# Brindle Vs. Rain Scalding



## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

crimson88 said:


> I have become very interested in brindle horses since it appears they are becoming more seen and heard of in many different breeds. I have found many different websites that claim to have and breed brindle horses. One of the traits they claim to be related to the "brindle gene" is that the hair comes in different textures, it comes in during the winter time and is called a "seasonal brindle". To me, it looks like just choppy winter hair thats been exposed to the elements. Can someone explain why this is considered a brindle trait? Other than seeing choppy hair I don't see a variation in the colors.
> 
> I know one of the effects of rain scald can make a temporary scar that looks like lacing or brindle, could people be confusing the two? Or is there such thing as a seasonal brindle?
> 
> ...


 
The last one does look like rain scald. 
One of our horses had scalding but it was from body fluids from a severe injury.

Honestly I'm not too impressed with those brindles but that is just me. If I were to get a brindle I would want a lot of brindling and not slight.

I would look for brindling like this if you were to get one.
I do hope that I don't come as rude. I know that Piaffe as a brindle arab. You might want to talk to her about brindles. Her horses has a lot of brindling and he doesn't seem to grow that much coat.It's very thin.

Photos Of Brindle Horses


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

The one horse looks like it simply has sweat marks to me.

I do not know much about color genetics and such so I hope someone who truly understands it answers.


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## crimson88 (Aug 29, 2009)

No, you don't sound rude, Gidget. The first link I have apperantly is a ranch with the "world's largest herd of brindle horses in history". To me, I honestly think they are trying to find any thing on their horses that might resemble brindle for a marketing thing. Kind of sickening in my eyes, as they must have to make up the color to get people to buy them or whatever. I don't know that for sure, but that's just the impression I get. 

Going by their brindle examples, im sure about 50% of the horse population would be considered "brindle". That's why I'm confused to whether it truely is brindle or not. My bay gelding would be considered a "brindle" going by the examples, he has a cowlick on his chest and the surrounding hairs grow in different directions making vertical lines. He certainly not a brindle in anyway though! Im pretty sure the way the hair growes doesn't have anything to do with his color or color genetics!


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

crimson88 said:


> No, you don't sound rude, Gidget. The first link I have apperantly is a ranch with the "world's largest herd of brindle horses in history". To me, I honestly think they are trying to find any thing on their horses that might resemble brindle for a marketing thing. Kind of sickening in my eyes, as they must have to make up the color to get people to buy them or whatever. I don't know that for sure, but that's just the impression I get.
> 
> Going by their brindle examples, im sure about 50% of the horse population would be considered "brindle". That's why I'm confused to whether it truely is brindle or not. My bay gelding would be considered a "brindle" going by the examples, he has a cowlick on his chest and the surrounding hairs grow in different directions making vertical lines. He certainly not a brindle in anyway though! Im pretty sure the way the hair growes doesn't have anything to do with his color or color genetics!


I don't think it has anything to do with the way the hair grows :?

I also find it odd that the coat on the horse would be textured different from what I am understanding? I don't think so. Piaffe's horse feels like any other horse but extremely thin coat(she also blankets him but his neck doesn't have much hair).He has like a chihuahua coat! He is super soft too.

I think the are trying to market the horse with any slightest resemblance of brindling to make a big buck. Are they going to call a dun a brindle as it's trait is to have the tiger stripes on it's leg?lol..i sure hope not!

They are rare to come by and I don't consider those true brindles!


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

I have read a great book on horse color genetics, and of course brindle is one of the things talked about. To quote the book, who's quoting someone who's done extensive research into brindle horses, "Brindle horses have texturing in their coat, similar to that seen in some Appaloosa horses. The pattern seems to be inheritable especially in terms of coat texturing, but the extent of striping is highly variable" I liken it to what I feel when I'm grooming a clients paint horse. She doesn't have rain scald or anything, has been thoroughly looked over by a vet, but her white sections feel raised up higher than the colored sections of her coat, the coat feels the same softness, but just a bit of a bump up going from the colored to the white sections. It does say that some people mistake extensive dun markings for brindling, and that some horses are born with ghost markings (dun like, as well as brindle), but as they lose their foal coat, those markings disappear.


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

Here's a link to a brindle breeders page. They also have links to other brindle articles.
Sharp Pillows: Brindle Horse Index Page


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

so people really do mistaken dun markings for being brindled?


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

Apparently. How I don't know. Personally to me, I think its normally pretty darn obvious if your horse is brindled. Now being a brindle CARRIER is a different matter. Then you are looking for other signs then the coat color.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

I think we need to be fair to the brindle breeders out there. It is still new territory, we just don't know much about the specifics of how it works. There is a lot going on in terms of genetics to make a horse the colour it is. Take for example two chestnuts. Genetically, they both are homozygous for red. But add sooty, and suddenly you have two very different looking horses. Or flaxen. We still don't understand how flaxen is inherited either. 

It could be that there is other genes that are changing the display of brindle.


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

Ya thats one of the points that my book stressed was that there is only a small amount of research that has been done on brindle, and of course it is made a bit harder because looking into the past isn't as easy with records not necessarily being kept on horses, horses getting lost in the flood of good breeding stock because it came out a "weird" color, so wasn't recorded ect. ect. The only thing this book really said is that it is believed, and being studied that brindle is actually inheritable, though one or both of the parents may not look brindle, they can carry the gene, so horses that come out brindle, and are seen as an anomaly may not actually be an anomaly, but of course much more studying needs to be done. And who knows, we may never quite figure out exactly what genes are needed in what combos to create brindle consistently. I do think it is a neat thing to study though.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

You are the one with Horse Colour Explained by Jeanette Gower aren't you dressagebelle?

Just be aware that the book itself is a little dated. While not old in any normal terms, there has been a LOT of research done since she published. I can't find either of my copies (got both of them one year for Christmas, wonder if my family know me well lol) so I can't tell what year it was in. However, there have been a lot of new tests since that book  Not saying that any of it's contents are wrong, but there is lots more info on top of her excellent work.


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

Ya, I know its older, but I haven't been able to really find a decent newer "version" or book on horse color quite like it. If you have suggestions, I'd love to find and read a few newer good books on the subject.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

To be honest, neither have I. I do however read a lot of stuff online - equine-color.info is my fave mostly for the forum part


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

Cool. Thanks.


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