# Spots on a Bay?



## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

Hi folks!

I have an interesting question for you. My dark bay has developed spots. When we clipped him last year, and for the duration of the time I've had him he's never had them. This year (he is 7), about a week after he was clipped he started growing in funny spots in no real pattern, mostly on his barrel. He is usually nearly black in the winter and in the summer his coat naturally is very bay. We clipped him about the same time both this year and last. He also has natural white hairs mostly in his tail and 5-6 in his mane.

His sire is black and his dam is a bay.
Dam:








Damsire:








Sire (Rotspon):









What could be causing his spots?? 

Thanks!


----------



## myhorsesonador (Jun 21, 2009)

could you get pics of the spots??? 

They might be bug bites???

My mare hs white spots but she is a sorrel with palomino breeding. She is also starting to roan out.


----------



## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

It would help if you could get a photo or two so we can see what you are talking about. Some bays get dapples, my mare had them, but they are normally associated with good health and a short summer coat. He could just be growing his hair back in patchy, and in a different shade then you are maybe used to, though he will look the same once he's regrown his coat. Different foods, change in diet, change in the quality of hay, ect., can effect how his coat looks, and how it grows. Again though a picture would be extremely helpful in seeing what exactly is going on.


----------



## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Would need to see photos of the spots, but I will hazard a guess at Birdcatcher's.


----------



## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

I used to have a bay that was dappled....and someone told me that it isn't an odd occurance to happen. She just said it was a dappled bay...lol.

I have no idea what causes it though - but I think it looks neat


----------



## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Dappling within the coat colour is supposed to be a sign of good health.

Reading between the lines in Anebel's post, I am assuming that she is talking about white spots


> He also has natural white hairs mostly in his tail and 5-6 in his mane


----------



## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I know exactly what you are talking about. In fact, I have a sorrel that has one or two of them. They are tiny little white spots, like the size of a pencil eraser right? They are called leukotrichia but most horse people will call them "bird spots". It is a common condition in horses, especially Arabs, and does not have any known root disease process. Most often they are not progressive but don't go away.


----------



## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

Nope, fist sized dark spots. They aren't in a dappled pattern and his coat is very healthy. I'll try to get pictures up!


----------



## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Ooooh then I am going with Bend-Or spots. They are dark spots that can appear random. The quote is from Wiki  Sound like yours?



> *Bend-Or spots* (or Ben d'Or, Smuts, or Grease Spots) are a type of spotted marking found on horses. They are fairly rare and range in color from slightly darker than the horse's coat to an almost-black shade. These random spots are most commonly seen on palominos, chestnuts, and darker horses, and may not appear until the horse is several years old. It is still unknown what causes these markings, as they do not appear to be related to other spotting patterns.


----------



## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

That's exactly what it's like!

Weird.. I'll still get pictures today


----------



## MaggiStar (Mar 19, 2010)

My horse dapples completely in the summer but goes black in winter i guess its just healthy


----------



## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

The spots on his barrel.


----------



## Fifi Bay (Aug 24, 2010)

hmmm.... well my mare named Fifi has a blaze and a stripe connected on her face but it looks really cute,i would put a picture on but i dont want to take up your space on your thread


----------



## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Yeah I would say they are Bend-Or spots Anebel


----------



## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

Chiilaa said:


> Yeah I would say they are Bend-Or spots Anebel


It's so weird I never noticed them until this year when he was shaved, there's more on the other side and one on his shoulder too :-|


----------



## PintoTess (Aug 18, 2010)

it could just be darker pigmentation on his skin


----------



## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

They look like grease spots. I've never heard of them on bays, only chestnuts, but it's probavly possible


----------



## leonalee (Jul 1, 2010)

I am quite sure that my mare has similar gigantic spots. She is Chestnut, and her whole whither/shoulder/front leg are noticeably darker than the rest of her. Literally, I can follow the "wavy" line that divides her "chestnut" from the "liver chestnut"... no blending or anything. She is special


----------



## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

very interesting...


----------



## Piaffe (Jan 11, 2010)

Cool spots! I havent seen a horse with those before


----------



## cosmomomo (Aug 10, 2010)

don't worry, my *bay* has one of those on his bum, and one on the back of one of his ears. i just call them birth marks


----------



## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

equiniphile said:


> They look like grease spots. I've never heard of them on bays, only chestnuts, but it's probavly possible


Grease spots is another name for Bend-Or spots  They are more common on chestnuts, but fairly common on bays still


----------

