Unusual Markings-- Where Did This Come From?

[Summer Skye]

I'm just curious and there is so much "color/markings" knowledge out there, I have a question about my colt. First, yes he is registered ASB. He is a dark, copper chestnut with a small star and hind ankle white. That's all I put on his papers. Now, here's the fun part. His right front leg from the armpit (???) down, is roan. You don't notice it from a distance but up close, it is a roan leg; more so on the inside of the leg so it's not noticed so much. Additionally, he has a quarter to silver dollar sized black spots on his rump. I think 3 or 4 on one side and a couple on the other and another one on his flank. Again, they don't really show up at a distance. It's not an injury as he has had them since birth. They have become more pronounced.

So, knowledgeable ones, where did this come from? Are there others out there like this? Should this be on his papers? Is this weird? Are the black spots called anything?

[onlyyou]

The black spots are called Bend Or spots. If they were white, they would be called Birdcatcher spots. As for where the roan came from, I have no clue. My chestnut has them also.

Here are a few color genetics links I find interesting.

http://www.whitehorseproductions.com/ecg_basics4.html

http://www.horsecolor.com/

[SmartAlex]

I've seen roan spots of various sizes, including whole legs or half a head. I had a bay ASB who had a hand sized roan spot on his haunch.

Because the roan, Bend d'Or, Birdcatcher and Tetrach spots don't usually show up in the foal coat, they are rarely on the papers.

Point of Trivia: Bend d'Or, Birdcatcher, and Tetrach spots are named after famous Throughbreds.

[Summer Skye]

thank you both so much. I've been around a lot of horses but have never seen the bend'or spots on a horse. I looked way back in the pedigree and could find nothing. To have both was just weird for me.

I looked on the one web site recommended and found "'wild country" with black spots. He looks just like my horse and his spots. What can I say--- guess I haven't looked hard enough to see this before.

Nice to learn something new. Again, thanks so much :wub: You all are the bee's knees.

[walkinghorseowner]

The roan leg most likely comes from a sabino gene... I have a Pusher mare (TWH) who is a sabino (she has a strip and white on her bottom lip) and her one leg has white that comes to a point (sign of a sabino) her other hing leg is roan to the hock... the rest of her body is black....... a lot of horses carry sabino that is not expressed.....

also some sorrels carry the rabicano gene....

[ldenenholz11]

I'm curious to know where the roan markings might come from. I grew up at a barn where they had a blue roan mare who was bred to different stallions, ultimately winding up with a blue roan gelding, a strawberry roan gelding, and a bay mare with one roan sock! Strange how it works out...

[asb_own_me]

I've seen roan spots of various sizes, including whole legs or half a head. I had a bay ASB who had a hand sized roan spot on his haunch.

Because the roan, Bend d'Or, Birdcatcher and Tetrach spots don't usually show up in the foal coat, they are rarely on the papers.

Point of Trivia: Bend d'Or, Birdcatcher, and Tetrach spots are named after famous Throughbreds.

I don't know about the other spots, but Birdcatcher spots (the white ones) can come and go.

[walkinghorseowner]

There's roan and then there is roan........ the common mistake is that many folks call a sabino a roan..... it is NOT. A true roan, has solid base colored points (legs, head mane and tail) and the rest of the body is roan, usually looking a silvered color...... while a sabino will have the splashes of color and belly spotting and white legs to various degrees and white hair mixed with the solid.... there are no white splashes on a true roan or belly spots unless they carry both the roan and the sabino gene. Another difference is that if a horse carries the roan gene it will be expressed (in other words if he has the gene he will be a classic roan), while the sabino gene is a recessive and is not expressed just because it is carried. A horse that is not a classic/true roan will never throw a true roan foal unless it is bred to a true roan. As of right now homozygousity is rare in true roans, there is only one TWH that is certified homozygous by UC Davis, meaning that 100% of mares bred to him will produce true roan foals.