Color Question -- What Are These White Marks?

[Jill]

Any insight as to what these white mares may be on my mare, Harrells Rowdys Reflection of Hope?

You can see one about 1/3 of the way down on her neck. It's about 1/2 the size of a dime. Then about 1/3 of the way down from there, another smaller one. Look midway between withers and chest on her shoulder is another. She has a few on the other side, and a few on her back..... No appy behind her so far as I know... All together, there's probably 12 or so of these spots spread around her. One or two others of them are as big as the biggest one on her neck.

I've owned her since last September but only recently actually noticed these spots... Which doesn't mean they were not always there but hadn't caught my eye I guess before she shed out some and then clipping her revealed some more of them that were too small to notice much in a natural coat.

Thanks!

 

[xxs]

Lovely mare,Jill! I would say they are Bird Catcher spots..named after a TB that had a lot of them. Just spot areas where the coloring is incomplete

 

[PaintedMeadows]

I wonder if they are birdcatcher spots. Here is a link about them. Equine Color She sure is a pretty girl!

 

[blondiecowgirl]

Hi,


The "spotting" on that is most likely "dapple". My palimino belgium has some on his belly & legs. It is said that when a horse has those, they are at the peak of health and happiness!! :bgrin

 

[MiniHoofBeats]

Bird catcher spots for sure =)

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Yes, those are Birdcatcher spots.

 

[Jill]

Thank you, folks!

What causes bird catcher spots?

I think "corn spots" (???) are caused by an injury?

Are birdcatcher kind different?

And do they get passed on if they're genetic and not caused by injury?

ALSO, if genetic, do the horses get more and more of them as time goes by? That would actually be pretty neat looking

 

[chandab]

Thank you, folks!

What causes bird catcher spots?

It's theorized that birdcatcher spots are caused by sabino, but it hasn't been proven yet. The snip on your mare's nose that appears to go onto her bottom lip is often a sabino trait.

Beautiful mare.

 

[xxs]

Jill, "corn" is what you call all the little dark spots on a roan..they are not caused by injury,just something a lot of roans have. I would think it is caused by the same as the bird catcher spots...areas that are incomplete in one color or another. That is also the cause of "flea bitten" greys. The flea bites are where the grey is incomplete and the horse's real color is showing through. Greys do tend to get more and more of the flea bites as they age..don't know about the Bird Catcher spots.

 

[racingfan72104]

Jill

if you ever want to sell her send her to me in arkansas

 

[Dona]

Hi,


The "spotting" on that is most likely "dapple". My palimino belgium has some on his belly & legs. It is said that when a horse has those, they are at the peak of health and happiness!! :bgrin

 


She's not talking about the big "dappling" on the horse. She's asking about the little white spots. :

:


I also agree...they are "Birdcatcher spots", caused by the Sabino gene.

:

 

 

[Jill]

Thanks again, everyone! I hope she gets more of them as time goes by. I really don't think she had this many last fall because I think I'd have noticed, but sometimes things slip by me

: I looked up these spots on equinecolor.com and they have a picture of a horse covered in them and it looks so neat