Question About Leopard Appaloosas

Jill · Mar 29, 2007

I have a B division leopard appaloosa mare, Little Wee Klassic Showgirl. "Klassy" is registered currently as a black leopard mare, however, she is a bay leopard mare.

My question or interest is that Klassy does have some BLACK spots on her rump. Not many, but a few and they are absolutely black in contrast to her other spots, which are RED (bay). Does anyone else have this sort of combo-color on their leopard appies?

These pictures of her primarily illustrate the fact that she's a bay leopard as you cannot see the black appy spots I can see in person.

Thanks!

FairytailGlennMinis · Mar 29, 2007

Apps often have different shades and colors in their spots. CocoPuffs is a silver dapple and his spots range from light silver to tan, to liver chestnut looking and some look almost black. Spotter (Klassy's twin) is the same color she is--with brown and some black--really neat looking in my opinion.

-Amy

Little Wee Horse Farm · Mar 29, 2007

I can tell you that Klassy's paternal grandsire, Pursley's Bandito, was registered a black leopard, but he was actually tri-colored leopard. His spots, however, were more weird than I've seen anywhere else. He actually had the inside of a few black spots colored red! Genetically, someone here, I'm almost sure, will tell me I'm nuts, but I had this horse for years & it's true. It was as if a spot was red, then outlined in black.

Klassy's mom, Brame's Snickers, is a bay leopard. Her dad, Little Wee Bandito's Magical Merlin, is a black leopard. So, maybe those things combined again to make some of the same look of her grandsire. As you know, Jill, apps change ALL of the time. So, registering her, or any app when they are a foal, is just a guess on the breeder's part. Who knows what will happen over time?? I find this soooooooo interesting - one of the reasons apps were my heart & soul for so many years.

Jill · Mar 29, 2007

Thanks, Ladies!

Karen, I hear you! Registering any mini foal is tricky when it comes to color and then when you through Appy into the mix -- talk about a guessing game!

Heck, I can stll remember thinking if I bred a palomino horse to a black horse, I'd get a brown one since that is the inbetween the two colors color!!!

Kim~Crayonboxminiatures · Mar 29, 2007

Jill & Karen,

The mix of spots is just part of the LP Complex gene, researchers don't know what causes it or why they are there.

My lab tested homozygous black leopard stallion has one tan spot on his rump, and his son also a homozygous black leopard had two tan spots, one near his head and one on his rump.

Karen- your stallion's spots with black on the edges and red inside is not all that unusual with appaloosas, it does happen, researchers just don't know why!

You can find out all this info on The Appaloosa Project Yahoo Group, Sheila Archer is gracious enough to share the latest with the members, she is part of a team of researchers in figuring out the LP gene!