I know it's been asked before, but please clairify App color

[Chaos Ranch]

I remember this was asked a couple of years ago, and I remember that several of you posted your opinions.... I just can't remember what they were lol...

Ok.. * to me * .... a NEAR leopard is a horse that has spots all over it's body... but it will have a solid colored neck, or solid colored head (not counting a star/blaze/snip/strip) , and/or solid legs.. and often it will have "pit shading" behind it's legs. To me... that would be a horse that is nearly a leopard, except that it has some solid colored body areas. (Other than it's spots)

And to me, a leopard appaloosa is a white horse that is totally covered in spots without a dark head.. he/she will have spots on their head/face/and neck as well as their body. Also will have spots on their legs... but can sometimes have shaded knees.

It just makes more sense to me to say a horse is nearly a leopard, except that it has those areras of solid color on it... and it is actually a leopard when it is totally covered in spots everywhere.

I'm most likely wrong.. but that's just what makes the most sense to me.

So.. what do YOU consider the difference to be?

OH...end note... I have heard someone once say that a NEAR leopard is a horse that was born solid or partially solid, then eventually became spotted.... and a leopard is one that was born already spotted. BUT... the only reason that just doesn't make any sense to me is what if someone buys a horse from an auction as an adult, or buys a horse from anywhere once it's already an adult and all spotted out... and they don't know if it was born that way, or turned that way....how would they then know whether it was a near leopard or a leopard if going according to that descripion of the differences ?

 

[shelia]

They say a true leopard is born with nose to toes white base coat with spots. A near leopard is born with solid color head, neck, legs and as it ages it roans to look like a full leopard. You can usually tell by the skin color. That will remain the same. They still have the capability to produce a full leopard offspring. Minis tend to have more color blocking modifiers so there are not as many as in big horses. Black is the hardest color to show appy. Minis also tend to roan more than big horses. There are some though that don't roan much and stay the color they were from birth.

Shelia

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

A leopard has a solid white base coat color and has any colored spots throughout the entire body.. A true leopard is born with their spots and do not change over time.. Leopards can have spots that range from just a handful to hundreds of spots..

Leopard foal

Same leopard as 4 year old

Near leopards are born with solid head/neck and legs typically with a spotted blanket (usually from midback to withers) and tend to roan out or spot out more with age.. Our breeding stallion is a near leopard, every year I clip him out he gets more and more spots..

As a foal

As a mature stallion

how would they then know whether it was a near leopard or a leopard if going according to that descripion of the differences?

They wouldn't for sure... With appaloosas (big and small) the patterns are 'named' as what is visible as little is known about the genetic make-up etc. of the genes that cause the patterning.. The Appaloosa Project is working on research dealing with the Lp Gene and also researching the leopard lines and patterning to try and determine just what causes the different expressions of white and patterns..

 

[Reble]

Ok I was told Dicetta was Near Leopard.

So what do you think, she keeps getting more spots as she ages...

just born, few months old, and 2 years old

 

[shelia]

Ok I was told Dicetta was Near Leopard.

So what do you think, she keeps getting more spots as she ages...

few months old, and 2 years old

Your Dietta looks like she may also carry the gray gene. She could be considered a large blanket appy, but I would call her a near leopard possibly pintaloosa possibly grey. You can tell by the skin color. It should be darker where the color should be.

Shelia

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

Ok I was told Dicetta was Near Leopard. So what do you think, she keeps getting more spots as she ages...

few months old, and 2 years old

Yes, I would consider her a near leopard

 

[Reble]

thanks just was going to show you her brother, same dad different mothers

Have permission to post...

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

From that picture I would call her brother a leopard.. Do you know what he looked like when he was born?

 

[Reble]

From that picture I would call her brother a leopard.. Do you know what he looked like when he was born?

No sorry....

 

[HGFarm]

Leopards have a white base with the spotting throughout- the spots can be very tiny to quite large. Near leopards, you will find that the head, neck and lower legs usually have dark hair, and are not clearly white with spots in them. Here are some examples... Two near leopards, then two leopards

Leopard examples------

 

[R3]

Will the skin of a true leopard be pink under their white hair? Will a near leopard have dark skin under the areas that were pigmented at birth, but later turned white? I was just wondering, as if this was true, then you could tell if the horse was born a true leopard, or just got whiter with age.

 

[AnnaC]

This is really interesting. Now I'm going to pose a different angle --

I have a colt, who when born was a sort of pinkywhite colour with spots all over him, head and all, no roaning/whole colour anywhere. Within a couple of month he was roaning on head and legs, the head and neck, and he grew up to be a near leopard, then more like an enlarged blanket spot. So the reverse of what has been said on here. Or did that 'pink' tinge to his coat mean that he actually had roan 'extremities' - but his body and head were all this pink tinge, nothing 'darker' anywhere, and the spots were clear spots all over him. OH! OH!

Sorry have problems getting pics on here, but if anyone wants to see him, he's on my website under 'for sale' - not good pics I'm afraid, but show him as an older foal, just body clipped yearling, summer coat and winter coat as a 2 year old.

Anna

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

AnnaC are you refering to: ANCASTER THE MUFFIN MAN?

