# Roan Spots



## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

Hi, I posted a while ago that I was getting a new horse well she is home, she is suppose to be a quarter horse, but the owners never had papers. I don't know much about quarter horses even though they are the most popular breed around it seems. They can have paint and thoroughbred blood in them right? She is really lean at the moment, but once she fills out you can tell she won't have heavy muscling.

But I started to take a good look at her, and she is obviously a chestnut, but she has spots all over her. She has bend or spots on her rump four or five of them, a few white ones on her back, rump and belly. But she has roan spots bigger than my hand on her face, and barrel? I never seen them before? She isn't a roan but what causes this? I've never seen it before. They aren't bright white hairs more of a mixture of light chestnut and white, there is one on her face that goes half way up that has sparse white hairs. But it is diffidently a spot. 

I'll try to get pictures but don't hold your breath my computer hates me, and I am not technologically advanced.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

I'm going to wait for pictures because I'm terrible with descriptions.

Red horses very commonly have white hairs mixed in with their coats. Not a ton to make it look like a roan, just a few here and there, but that's about all I can explain without a picture of how much white this horse has.


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## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

Okay, I'll try to get pictures, the hairs are not random that is why I don't know what it is, they are diffident patches, with edges and all. Thanks


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

To take from a thread a couple weeks ago, maybe she is "Painting out"...:rofl:

Like everyone else, don't know without pictures. Are you sure she isn't grey?


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## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

For all I know she is a paint not a quarter horse? she isn't grey sorry she is 12. I'll take pictures when there is sun out tomorrow.


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## Ridehorses99 (Dec 23, 2009)

If she is a paint, the roaning spots are relatively common. In order for her to be a Quarter Horse, her bloodlines have to be QH or Thoroughbred. If there are any paints in her bloodline, then she would be a paint.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Is it anything at all like this?


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## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

http://www.horseforum.com/members/26258/album/spice-3209/gedc0171-21757.jpg

This is the one on her face, it is hard to see with her halter in the way but it is about 4 inches long and a couple wide and oval.

http://www.horseforum.com/members/26258/album/spice-3209/gedc0174-21756.jpg

This one is on her barrel, it looks like a bloch of solid light chestnut but it isn't up close it is a bunch of lighter hairs.

http://www.horseforum.com/members/26258/album/spice-3209/gedc0176-21758.jpg

This one is her over all, this is another spot on her back it isn't solid in color either it is a group of white hairs.

Other than that she has little white spots all over her. about the size of a pencil eraser, I think they might have been from something, but maybe it is just her color. Sorry about the pictures she was pacing the fence again and I couldn't catcher with a camera in hand.


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## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

I just wanted to point out I only called them roan spots for the lack of better words, I didn't think little light hairy spots was good.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

The white spot on her back looks like a scar.

Do the little pencil eraser spots look like this?


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Poor thing sure is skinny.

I'd say the "roany" patches look like areas of somatic mutation.


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## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

Yeah the little spots look like that but lighter and is in not such a bright white more of a off white color so they are harder to see. She is thin at the moment I just got her a couple of days ago, she is gaining weight before she is used for anything, the feed they had her on was okay, but I am waiting a week and putting her something a little better. Plus she is a little stiff in one hip so she is being treated for that.


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## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

bubba13 what is somatic mutation, off to Google that.

Thanks for the help, more out of curiosity about them than anything, because I never even noticed them until she got home, the spots are pale, but all over her.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Basically just a freaky chance thing. Most likely her parents didn't have it, and any potential offspring of hers didn't have it, either. Call it a non-heritable genetic quirk, or something.


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## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

The white spots on her back, rump and belly, are they in an area where a saddle or harness could have seriously rubbed? This can cause the hair to grow in white.

If there are small white spots all over her body, it could be birdcatcher spots.


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## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

There is a possibly that the one of her back was from a ill fitting saddle but the rest and in random locations (I have a STB mare that has harness rubs so I know where they would be). That's neat she has one of a kind markings. 

Thanks for all the replies.


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