# So what is going on genetically in this piebald cob?



## minstrel (Mar 20, 2012)

Here are some pics of my sister's piebald cob, any ideas what's going on genetically? Just finding reading about the colour stuff so interesting, would be cool to find out what our affectionately nicknamed 'jumping cow' has going on. (His name is Buffalo, so it's even funnier)


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

What breed is he?


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## minstrel (Mar 20, 2012)

Chiilaa said:


> What breed is he?


Don't have a clue. He's out of Ireland, so could be anything! He's a fairly compact lad though, about 15.2hh.

Edit: his passport has him down as breed unknown too, so no help there...


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Well he definitely has tobiano. I also want to say splash and frame.

Tobiano is easy - you can see the way the white moves across the spine, and down the horse to the legs, especially on his front end. The white is also coming up his legs to try to meet it.

Splash mostly because of how neat his leg white is across the top, and the uneven face markings. Splash loves more white on one side of the face than the other, so it moves the white in that direction.

Frame is a little more sketchy in this guy. I can see indicators in the way the face white is trying to spread above his eyes, frame loves to do that. I can also see some of the white is moving along his barrel horizontally, rather than in the vertical fashion associated with tobiano. These both indicate frame to me.


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## minstrel (Mar 20, 2012)

Chiilaa said:


> Well he definitely has tobiano. I also want to say splash and frame.
> 
> Tobiano is easy - you can see the way the white moves across the spine, and down the horse to the legs, especially on his front end. The white is also coming up his legs to try to meet it.
> 
> ...


Thanks very much! Yeah, I might have hazarded a guess at tobiano even with my limited knowledge, but I figured with his face markings and the blue eye he must have something else going on (don't know how well the blue shows up in the pics?). Thanks for the breakdown! I love your explanations, they make it look so easy...


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

minstrel said:


> Thanks very much! Yeah, I might have hazarded a guess at tobiano even with my limited knowledge, but I figured with his face markings and the blue eye he must have something else going on (don't know how well the blue shows up in the pics?). Thanks for the breakdown! I love your explanations, they make it look so easy...


No worries 

I couldn't see a blue eye, so I will explain that a bit further. At this time, it is thought that blue eyes are caused by splash and by frame. So with either or both of them there, that is where that came from


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## minstrel (Mar 20, 2012)

Chiilaa said:


> No worries
> 
> I couldn't see a blue eye, so I will explain that a bit further. At this time, it is thought that blue eyes are caused by splash and by frame. So with either or both of them there, that is where that came from


Yeah, I realised when I looked back that you can't see it too well... it's black lined, so never comes out too well in photos thanks to that! But that explains it... thanks!!


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

In photo 4 he is naughty!:lol: Or is he doing a very advanced dressage move?


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## minstrel (Mar 20, 2012)

Taffy Clayton said:


> In photo 4 he is naughty!:lol: Or is he doing a very advanced dressage move?


Haha, my sister might claim it's airs above the ground, but I'm not convinced! When she first got him he was awful for bucking (and he can buck huuuge, I don't know how she stays on half the time) as his saddle had been way too small and his back had stiffened. However after nine months of good work he's settled right down and only bucks when he's overexcited, or when my sis tries to show him.... its like he knows . But he's come on great guns, and my sis absolutely loves him - and he can jump 3'6" from a trot with no effort, so he's a talented lad!


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

Chiilaa said:


> No worries
> 
> At this time, it is thought that blue eyes are caused by splash and by frame.


Minstrel- that is a very nice looking pony!

Chiilaa- do you know what causes merled eyes?


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Lockwood said:


> Minstrel- that is a very nice looking pony!
> 
> Chiilaa- do you know what causes merled eyes?


What do you mean by "merled"?


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

Sorry Chiilaa, I think it is more of an American term, but it describes a broken blue/black coat in a Boder Collie or an Aus. Shepherd dog (or red/brown merle.)
like this- blue merle - Google Search

And many people use the term "merle" (however correct or not) to describe horse eyes that are part one color (like blue) and part another color (amber or brown) but within the same eye.
I know there are some other common names for this, but for the life of me, I couldn't think of any.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

That's what I thought it was, but just wanted to check before I assumed lol.

It's still probably caused by one of those two genes, but there may be something else going on that we don't know about yet. It could be that white suppression genes also try to keep eyes brown, it could also be that other genes actively try to do it.


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

Ok, Thanks.
I'm thoroughly confused now by my horses eyes, but don't want to hijack here. One of these days I will post his eyes in a thread to see what people think. I'll be sure to bug you to take a look too. :lol:


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## FeatheredFeet (Jan 27, 2010)

Handsome cob. He's tobiano, splash and possibly some type of sabino. I doubt seriously frame, since there are so few horses in the entire UK, which carry it. He's probably got Gypsy cob in his background somewhere and frame has never yet been found in the breed. Does he ever grow feather? Another clue, is that Gypsies love to jump.

Lizzie


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## Reno Bay (Jul 8, 2012)

Lockwood said:


> Sorry Chiilaa, I think it is more of an American term, but it describes a broken blue/black coat in a Boder Collie or an Aus. Shepherd dog (or red/brown merle.)
> like this- blue merle - Google Search
> 
> And many people use the term "merle" (however correct or not) to describe horse eyes that are part one color (like blue) and part another color (amber or brown) but within the same eye.
> I know there are some other common names for this, but for the life of me, I couldn't think of any.


Parti-color? Sectoral heterochromia (which I have lol)? I've only ever heard of the word "merle" associated with coat color in dogs mostly.


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## Fulford15 (Oct 17, 2012)

I'm no help, but hes gorgeous... love your sisters show jacket too!


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## minstrel (Mar 20, 2012)

He does grow some feather, although overly much - comparable feather to a Welsh cob I guess. Not nearly as much as my friend's Irish cob, who looks like a 14.2hh Shire! But he is a cracking jumper, absolutely loves it


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## EvilHorseOfDoom (Jun 17, 2012)

I'm very technomalogical with my breeding and genetics terms - this horse clearly has the Stunning gene, and is probably from the Bovis line and with a high percentage of Ohmygodithinkimightstealhimoffyou. 

:mrgreen:


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