Appaloosa Coloring Question

[EquestraDreams]

Is it common for a solid looking horse to produce an appaloosa?

I bred my AMHR/ASPC pinto stallion to my true gray mare (born black and turned gray) and got what looked like a solid bay foal with striped hooves. At about 8 months he started developing mottling and when I clipped him out as a yearling he turned out to be a snowflake appaloosa. I know my stallion can not be carrying any appaloosa genetics, so it is obviously the mare, but she doesn't appear to have any characteristics. The mares sire is listed as a "tri color pinto" (he eventually went completely gray) and her dam listed as sorrel. How weird is that?

 

[Sue_C.]

Appaloosa pattern can "hide" pretty well at times. It can be something as small as a bit of mottling between the udder, a "dot" on the anus, or vulva, and many times the white scelara is not noticed in a blue eyed horse. Silvers can hide appy characteristics amazingly well, as they too, can have light mottling and striped hooves.

If you check your horses background, I bet you will find several "roans" back there...many of which were very likely appy roans, rather than the true roan.

 

[Ashley]

Are you sure its the appy gene and not grey? Grey gene can mimic some of the appy traits. I have a grey mare out here and if you looked and her mouth and private areas she would look appy to anybody but I know she isnt.

 

[Sue_C.]

I have a grey mare out here and if you looked and her mouth and private areas she would look appy to anybody but I know she isnt.

Is your mare a true grey, or is she a silver, possibly a silver gone grey? I have not seen a true grey horse show "appy characteristics" unless it is an appy...going/gone grey. (Not to say it cannot happen, but I would wonder if there wasn't appy in there somewhere.)