What causes this color pattern..

[shadyacersminis]

This is one of our Senior Stallions named Islands Tropical Storm.... Im stumped on what causes some changes he has made with his color... He was born with Black skin on his butt, He had a black butt atleast until he was 3 years old... Last week, he happened to lift his tail and I noticed something light that struck me as out of place, I went over and lifted his tail and I was stunned at what I was seeing... It appears to be mottled

I know for a fact he had had no white skin on his butt before.... The only gene that im familiar with that causes this distinct look is Appaloosa.... I really dont know what genes would cause this, and allow it to show up sometime after he was 3.... I checked him over and noticed he is getting a few small spots of white skin on his testicles and also looks like he has a small area of mottling on his you know what too... which he never had before..... What could this be

He has always had some frosting on his Shoulders, Hips, Belly, Back and some on his neck.... He didnt have much but it started showing up when he was a yearling, and every year he has been getting more and more... It is getting really noticable on his hips.... You can clearly see it in his thick coat.... I havent clipped him yet this year, but he always seems to have more that you cant see until he is clipped..... I have always thought it was just Sabino causing this.... Now that he seems to getting mottling, I have to wonder if these patches that are spread out all over on him may have to do with something..... He also has a Black spot on one of his black legs that no one has really known what to say about it... Some said that may be a sign he was homozygous for pinto but he has produced a solid color foal before, though, He did pass on the frosting to every foal he has sired.....

I really want to have some kind of idea on what he is geneticly and what im working with when we make decisions on breeding.... HELLLLLPPPPP!!!!

There are other aresa of frosting on him I didnt take pictures of and dont show up very good on a camera

Here is some of the frosting on his hips

This is a little farther forward from the first pic

Here is what appears to be mottling on his butt

Here is the tiny white skin spots that are starting to show up

Here is a full body view.... Including the Black spot in his white sock, the other patches of white dont show up in the Pic

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I'd say your guy is a minimal pinto. Those white hairs on his black are indicative of sabino one of the overo patterns. It can increase as the horse ages. My SIL has a mare that gets more white hairs every year.

 

[PaintedMeadows]

I am interested to hear the answers as well. I have a grulla mare here that has started developing those pink polka dots on her noonie and bag. Did have them before. She only has a few white hairs where a start would be but no other white at all. Curious here too.

 

[kaykay]

the spotting on the gentials looks appy like. I agree he is a minimal expression Tobiano. Does he have white on the face?? If he does he probably has sabino too. I love that black spot on the white leg. Very rare

 

[shadyacersminis]

I just got done feeding, and while I was in his pasture, He was dropped and his you know what is also mottled.... I was just looking through some old pictures of him when he was younger and his dingy was also solid black just like his butt was. but not anymore, 3/4 of it is now mottled..... I have had appys with mottled genitals and muzzles before and this looks just like the mottling they had...... It just really caught me off guard.. I never expected anything like this to show up on him...... I knew he was a minimal pinto and that the sabino gene was there, but never expected the mottling.....

 

[Dona]

He definitely has Sabino going on....mottling/freckling is very common in Sabinos...and it can increase with age. He may or my not have Tobiano, as Sabino can cause white socks all by itself. Of course, Appy is a possibility as well, if he has Appy in his genes.

 

[shadyacersminis]

Of course, Appy is a possibility as well, if he has Appy in his genes.

He does have appy's in his background, and goes back to several well known Fallabella's...

 

[Dona]

Of course, Appy is a possibility as well, if he has Appy in his genes.

He does have appy's in his background, and goes back to several well known Fallabella's...

Well then....I would say there is a high probability he is actually a genetic Pintaloosa.

 

[ohmt]

I would say definitely sabino and not appy....the white hairs is what is leaning more towards the sabino. Many of my pinto mares have the almost mottled look on their genitals. I can usually tell the different between the appy genital mottling and the pinto genital mottling now

The pinto usually looks more like your boy's. Sorry....I'm going to have to rule out the appy. SABINO TOBIANO PINTO

 

[Candice]

This has been an interesting post to read. I have an older mare, sorrel in color with more roaning appearing every year. Last year when I clipped her I found minimal black spots on her hips, however this year when I clipped her I found this: I'm not trying to hijack your post, I'm just curious as well. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/cef/100_4954.jpg This is her right hip. And this is her left. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/cef/100_4955.jpg.

She also has what my daughter calls "bird catcher spots" on her shoulders. She is a daughter of Bond Sir Galahad and he roaned out heavily as he aged as she is doing, but the black throws me.

 

[Joanne]

I agree with the sabino tobiano pinto concept.

I think if you tested this stallion you would find he is a tobiano. As there are several sabino genes, he might not test for that , but still carries it.

Very interesting to hear everyone's comments on the sabino changing the skin over time. We also find that different times of the year and near foaling the mares spots will be darker. I am not sure what that is all about.

 

[ohmt]

Candice-- That darker color shows up ALOT in our horses after I clip them. some of them keep it during the summer when they shed. It's not a real color pattern or anything.

 

[MiLo Minis]

I would say sabino tobiano pinto too and I also think you should darn that hole in his stocking!

Neat colour pattern to say the least!!!