Appy Question

[Horse Feathers]

What is the oldest age you have seen them change? Edited-- I mean any change, soild to appy, coat color change, more spots.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Depends on what you mean by change. I had a full sized appy gelding that changed after 5 years old with roaning. He was still changing color yearly until age 13 when I sadly lost him. Comparing three year old photos to his 13 year old photos he looked so very different except for the black spots on his rump in his blanket, they stayed the same. Might not be what you were asking, but just in case thought I would toss in my experience.

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

I've seen appies change as early as a few days to as late as MUCH later in life..

 

[rabbitsfizz]

A friend had a mare change from solid black to near leopard in six weeks at six years old!!

 

[Bunnylady]

I hope you don't mind if I add my own question to this thread, because it is related. I have a palomino yearling whose sire was a leopard app. Her eyes are normal, her skin is not mottled, her hooves are not striped. Can I safely assume that she is what I hope she is, a straightforward palomino, or is varnish roan still a possibility? When can I be sure?

 

[Horse Feathers]

Bring on all appy questions, Im here to learn.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I love these appy threads!

Most of mine that were born with characteristics start showing signs of color at least by their yearling year. However, I have a 5 year old mare who was born with characteristics, but never developed even any roaning till last year. She suddenly had snowflakes on both sides of her tail, going all the way down her legs! This year she's shedding out with a TON of snowflakes all over, even on her face! So NEVER give up on an appy coloring out!

Melba

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

I hope you don't mind if I add my own question to this thread, because it is related. I have a palomino yearling whose sire was a leopard app. Her eyes are normal, her skin is not mottled, her hooves are not striped. Can I safely assume that she is what I hope she is, a straightforward palomino, or is varnish roan still a possibility? When can I be sure?

Is there any varnish roans in her pedigree? With varnishes you never know, I've seen some change quickly, others it took years..

Here's one of our colts from last year.. Sire is our black near leopard, varnish, splash appaloosa, dam is a black tobiano/splash pinto.. Was born jet black, only had striping on his hooves:

One month:

Two months:

Roughly around weaning:

Hip clip at year old:

Body clipping him right now and he's got these tiny spots everywhere..

Another colt from 3 years ago, bay snowcap varnish. Sire was a palomino leopard, dam is a black based varnish snowcap:

3 months roughly:

Weanling in winter coat:

Yearling clipped:

two year old, winter coat:

two year old, clipped:

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

Then we had this 2007 colt, out of the black based varnish snowcap mare, and sired by the black near leopard varnish splash stallion, "double dose" of varnish obviously as by the time he was a yearling he had gone white (NOT grey!)

No pictures as yearling since he was sold..

This year we have this lil cutie, out of the black based varnish snowcap and sired by a solid buckskin (not appy).. I SWEAR she had striped hooves at birth, but either they went black or I was seeing things

as she doesn't now, no mottling that I can find, sooo we shall see, first "solid" foal out of this mare no matter what type stallion she was bred to (been crossed on appy, pinto and solids, all foals had color/colored out)

 

[hairicane]

I think many appys can continue changing till they die of old age!! This shedding season I am getting several very nice "new appys". I already owned them but they are now channging colors. Two of these are 3 year old mares. One was born solid golden buckskin from 2 appy parents then she turned a dark chocolate sooty buckskin. She shed out this year just covered in snow flakes all over her body and even all down her legs.

A bigger surprise was a solid black with blue eyes mare from 1 colored appy parent and an appy "carrier" we believe. She is shedding out with white spots onn her back and butt.

The 3rd new appy this year is a 5 or 6 year old mare I bought that is sired by a fewspot but was born solid. Before I got her she had developed laciong on her back and sabino or appy roaning on her face. Well this yaar she is becoming a snow flake appy with spots everywhere!! Gotta love the appys

 

[Flaxenacres]

My Appaloosa big horse mare changed every year she shed out up till her dieing day. Lorie

 

[5StarRanch]

LOL I don't think that you can ever be "sure" when it comes to appys. My family bred "normal sized" appys for two generations before Mom and I made the switch to minis. We had some that were born solid and stayed that way, and some that we born with blankets and stayed that way. Course we had some that changed every year til the day that they died. Have you ever seen a "reverse leapord"? Those are cool. Had one of those too that we had no idea what to call him. Solid bay but with white spots over the entire body. I had never seen another since him til I was at my cousins team sorting tournament yesterday. This one was black with white spots. Very cool.

I hope you don't mind if I add my own question to this thread, because it is related. I have a palomino yearling whose sire was a leopard app. Her eyes are normal, her skin is not mottled, her hooves are not striped. Can I safely assume that she is what I hope she is, a straightforward palomino, or is varnish roan still a possibility? When can I be sure?

 

[ohmt]

To the question about the palomino w/the app background...if she doesn't have ANY characteristics, I would say you're safe. I have had many born completely solid that haven't developed varnishing til 5-but they've all had sclera and most had striped hooves. Other than that, no mottling-I've found that the ones born solid that have mottling usually change quicker than the others-and they also have more dramatic changes. This could just be coincidence though!

 

[Bunnylady]

To the question about the palomino w/the app background...if she doesn't have ANY characteristics, I would say you're safe. I have had many born completely solid that haven't developed varnishing til 5-but they've all had sclera and most had striped hooves. Other than that, no mottling-I've found that the ones born solid that have mottling usually change quicker than the others-and they also have more dramatic changes. This could just be coincidence though!

Thanks! This is pretty much what I thought I'd heard: no characteristics; no appy pattern. But it seems like there are always exceptions to drive you crazy!

I suppose, if she were ever bred to an app, all bets would be off. Right? Purely hypothetically speaking, I mean, I'm not planning to breed her.