 

[Nancy]

Appys are confusing to me . I showed this picture of Tiger to a lady that raises appys and she laughed at the ad and said he was not a Leopard.

Here is another picture taken a few months later of Tiger . What pattern is he???

The next picture is a daughter she really had more color than shows in picture as I only clipped her rump however I did not see color on her legs but her face was covered with spots. I have noticed her now as a coming 2yr and she is going to shed out almost identical to tiger you can see the white on her legs and her face is also going to be white with black spots as well as the legs so what is she going to be even though her color will be full blown would she still be considered a ...near leopard....?????

This filly born 2007 I am sure of what she is as, she was born with speckled face and spots all over her body including legs she is a dapple so they don't show clear in picture but, the spots are definitely appy spots and not just dapples.Hope you can see part of her pattern .

 

[heart k ranch]

Appys are confusing to me . I showed this picture of Tiger to a lady that raises appys and she laughed at the ad and said he was not a Leopard.

Here is another picture taken a few months later of Tiger . What pattern is he???

The next picture is a daughter she really had more color than shows in picture as I only clipped her rump however I did not see color on her legs but her face was covered with spots. I have noticed her now as a coming 2yr and she is going to shed out almost identical to tiger you can see the white on her legs and her face is also going to be white with black spots as well as the legs so what is she going to be even though her color will be full blown would she still be considered a ...near leopard....?????

This filly born 2007 I am sure of what she is as, she was born with speckled face and spots all over her body including legs she is a dapple so they don't show clear in picture but, the spots are definitely appy spots and not just dapples.Hope you can see part of her pattern .

They look to me to be a near leopard...

 

[Nancy]

Appys are confusing to me . I showed this picture of Tiger to a lady that raises appys and she laughed at the ad and said he was not a Leopard.

Here is another picture taken a few months later of Tiger . What pattern is he???

The next picture is a daughter she really had more color than shows in picture as I only clipped her rump however I did not see color on her legs but her face was covered with spots. I have noticed her now as a coming 2yr and she is going to shed out almost identical to tiger you can see the white on her legs and her face is also going to be white with black spots as well as the legs so what is she going to be even though her color will be full blown would she still be considered a ...near leopard....?????

This filly born 2007 I am sure of what she is as, she was born with speckled face and spots all over her body including legs she is a dapple so they don't show clear in picture but, the spots are definitely appy spots and not just dapples.Hope you can see part of her pattern .

They look to me to be a near leopard...

Thanks Lucky C I wasn't sure . I really love your stallion's color he has really changed a lot since he was a baby.

 

[Chaos Ranch]

Hi Nancy!

In the first picture of Tiger on that ad, he must have been younger, or somehting because I can see shading on his neck and face and legs that isn't there in the second picture.

To me, in the first picture he looks like a near leopard, but in the second picture he looks like what I would consider a full blown leopard appaloosa to be. If a person was to look at him today, and see that his shading is gone and all he has is spots, one would call him a leopard right off the bat... right? I would...

Btw... very cute little fillys! I was sure excited for you when I learned that you got your leopard appaloosa... I knew you had mentioned wanting one several times. You picked out a gorgeous one!

 

[AnnaC]

To answer the question above - yes I was talking about Muffin (sorry forgot the little spotty colt foal also on that page!!)

Anna

 

[Nancy]

Hi Nancy!

In the first picture of Tiger on that ad, he must have been younger, or somehting because I can see shading on his neck and face and legs that isn't there in the second picture.

To me, in the first picture he looks like a near leopard, but in the second picture he looks like what I would consider a full blown leopard appaloosa to be. If a person was to look at him today, and see that his shading is gone and all he has is spots, one would call him a leopard right off the bat... right? I would...

Btw... very cute little fillys! I was sure excited for you when I learned that you got your leopard appaloosa... I knew you had mentioned wanting one several times. You picked out a gorgeous one!

LOL That is what is so confusing to me if you don't happen to see the appy as a foal or weanling then how would you know if it was a leopard or near leopard IF the horse you were viewing at the time had full color like some of the true leopards posted on this thread I feel certain the first filly I posted picture of will have the appearance of a full leopard this year . It seems to me to be one of the hardest patterns to label since some keep changing. I had a friend who had a colt and as a yearling he was coal black with a very distinct spotted blanket but, as a 8yr he was solid white with small black spots and appeared to be a leopard pattern. I am not sure if what impact the pattern has since one individual can produce all the different patterns except for the few spot or snowcap in which case both parents must have appy pattern but , they are fascinating to me.

Thanks for compliment on fillies and yes I have wanted a leopard stallion for quite a while I am very pleased to have Tiger to me he is so pretty and has a wonderful disposition which is important to me.

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

To answer the question above - yes I was talking about Muffin (sorry forgot the little spotty colt foal also on that page!!)
Anna

I would consider him a lacey spotted blanket

Nancy I too would consider your little ones near leopards (and GORGEOUS ones at that, especially Tiger!!

)

I think part of the 'problem' that makes appies so confusing is that most of them carry more than one patterning gene imo, and they overlap each other or work together to 'mimick' another pattern..