# What are these light spots?



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I have sorrel BS paint, he is getting more & more of those as well. I call them his "I was trying to be a regular paint but this is all I could manage" spots. He has lots of white hairs in his coat as well, something I haven't seen in my other solids. As for a technical term, I don't know, color never interested me....go figure, I own paints.


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Looks very similar to my coming 2 yr old who is turning gray. But to do that your horse would have to have at least one gray parent.


----------



## SunnyDraco (Dec 8, 2011)

I am interested in learning what those would be called from the genetics experts 

I had a BS paint years ago that was a chestnut (out of chestnut parents) that had a palomino colored spot on her upper hind leg near her tail. Wish I had taken some good pictures of it before I sold her. Then I had a palomino gelding with a grey smutty spot on his rear (about the same location as the spot on the totally unrelated chestnut mare). Always made baths interesting, never looked quite clean in that spot. LOL


----------



## Duren (Oct 25, 2011)

Dam is a BS Palomino, Sire is a bay QH

HOWEVER...

she does have quite a bit of grey in her tail...


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Duren said:


> Dam is a BS Palomino, Sire is a bay QH
> 
> HOWEVER...
> 
> she does have quite a bit of grey in her tail...


Sooty palomino maybe? But that doesn't really explain the white spots. They don't look like dapples.


----------



## Duren (Oct 25, 2011)

She could definitely be considered sooty when she has her full summer coat. Here is the picture I bought her off of. I dont know how old she was in the picture. I'm guessing 5ish months. Her legs arent that dark yet this year.


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

She's very pretty!

I have a friend with a sooty palomino who is so dark she almost looks silver dapple.


----------



## Duren (Oct 25, 2011)

Thanks! I'd post recent pics but shes in the gangly phase.


----------



## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Bird catcher spots or scaring of some sort. 

As for the grey in her tail. that means nothing. She does not have a grey parent so cannot be grey herself.


----------



## Duren (Oct 25, 2011)

As far as them being birdcatcher spots - they arent white, they're just a light tan. Does that matter?


----------



## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

Are they only on her back/top?


----------



## MelissaAnn (Aug 26, 2011)

Oh, I hate to say this.... but my trainer has a AQHA filly yearling that is shedding in the exact same way. But she has ringworm. Hope that's not the case for your pretty girl!


----------



## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Sunnydraco - your paint sounds like he had a "gold spot" - a gold spot of hair, really literal lol.


----------



## Duren (Oct 25, 2011)

Yes, the spots are only along her topline and slightly behind the wither.

Its not ringworm. I am a veterinary technician and I've seen plenty of ringworm, so I feel comfortable saying im sure that's not what it is.


----------



## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

You certainly know the history of the horse better than I, but if the horse were totally strange with an unknown history, I would guess she had rain rot at one time and the spots were the regrowth hair - which is why I asked if the spots were only on top...


----------



## Duren (Oct 25, 2011)

Faceman, that is possible. I've only had her since February. Her winter coat was very dense and I imagine an excellent environment for rain rot. I've never had a horse that got rain rot before, so it didnt even cross my mind.

Im guessing if thats the case the spots will go away once she sheds out again...?


----------



## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Not if it is scaring from rain rot... It is more than likely a part of her coat now. slim possibility it will slowly disappear over time, but I wouldn't hold my breath.


----------



## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

> rain rot at one time and the spots were the regrowth hair


I'm super curious about this. My barn owner had a thoroughbred stallion that had a couple good sized gold spots on him, he was a nice red chesnut. I didn't know if it was scarring or what, but he had one colt out of a bay mare. The colt is also chesnut, with random gold spots and a dark spot on his forehead above his star:-| We joke he was trying to be an appaloosa, but I have no idea what its from.


----------



## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

Maybe wait until she is totally shed out. Hunter gets spots like that when he is shedding but then seems to be all golden when finished. Although if she is sooty then more apt to have dapples.


----------



## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

Duren said:


> Faceman, that is possible. I've only had her since February. Her winter coat was very dense and I imagine an excellent environment for rain rot. I've never had a horse that got rain rot before, so it didnt even cross my mind.
> 
> Im guessing if thats the case the spots will go away once she sheds out again...?


Hard to say. First, we aren't sure that's what they are from, but NDAppy sees the same thing I do - most likely regrowth hair (which in a palomino will normally be white or at least lighter than the base summer coat) from scarring, and rain rot would be a likely candidate for the scarring considering the nature and location of the spots...don't know for sure of course - just speculation at this point...


----------



## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Or Face... She could be aspiring to become the highest of high... an appaloosa! :rofl:


----------



## Duren (Oct 25, 2011)

Lol, that was my first thought...that shes been spending too much time with my App gelding.


----------



## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

Haha...Appy doesn't rub off. But being around him she could be jealous and is grunting out those spots in hopes of upgrading her breed...:rofl:


----------

