RebaRox
Member
I'm trying to figure out what pattern my classic Shetland, Smokey, is. I bought him at three years old from a kind lady who just didn't have the time to train him, and she had limited information on his background, as he was never registered. I do know both of his parents were double registered Shetland/ mini horses, and that his father is a grey. (She wasn't certain of his mother, but the likely mare was black with no visible pattern.) Recently, I stumbled across an old auction flyer featuring Smokey's father, that had him listed as also being roan (the grey gene "hid" the roan with age, apparently.) All this time I thought Smokey was grey, but the fact that he's 12 years old now (born April 2011), and looks almost exactly the same as when I got him at 3, makes me really doubt he has the grey gene at all. But he doesn't really look typical roan, either. So I was doing further research, and discovered something called "varnish roan", a type of appaloosa complex. I have a very basic and limited knowledge of horse colors/ patterns, and was wondering if this was a feasible possibility? Or does anyone else have any thoughts/ insight? Thank you!
(If he does have an appaloosa complex gene, it might explain his slightly scruffy tail too.)
(If he does have an appaloosa complex gene, it might explain his slightly scruffy tail too.)