# Silly newbie question



## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

They can't appear after birth, no. Have you got any photos?


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

I will get some...heading there tomorrow!

I didn't think they would just appear 2 months after birth but she definitely has white hairs where she didn't before. Very strange! I will post pics tomorrow night!


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## Spotted (Sep 19, 2012)

I don't think so, not for a paint or pinto. however she can roan. roaning can come after. I know Appy's and qh can change color later. Chances are the sire carries the roan gene


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

This is what she looked like at 48 hours old!!! She has gotten much darker since then.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Definitely see if you can get photos. Generally, where the white appears first is a good indication of what could be causing it, but without seeing it, it's impossible to guess.


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## HighstepperLove (Aug 6, 2012)

ohhhh my goodness... what a cutie pie!


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## Serenity616 (Oct 6, 2012)

What a beautiful mare & foal that you have there! Interesting about the white spots... cannot wait to see more pictures!


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

Very nice little filly & Mom's looking good, too.


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

Finally have some pics of the white spot!


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

Sorry about the sideways pic..can't figure out how to turn it!


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## barrelbeginner (Jan 31, 2012)

wow.. that is pretty wierd.. my filly has it to. .but she has white spots then bleeds into something kinda like that.. lol


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Does it go all the way around her body? When did it appear? That is really... unusual.


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

It goes a little past the middle of her back down the other side. It started showing up about 2 weeks ago and gets whiter every day!


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

Here is another pic that shows how far it goes.


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

And just another pic to show they were not there when she was born.


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## Ashsunnyeventer (Aug 17, 2012)

Subscribed, I'm interested in what people have to say. I can't help because as far as I'm concerned, horses are grey, paint, chesnut, palimino(spelling?) or bay lol. It doesn't look like you have the same horse! lol


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## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

maybe she's like those wooly bear caterpillars!!! 

That is one of the funkiest things I have ever seen.
It almost looks like she's a roan in the middle! haha


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

I will continue to take pics. At the rate it is filling in, I suspect she will have a complete white splash in a month or so. Very strange indeed!


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## Ashsunnyeventer (Aug 17, 2012)

It would be cool if you took a picture every day and made one of those flip books so you could see her grow the white spot


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## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

Is there any way she could be roaning out?
My mare started roaning from the left side of her withers and her butt.

1st pic is 4 years ago (she's on the right)
2nd is the end of July.

Up close you can see tons of white hairs.


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

Lexiie said:


> Is there any way she could be roaning out?
> My mare started roaning from the left side of her withers and her butt.
> 
> 1st pic is 4 years ago (she's on the right)
> ...


I have no idea! This is the first foal I have been around and I am just learning about colors. It would be so helpful if the owner knew what the sire was!

This filly is something else! First of all, she is HUGE! The farm just got a new boarder that has a weanling and she is in the field adjacent to Demi. Demi is the same size as the weanling and she is not 3 months old yet. Mama is large but I think Demi is going to end up taller!


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## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

I want to fast forward to see what she'll look like!!


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## sheenaschlytter (Aug 10, 2012)

it looks a lot like roaning to me my girl ( liver chestnut roan) changes colors day to day and she is 8 yrs old her winter coat just started to come it and it is so white and she has a funny chestnut dappling on one spot


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

I don't believe classic roan works like that - they are born roan or shed their foal coat to an even roan. The shade can change from season to season but unlike grey and varnish roan, it doesn't actually ever change pattern or color throughout the horses life. And I've never really seen varnish roan act like that either. 

Quite honestly, it almost looks like an environmental factor to me. Have you examined her for any sort of skin issues or fungal issue? There's a pattern known as lacing which often is actually cause by rainrot or similar fungal infection.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

It doesn't seem like a fungus or rainrot but I am not an expert. Everyone at the barn says she is just getting her splashes of color like her mama...but they don't know a lot about genetics or coloring either. 

I will take more pictures tomorrow so you can see how much whiter it is now. I also noticed another smaller white spash on her other side.


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## The Northwest Cowgirl (May 16, 2012)

Woah, that is funky!
She is cute though! Do you think she may have draft in her?
She sounds huge!


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## MelissaAnn (Aug 26, 2011)

Well, Corgi....looks like we are all going to need a LOT more pictures to help you get to the bottom of this one. We probably need pictures of the baby playing in the pasture....sleeping....haning out with mom....yep, there is no way we can figure out what is going on with her color without more adorable foal photos.


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

Here is the newest pic..taken yesterday. Not sure if it is just the lighting, but the white doesn't seem as prominent.

And does anyone know why my pics keep showing up sideways???


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## The Northwest Cowgirl (May 16, 2012)

That's so weird!


