what causes white hairs on a horses?

[MBhorses]

HEY

My mare who will be six this summer has alot white hairs showing up on her sides and back and some of her face.

this mare didn't have all the white showing up before.

She is homozgyous for tobiano.

i wanted to know if maybe she could have roaning in her? Her 08 black pinto filly also is having alot of white hair coming through as well

thanks

share your photos of this white hair stuff if you have any

she is due to foal end for april first of may

she the white hairs places on her side that wasn't there before.

photo of her as a foal

see no white hairs. she is getting more white hairs as the years go by

her sire is listed sorrel pinto and dam is listed sorrel pinto as well

 

[disneyhorse]

That is the sabino gene (a type of pinto gene) at work. It causes roaning which can be progressive as the horse ages. Do a Google search to learn more, but I'm sure the color experts here will chime in, too!

Andrea

 

[MBhorses]

thanks for the information.

I was wondering.

could this mare carry silver?i had one horse i tested for silver one time that didn't show any signs of silver but he was silver.

 

[Sue_C.]

With the muted look to her mane and tail where the body is red, I would say there is a chance she is a silver...only costs $25 to know.

 

[MBhorses]

if she had silver what would she be silver sorrel(I haven't see a silver sorrel listed?)

 

[disneyhorse]

Silver pretty much doesn't show up on red based horses... so it is definitely possible. Go ahead and send in some mane hairs for a DNA test to find out!

Andrea

 

[Sue_C.]

It would also be interesting to test for agouti, because with the legs being white, she could actually be hiding the fact she (and one or both of her parents) is hiding (silver) bay as well.

 

[targetsmom]

Your pretty mare could only be hiding agouti or silver if someone in her pedigree was carrying it (either showing it or hiding it, if red-based). For example, our chestnut pinto stallion has a buckskin sire so he could be hiding agouti (he is) and he has a silver black dam so he could be carrying silver (he isn't). Of course, if your mare's sire or dam were red based, you would have to go back more generations to see if anyone was bay, buckskin, or carried silver. And of course, the colors in the registry aren't always right - especially for silver blacks who are often listed as grays.

 

[Dona]

The "roaning" you see on your mare is most likely coming from Sabino. (not true Roan). I see she also has white markings on her face, so there is something else going on besides Tobiano...and that, again, is probably Sabino.

I have lots of sabino roanin in my herd...and it looks just like what your mare is exibiting. Sabino roaning doesn't always show up right away. It can show up much later, sometimes even years later.

 

[MBhorses]

thanks for the comments.

i love this gal. she is one of my first minis i got years ago. when i had to sell my herd in 08, she was one i was able to get back.

I am so in love with her.

the black pinto is her filly.

she had black or smokey black pinto filly in 08 sire of this filly is buckskin

what causes the white on their faces?

i would love to see others photos of horses with the white hairs