# Facial/ eye Marking Name?



## Oliveren15 (Apr 28, 2013)

I feel like I post a lot on here asking silly questions :/ but anyway, here goes, what is it called when a horse has dark circles around their eyes? I have a dark dappled bay gelding and he has dark (almost black) circles around his eyes about the diameter of a coffee mug. I just call them his "spectacles" but I'd like to know the actual name for them.  Thanks in advance!


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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

Eyeliner, goggles, sunglasses?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Oliveren15 (Apr 28, 2013)

I attached a picture that may or may not show up that I think shows it


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

I don't believe there is a specific name for it.


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## Oliveren15 (Apr 28, 2013)

Oh lol well this is embarrassing then...


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Lol don't be embarrassed.  It's a perfectly logical quesstion.


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## soenjer55 (Dec 4, 2011)

I don't know if I'm missing something here or not, but I don't see anything other than his black skin...


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## Oliveren15 (Apr 28, 2013)

I just asked cause I was out visiting my friend's barn and we were talking about horse markings and I said "oh, my horse has a star, two socks, and spectacles!" and they all looked at me like I was crazy lol


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## Oliveren15 (Apr 28, 2013)

soenjer55, I don't think it shows it well on film, its basically darker hairs growing around his eyes, almost like a racoon so to speak.


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

Don't feel stupid although it may not be the same you can get dark markings around they eyes. Pepper has eyeliner.








_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## soenjer55 (Dec 4, 2011)

Oliveren15 said:


> soenjer55, I don't think it shows it well on film, its basically darker hairs growing around his eyes, almost like a racoon so to speak.


Oh! From what I can see, I'm thinking he might be a brown rather than a bay, so that might be it.


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## Oliveren15 (Apr 28, 2013)

I'm fairly sure that he's a bay, he has bla







ck legs but there is reddish hairs mixed in as well. I've had him maybe about a month and a half, so im going to wait to decipher what colour he is, but the registration says bay (although misregistrations do happen)


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Brown's have lighter around the eyes. Smutty with bay is what it looks like.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Meant to add that smutty can produce the dark rings as can thin hair. A brown with smutty still has a light ring or streak under the eye plus the darker past that.


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## CCH (Jan 23, 2011)

I think it is just that the hair is thin and the skin is showing through similar to the muzzle where the hair is transitions to be finer or non-existent. It is completely normal, unless it is a weird patch caused by some sort of rubbing. In my experience, during the summer and especially in warmer climates, the fine haired areas are more likely to let the skin show.


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## Oliveren15 (Apr 28, 2013)

What is smutty? Like sooty? hanls for everyones insights!


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Yep Smutty/sooty are the same thing.


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## Oliveren15 (Apr 28, 2013)

Alright, thanks everyone!


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