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

is its rabicano? I think if she was pinto pattern, and I might be wrong, but she would have been born with that. The pinto pattern is a result of pigmentation causing the hair to grow out in different colors. The rabicano is roaning that appears within the first few years and is on select areas of the body not the entire body. So, as I understand it (please correct me if I am wrong) the foal is a chestnut with rabicano pattern. This is a pattern that is found with some regularity in standardbreds.


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## ThirteenAcres (Apr 27, 2012)

I'm also thinking Rabicano, especially the way the flecks are moving in a linear way. Rabicano also resembles brindling sometimes with how it moves on the ribs.

My colt is going through the same thing, but his is farther down his flanks on both sides and he's 5 months old.

Any white hairs on the tailhead?


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

It's not any "normal" color gene. It's not rabicano nor any other gene like that IMPO. She is _not_ developing a pinto pattern such as her dam has. If she was to have a pinto pattern she would have had it at birth.


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## BrieannaKelly (May 31, 2012)

Subscribed, found this very interesting and am interested in the developments of your pretty filly. Thank you for sharing this.


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

I decided to post another picture of her at 48 hours old to show that she definitely didn't have any white spots on her. (Because I am even starting to doubt my memory). This is just so strange.

I will continue to post pictures as she grows. I can't wait to see if the spot fills in or stays as it is.

Oh, and as much as I would love to claim her, I do not own this filly. The BO does. One of her boarders bought a pregnant mare (didn't know she was pregnant) and didn't want the foal. My BO agreed to take it and train it. She is going to be a beauty and HUGE! And we are all curious about her color change!


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

And looking at pictures online of rabicano patterns, it sure does look like that. I will check her tail head tomorrow. But if rabicano has to be present at birth, then I am still confused.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

It doesn't look like rabicano to me. Rabicano generally starts in the flank, not on the ribs. It also tends to be "bottom heavy" - more white at the belly of the horse, less up the sides.

I am leaning toward a fungal infection of some sort.


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

If it was a fungal infection wouldn't we be able to tell? See some sort of skin irritation or flaking? The white hair feels like the rest of her hair. I can't see any difference even when I look very closely. What would be the symptoms of a fungal infection?


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Given how many fungi there are in the world, and the fact that I am not a vet, I cannot tell you what symptoms may be there. But I DO know that a patch like that doesn't appear without a reason, and I am fairly certain it is not being caused by anything genetic. That leaves environmental factors, and a fungal infection is the most common reason for a colour change like this.


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

I found this about fungal infections and color changes...

White markings and fungal infections « The Equine Tapestry


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

That's why I suggestsd fungal or environmental. There is a pattern called machado spots or manchano spots - LOL, I can't for the life of me remeber the spelling. It's basically exactly like the "Appaloosa" looking mare first pictured in the link but is almost exclusively associated with horses in Argentina. It pops up in all breeds I believe but is completely localized. There is some discussion as to whether there's something in the water causing it (literally).
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Manchado spots! Heres the link:

Equine Color Genetics
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Ashsunnyeventer (Aug 17, 2012)

That's a great link! ^^


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## Ashsunnyeventer (Aug 17, 2012)

I've just started learning about genetics with horses, so I may be wrong, but has any one suggested that this horse is greying out? It can start at any time on any part of the body. Usually, the chesnut horse would have darker skin, but I can't tell from the pictures. Here's a link with the "Grey" description:
Modifiers in Horses | Equine Color Genetics


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## ThirteenAcres (Apr 27, 2012)

Ash, a horse cannot grey out without the direct presence of a grey parent. Grey does not hide like some other genes.


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## Ashsunnyeventer (Aug 17, 2012)

Alright, so a grey mare or stallion will always produce a grey foal? Or could a grey mare and bay stallion have a foal that isn't grey?


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## ThirteenAcres (Apr 27, 2012)

A foal from a grey rent has a 50/50 chance of greying.


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## Ashsunnyeventer (Aug 17, 2012)

Thank you!


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

We have no idea who the sire is....so no idea what color he is.


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## MelissaAnn (Aug 26, 2011)

hm...this is very strange indeed. Cute baby though! I wonder if she could be greying out. Although the pattern does look like a fungal issue. I wish we knew about the sire..... If we knew for certian that her sire was a grey, would we still be thinking this was a fungus? But on the other hand.. it is strange for a foal to grey out in that way. What are some other signs of grey in a foal? It doesn't look like she has the "goggles" but there aren't any clear face/eye pictures. SO MANY QUESTIONS!!


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## FrostedLilly (Nov 4, 2012)

I would suggest she is going roan or even grey. Very cute little girl though! Best of luck with her.


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

I will take more pics this weekend. She is getting so big. It doesn't seem that the white splash is getting bigger or more dense.

Oh, and she isn't mine...just boarded where I board my horse...and she is for sale!!


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