Got a question for you! Do you remember this guy? Malcolm's new gelding? He has a name now. Ringo is a 3 year old bay roan we got from a neighbor and friend.
I had noticed those stripes, and also the ones on his other side...
Now, meet Breggo...
Wouldn't you love to have been on his back when that picture was taken! He's gorgeous!
"They are very strange in that they are evenly spaced and vertical! I've gone round and round with the vet and trainer as to what may have caused them. The vet thinks he may have been born with them; but I think they are too straight and evenly spaced for that. My horse has them on both sides-does Malcolm's horse also have them on both sides? The lines are only visible with his summer coat. He is starting to shed his summer coat right now and the lines will disappear as he goes back to his darker color."
We havn't had Ringo long enough to know if they are hidden with a winter coat, but they are clearly visable now! And I lean toward agreeing with Lisa's vet in thinking they are a natural marking. I think this because they are on both sides, and because I know the previous owner and she would have told us if Ringo had had any injuries or abuse in his past. I did ask her about the markings, and her only thought was that roans have some interesting markings sometimes. But though Ringo is a roan, Breggo is not! SO...
Lisa and I are curious if anyone else has seen this type of marking on horses before, what they might be caused by if they are not naturally occuring, and if they have a name.
I can tell you this much, based on what I know of Ringo:
1. though they could appear to be just the look of a ribby underfed horse, these are not a result of his ribs sticking out and causing the coat to catch the light. The stripes are a coat pattern. There is no noticeable scar tissue or ridging of the skin. Just smooth even skin with a stiped pattern.
2. Ringo lived the last 3 years (his only 3 years) in a pasture running free and happy with a herd of geldings and young studs. At least that's where he's been since he was weaned.
If you can provide any information about these unusual markings, please let us know what you know! We're curious!
18 comments:
Sarah, some roan colored horses have these stripes and some don't. The stripes are a good camouflage. Ringo looks like he might have white hairs mixed in with coat to create the striping. HTH
he's a beauty. glad malcolm is a big guy so can put up with the little youngster while he learns his manners. :)
Sara, I have noiced those stripes on our horses. I always thought they were where the skin folds(very slightly) into itself when the horse turns in a tight circle. I've only noticed them on our horses that were a little "rolly polly." lol. I always thought of it like the lines us humans have under our arms. But.....I may be very wrong. hehehehehe
Looks like Ringo is doing a good job for him not having much schooling. He'll come along.
I'm so glad you clarified this stripe thing for those of us who are not horse-knowledgable. I thought he was underfed! He is beautiful and I love his stripes now that I know it's his coat.
Go check this out: http://www.brindlehorses.com/stripedhos/striped-article/striped.htm
Just a thought....
It is a natural color pattern. It is usually found in brindles and roans. It is really neat. Here is a website that shows some and if you go little more than half way down there is a roan that looks a lot like malcoms. inhttp://www.brindlehorses.com/l3l13/hist-ref-def/index.htm
And for lisa somewhere back her horses lineage may have had some brindle colors that are causing hers to have the stripes.
Sarah, some tips for Malcolm: a lead rope has two ends - one fer the horse, the other for the handler. Holding a firm grasp on the snap is a sure way to get hurt. He's a big guy and prolly used to using his size to his advantage, but you can't do that (well you can, but the result won't be good) with a young horse. Softer is better. And teach the "head down" cue. Read a little Anderson or whoever the latest NH buzz is.
The only thing I can say about roans is that color is gonna change so much that you'll get sick of trying to figger it out.
It is possible that it's brindle which is rare in horses, more common in dogs and cattle. As with dogs and cattle, the striping can be very dark and obvious, or very subtle and not so obvious. This is a link to some information on brindle coloring in horses if you're interested
http://www.brindlehorses.com/brindlehos/index.htm
Hope that helps.
: )
I've never seen it before. My roan never had stripes. It reminds me of stripes that can appear on your painted wall when you wash the upper half and the water runs down the lower part!
you all have been tremendously helpful! Three of you referred us to the same website and it was, to say the least, fascinating! And I think we found our answers! How amazing! I had no idea! THANK YOU BLOGGER FRIENDS! The blogging world is awesome!
What educated readers you have. I always thought it was their ribs. Very pretty horses!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brindle
http://www.ponybox.com/news_details.php?id=1265
Here are a couple fun websites about unusual horse colors.
A lot a Appaloosas will get stripes on their ribcage as they roan out.
Horse coat colors are fascinating!!
LOL I posted before I read the previous ones LOL LIke minds! LOL
My red roan mare Gussie has those stripes; I call them poverty stripes because they give the horse the appearance of being ribby. Velvet, and Gussies first colt, Peppy, also had them.
Was there a good-lookin' zebra went through your area about four years ago? Jeff
What an interesting post. I didn't realize that about horses and their coloring. I guess that's how you came to name him (?)
Brindle was my first thought, also. Though, others are right, also, in saying that roaning can do many odd things. Whatever it is, it looks cool, and I hope it sticks around.
Yes, I would say there is brindle in your horses, too. I have heard of it but never seen it in it's full horse color form. I do have a Tennessee Walker/Shetland cross that is a tri-color tobinio pinto. black head, with black and white mane and tail, black spots that fade to brown on back and belly. His flanks are black fading to a brindled brown on the lower part of his flanks. I call it his zebra stripes. They only show in the summer and only if you are close up to him. They just went away with the start of his winter coat. I also have a appy that changes her coat color with the seasons. Red sorrel in the winter and with white marbling or small white spots in the summer that at a distance look like roaning but are spots. Horses can have some really strange colors sometime but makes them unique. Visit us at
tumbleweedcrossing.blogspot.com
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