Appaloosa question

[cherylsminis]

I have read somewhere that a few spot appy has to be white. Is this right?

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[Sue_C.]

Yes, pretty much so. Generally there will be a bit of "roaning" around the elbows, flanks and lower legs, but that is all, except a few spots...hence the name..."few - spots" A TRUE few spot is born the same colour...they are not darker at birth, and varnish-roan out later; that would be called a false few-spot. It is thought that true few-spots and snow-caps are homozygous.

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

Yes, pretty much so. Generally there will be a bit of "roaning" around the elbows, flanks and lower legs, but that is all, except a few spots...hence the name..."few - spots" A TRUE few spot is born the same colour...they are not darker at birth, and varnish-roan out later; that would be called a false few-spot. It is thought that true few-spots and snow-caps are homozygous.

The base color of a few spot leopard is nearly obscured by its Appaloosa white patterning covering up to 90% of its body. Horse may exhibit patches of color on the heads, knees, elbows, flanks and some have a handful of spots. They typical have a white triablge above their coronet band and 'lightning marks'.. To be a true few spot leopard, the horse must be out of two appaloosa parents and at least one of the parents must be a leopard of some sort.

Here's a couple examples of few spots, one has more color than the other in the areas

Black/bay few spot

Chestnut Few Spot

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Yes, that is certainly the theory.

Unfortunately it is unproven.

First horse pictured just looks like a varnish to me which of course is completely different.

Second could well be a Fewspot + varnish, which is two things at once but will probably throw spots.

Basically, I was brought up to understand that a Fewspot was a white horse with ,sometimes but not always, a few spots.

I think that is what I shall stick with as it still makes the most sense, and nothing has been proven otherwise.

I have known two Fewspots (proven by breeding) that were actually born their base colour but faded within two days (which is beyond weird in a bright chestnut and a solid black!!) to pearl white.

The Mini stallion that is (so far) proven by breeding to be a Fewspot that I know of was born pearl white (not pure white- a pearlescent colour) no colour in his mane and tail.

Now, as an adult, he has no colour on his legs at all and is still the pearlescent colour all over with navy blue eyes.

Once a gene has been isolated by the Appaloosa Project we may be able to tell more but it will be a long time before Varnish has been taken out of the mix because, of course, a horse may be H/Z for more than one thing so a horse could even be H/Z for both Varnish and Spots- all patterns of Appy, in fact and you can throw in Dun and Pinto as well if you wanted!!!

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

The second one is proven through breeding.. His sire is a spotted blanket and dam herself is a fewspot. With 20+ foals he has only sired one maybe two that do not have a visible pattern yet but do carry all other characteristics

 

[cherylsminis]

Thanks for all the information. :aktion033:

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

There is another pattern some people call them snowflake others call them reverse leopards where the horse is a dark base color with a few scattered (or a lot scattered) spots of white. I have only seen a few and they were pretty neat looking.

I have a few spot mare and she is just that in the winter she appears white in full coat but in the summer she has just a few palomino spots she has always had appy foals.