattern, so a Sabino horse could certainly have blue eyes, but it would also have to be carrying Frame and/or Splash.


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## GiftedGlider (Jan 31, 2010)

My mare is an overo mainly because of her face! But her eye opposite of all the white has a cool little sliver of blue!


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## TrojanCowgirl (Jun 1, 2012)

Side with half blue eye.



















Side with brown eye.










He also has white hairs thru out his body in some areas, but not many, they could just be bird catcher spots..


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## Bridgertrot (Dec 2, 2011)

Yep definitely has some frame or splash (or both?) going on with that face marking. I can't remember which one in particular makes markings bottom heavy. And splash does occur in mustangs. I'm pretty sure almost everything exists in mustangs since they are so diverse color wise. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## TrojanCowgirl (Jun 1, 2012)

What are 'frame' and 'splash'? I've heard of Sabino, but what's the difference?


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## Bridgertrot (Dec 2, 2011)

Someone more versed in the genetics part of frame, splash, and sabino may be able to explain better, but I can at least give you images.

Frame:
Name comes from the look of the color "framing" the white.









Splash:
Appears as if the horse walked through a puddle of white paint. Markings appear to come from the bottom up.









Sabino:









Then of course you can have combinations of them.

Here is a good website to check out that has information on white markings (other colors on the site too): http://colorgenetics.info/equine/content/white-patterns-horses


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## TrojanCowgirl (Jun 1, 2012)

Ah ha! I gotcha now.


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## Quixotic (May 22, 2009)

I also want to note that Frame will not loudly express itself when it is alone, which is why it's so easy for a horse to be a carrier without having any sort of pinto markings. It needs another pattern gene to play off of in order to really put a large amount of white on a horse.


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## TrojanCowgirl (Jun 1, 2012)

So would all of you say that he's definitely a frame/splash?


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## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

full blue








half blue








Flash overo paint. 5 years old!


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## Bridgertrot (Dec 2, 2011)

Now that I look at the first photo again of your mustang...the dark part of his eye looks like a horse with it's head curled in. Cool!


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## TrojanCowgirl (Jun 1, 2012)

Oh wow! You're right! I've never noticed that before and I've owned him for years! Beautiful!


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## Spirit Lifter (Apr 23, 2012)

Here is my registered QH palomino who has a small piece of blue on one of her eyes. The left eye is completely brown.


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## Poneigh (May 25, 2012)

My horse has a spot that is blue in his left eye, similar to spiritlifter's horse. he is a saddlebred/appendix qh cross. i dont have a good pic of his eye but heres what he looks like!! i also dont know what his technical color is or whatever but if anyone knows i wouldnt mind learning it


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## TrojanCowgirl (Jun 1, 2012)

Beautiful eyes! When I first got him, I had never seen half blue and half brown eye so my friend and I thought he might have been blind, but we didn't check. Later on we learned that it was not. Are blue eyes or blue/brown eyes more prone to blindness?


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## Poneigh (May 25, 2012)

im not sure if blue eyed horses or half blue eyed horses are more prone to eye problems or anything. hopefully someone else has some sort of idea!
i do know about my horse that i posted the picture of before. he has an auto immune condition that affects one of his eyes, everyone assumes its the blue spot eye but its actually his all brown eye that is affected!


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## TrojanCowgirl (Jun 1, 2012)

Oh wow! My friend and I suspected he may be blind because when we'd wave our hands in front of his eye he wouldn't blink or move or show any signs of tensing up. Turns out he was just very relaxed.


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## TexanFreedom (Apr 2, 2012)

Now that I see a better picture, he looks like a frame IMO. I'd vote down splash.


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## TrojanCowgirl (Jun 1, 2012)

Anyone else? Is there anyway to get him tested to see what he is exactly? I' new to the whole genetics/breeding side of the horse world.


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## Spirit Lifter (Apr 23, 2012)

Poneigh, Do you have a picture with the saddle off?


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## Kayella (Feb 11, 2012)

I vote splash. Just because the blaze is so bottom heavy. Frame likes to have the blaze top heavy. I also want to say sabino, with the way the white is avoiding the eye.

Really the only time blue eyes become a problem is when they're surrounded by pink skin. Bald horses usually have eye issues because of all the white reflecting the sunlight into their eyes.


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## TrojanCowgirl (Jun 1, 2012)

Kayella said:


> I vote splash. Just because the blaze is so bottom heavy. Frame likes to have the blaze top heavy. I also want to say sabino, with the way the white is avoiding the eye.
> 
> Really the only time blue eyes become a problem is when they're surrounded by pink skin. Bald horses usually have eye issues because of all the white reflecting the sunlight into their eyes.


I suspected Sabino for a long time as well...

And that's good to know! Probably no eye issues coming at us in the future then


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## ThirteenAcres (Apr 27, 2012)

Most definitely sabino by the way the blaze is trying to avoid the eye and also in the jagged edge of the leg white.

And to answer an earlier question, yes, all the white patterns can be tested for through UC Davis.


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## TrojanCowgirl (Jun 1, 2012)

I love Sabinos  That's awesome.

And I'll make sure to get him and my girl tested, I suspect she may be frame as well.


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## llewis (Jul 9, 2012)

Wow, it's gorgeous though! I love heterochromia. I actually have a cat that has it.


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## ThirteenAcres (Apr 27, 2012)

It is never a bad idea to test. I think the individual color tests from UC Davis are like $25 a piece. So it isn't too expensive to get the reports.

Sabino is very common in mustangs. I read that it goes back to their draft influence and that possibly the sabino in individual mustangs might point to a more certain draft heritage than in others.

There are also the tests for the splash genes.


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## TrojanCowgirl (Jun 1, 2012)

That's funny too, my friends always call hi my miniature draft pony. That's one of his many nicknames now too, that's very interesting!


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

He is a very good looking horse-I'll bet you get a lot of compliments on him.


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## TrojanCowgirl (Jun 1, 2012)

A LOT! Actually, he shows off too  He loves a crowd!


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## PrettyLilSweety (Jun 2, 2012)

my paint has brown eyes bit in the center it is faintly blue in one eye


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## TrojanCowgirl (Jun 1, 2012)

I love blue eyes, especially on a bay/black horse


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## Quixotic (May 22, 2009)

I honestly think he may be carrying a bit of everything. 
The only downside to testing is that they've only been able to identify 1 variety of Sabino & 3 varieties of Splash. So there's always the possibility your horse is carrying a different variety of one of those genes, even if they come up negative. I believe there were several examples of miniatures who were either blue-eyed or obvious Splash carriers who tested negative for both Splash & Frame.


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