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-   -   Horses- Blazes,Snips,Stars...Why? (

thunderhooves 02-25-2010 08:04 PM

Horses- Blazes,Snips,Stars...Why?
I was reading a genectic thread on here(we so need a genetic place), and I got to thinking-
Why do most horses have a blazes, stripe,snip, and most commenly a star on their forheads, even if they don't have any pinto breeding and they and their ancestors a bay, brown, or black? Where does it come from? Because Ive seen very few horses that don't have one of those on their head. I mean, ive seen them, heck, our neighbor has one like that. Also, what with the striped hooves if they don't have appy or paint in them? Because ive also seen that. I know it has to do with genetics somehow, but i'm not sure. I prefer to think of it just being "random",lol, even though I know its affected by genes. So, please explain! :)

ilovemyPhillip 02-25-2010 09:00 PM

My thought (I may be wrong) - is the genes mutate and react as a color deformity; AKA the stars, strips, blazes, socks, stockings, etc..

kassierae 02-25-2010 09:06 PM

These types of markings are all actually pinto genes in the very minimalised expression.

Here is a good link to read for more info: White Patterns |

Eastowest 02-26-2010 07:58 AM

Widely striped hooves are pretty common on a horse with a white leg marking-- any white leg marking, not just the high/etra white associated with pintos. Generally, white leg markings down to the coronet band make the hoof "pink" (really, more shell colored), dark legs down to the coronet band make the hoof grow grey or black. iI the otherwise white leg has even small specks of pigment at the coronet band, the hoof can grow striped both pink and black.

The more narrowly striped hooves on an Appaloosa are a totally different mechanism. They occur on the DARK legs. Usually the foal is born with dark hooves, and they grow in striped (sometimes they are born with striped hooves-- its not as common though.) A horse who is believed to be homozygous for the LP gene that enables appaloosa coloring often has almost totally pink hooves on its dark legs, maybe with just a few narrow dark stripes. An Appaloosa with regular white leg markings will have hooves like any other horse with white leg markings-- the white leg markings eclipse the dark legs needed for the appaloosa striping to show up.

RedTree 02-26-2010 08:17 AM

I actually never really thought of this...
its interesting though

thunderhooves 02-26-2010 10:14 PM


speedy da fish 02-27-2010 08:17 AM

ive thought of this and you can see it in all animals although it is more dirverse in horses...

MacabreMikolaj 02-27-2010 06:28 PM


Originally Posted by kassierae (Post 563746)


There's no proof of that. Some believe it may be true, but nothing conclusive has been proven and no gene has been identified in being the cause of white markings on horses.

The truth is, at this point, nobody knows what causes these markings just as nobody knows what causes a flaxen mane on a chestnut horse. They're just breaking the bank on equine color genetics and many factors remain unstudied and unproven regardless of how many people may swear it's the gospel truth.

kassierae 02-28-2010 10:13 PM

I don't swear on it being true, but that's what most of the Equine Color site's I've read say. And ho do you explain crops outs then? If a horse randomly shows up with belly spots or pinto coloring out of two solids then obviously one of the parents is carrying a minimal pinto gene. I bet if you got a solid horse with say a high white stocking and a blaze that extends below the chin it comes back positive for Sabino.

MacabreMikolaj 02-28-2010 10:46 PM

I'm not disputing that. I'm disputing the idea that EVERY horse with white carries the pinto gene. We all know that pinto genes can hide for generations, and that explains a lot of cropouts - but that's the ACTUAL frame or splash or sabino hiding and then popping out.

I'm disputing the idea that a Lusitano horse for example, which has never had an occurance of any pinto, has white markings because of a "pinto gene".

It also fails to explain why very blatantly "tobiano" style markings would be attributed to a form of sabino. Solid horses with leg markings and facial markings almost always have exclusively tobiano styled markings if a common pinto gene is not found in them. Horses with high splashy whites or splashy faces are almost always found to have a pinto gene expressing minimally.

So my only point is that nobody ACTUALLY knows what causes white markings on a solid horse with NO identified pinto gene (frame, splash, sabino, tobiano).


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