# Dark Spots on a Chestnut?



## Supermane (Sep 23, 2007)

They look like bend or spots. Nothing to do with health, just a naturally occurring marking


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## ilovesonya (Oct 12, 2009)

so they aren't really caused by anything? Just genetics?


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## Supermane (Sep 23, 2007)

ilovesonya said:


> so they aren't really caused by anything? Just genetics?


I think the cause is unknown, but it shows up actually pretty commonly on chestnuts (and chestnut base colors). They can be present at birth or develop later.


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## cosmomomo (Aug 10, 2010)

they are called grease spots. just a marking like anything else. my bay has one on his bum and one on the back of his ear. we like to call them birth marks though


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## zaudika (Nov 7, 2010)

I've seen these show up over time on a couple chestnuts I've been around. Both times on them they started to appear slowly over time when the horse was a bit older. One got them here and there at around 6 and then on.. another didn't show them until he was about 15. Just a chestnut thing I guess?  I haven't seen it on another color myself.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Yep, Supermane has it right. It is most common on the red based horses (chestnuts and palominos) and they just seem to be a bit of an anomoly. 2 of the horses I have for training right now have these spots. One mare has a tennis ball sized spot on her butt and the gelding has a big dark splotch on his face right beside his blaze.


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## GreyRay (Jun 15, 2010)

The belgian mare we sold had 3 of those black spots on her rump. She also had a chestnut tail, and a flaxen main 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I had a dark bay Arabian gelding with a single, large dark spot like that. He had it the entire time I owned him. 

Unfortunately he passed away last year (he was my first horse) and the spot was most visible with his summer coat, so I don't know if I have any photos of him on my computer that show it. But it can come on other color horses.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

You can kind of see it in these photos- back on his right thigh.

I currently have a flaxen chestnut mustang with no bend-or-spots whatsoever. I imagine it just shows up more on light colored horses, but darker colored horses can have them too. They just aren't as noticeable because of the dark coat. That's just my theory though!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I managed to get the pictures on my customer horses tonight.

This is the mare's. It is smaller than I thought it was.









And this is the gelding with the dark splotch.


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