what are these white spots on my chestnut?

[florida foxhunter]

OK.......my solid chestnut mare, now 7, lives with mostly pintos..............and she thinks she's the different one, haha. She does have a lovely star so she's not totally SOLID. So she's developed quite a few white small dots throughout her coat. They are true dots, not "flecks" or "roaning"..........

My theory is she wants to be a pinto too, just joking! Seriously, anyone know where these are coming from? Is there any deficiency in her diet, or is it just a genetic freak?????

They don't really bother me as she is a LOVELY mare.....now in foal once again........(to a solid!!...Rosenthal.....because she's too closely bred to my guys!! ) I was just wondering as I like to know as much about color genetics as I can and this one has stumped me!!!

[Jasmine]

Does she have TB breeding? If so, they could be Birdcatcher spots.

Our TB gelding has them. They come and go. I tease him that he looks like the birds pooped on his bum.

[Signature]

Actually occassionally one of our horses will develop these if their salt/mineral block in the field runs out. I know it sounds odd....but if we give them a new block they will gradually go away. I don't think birdcatcher spots come and go do they? Leads me to believe it's a deficiency. Ours are on super high quality grain though... so maybe it's just coincidental! Or something to do with the soil? We had a mare that developed them after she was sick with the flu (fever?). So that leads me to believe it's some internal/health/mineral related factor?

One of ours has them right now as a matter of fact if you want pics! :)

[not again]

The technical name in people and horses is vitiligo. My old vet called it Michael Jackson disease (loss of pigmentation). The spots do move around. I have a couple of horses who exhibit this, Bend Or, and Bird Catcher spots traits.

[Signature]

Interesting - ours vary in size and usually come once and then are gone. They do go away rather quickly which I find odd... but anyway, very neat!

[not again]

My 20 year old mare Abracadabra had had them over her lifetime. Right now she has one on the top of her head which includes part of her forelock--it looks like a Bird Got Her spot!;):lol:

[Dazednconfused]

The technical name in people and horses is vitiligo. My old vet called it Michael Jackson disease (loss of pigmentation). The spots do move around. I have a couple of horses who exhibit this, Bend Or, and Bird Catcher spots traits.

No - that's actually not the same thing at all. In birdcatcher spots the skin is still dark. Vitiligo/Arabian Fading Syndrome they lose the pigment as you said. Two different things.

Actually occassionally one of our horses will develop these if their salt/mineral block in the field runs out. I know it sounds odd....but if we give them a new block they will gradually go away. I don't think birdcatcher spots come and go do they? Leads me to believe it's a deficiency. Ours are on super high quality grain though... so maybe it's just coincidental! Or something to do with the soil? We had a mare that developed them after she was sick with the flu (fever?). So that leads me to believe it's some internal/health/mineral related factor?

One of ours has them right now as a matter of fact if you want pics! :)

I've seen this with birdcatcher spots also. I used to know a warmblood mare who progressively got more each year...

Does she have TB breeding? If so, they could be Birdcatcher spots.

Our TB gelding has them. They come and go. I tease him that he looks like the birds pooped on his bum.

Not just a TB thing, despite the name. Comes in lots of breeds - there's one on the equinecolor.com page about Birdcatcher spots that is an arabian with extensive Birdcatcher spots.

[Sugarbrook]

I had a customers chestnut mare with a big blaze, and white socks. Each time she was pregnant she developed these white spots all over her body. About the size of a dime i think. All over. When she foaled within about a month they started to fade and then left completely. They did not breed her for 2 yrs and again the same thing happened. It was quite bazaar. She is now a little childs pony and has not had any "spots" since.

[Dalemma]

I have a mare with a white spot on her rump.......when she was born it was dark brown......it has gradually turned white.

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s77/DalEmma2002/IMG_1430.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s77/DalEmma2002/Dalaylabridle4.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s77/DalEmma2002/Dalayla178.jpg

Dalemma

[mew]

I recently posted, a question about this here is the photos of my ponies white spotsPictures of him and his spots

White spots on his rump
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/a...8/P1000506.jpg

Blackish spot on his leg http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/mwalsh128/P1000508.jpg

His tail http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/mwalsh128/P1000511.jpg I did check and he has like one single white hair

The white hairs through out the body
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/mwalsh128/P1000512.jpg
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/mwalsh128/P1000513.jpg
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/mwalsh128/P1000514.jpg

Full body shot
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/mwalsh128/P1000528.jpg

Then a better view of his funky blaze
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/mwalsh128/P1000550.jpg

He has also gotten some white hairs in the tail so he is mostly a rabacino.

[Dalemma]

I can't get any of your photos to work.

Dalemma

[florida foxhunter]

This mare does have a lot of TB in her......

She had a foal two years ago and never had the spots before that. I have really noticed them over this past year. There are a LOT.

She is on Tripple Crown Complete......a good feed. The salt block is in the pasture she's in at night.....but I don't see much evidence of any of them eating it!
She is currently 45 days in foal again......

Her chestnut daughter (by Paparazzo) is the spitting image of her.......with no spots of course. But the horse in question didn't develop these until she was five. They have never gotten less, and seem to be increasing in numbers. I'll go look to see if the skin under the hair has changed colors.....I don't think so.

P.S.. I just looked up "birdcatcher spots" on Equinecolor.com. That is defintly what she's developed. It says it has something to do with sabino......which I can't figure out where that would have come from. Her dam was solid black and her sire was a tobiano!!

thanks......

[RiddleMeThis]

This mare does have a lot of TB in her......

She had a foal two years ago and never had the spots before that. I have really noticed them over this past year. There are a LOT.

She is on Tripple Crown Complete......a good feed. The salt block is in the pasture she's in at night.....but I don't see much evidence of any of them eating it!
She is currently 45 days in foal again......

Her chestnut daughter (by Paparazzo) is the spitting image of her.......with no spots of course. But the horse in question didn't develop these until she was five. They have never gotten less, and seem to be increasing in numbers. I'll go look to see if the skin under the hair has changed colors.....I don't think so.

P.S.. I just looked up "birdcatcher spots" on Equinecolor.com. That is defintly what she's developed. It says it has something to do with sabino......which I can't figure out where that would have come from. Her dam was solid black and her sire was a tobiano!!

thanks......Any white marking NOT from tobiano, frame or splash is from some form of sabino (1 through a gazzilion lol). If the tobiano had any face white he is most likely sabino. If the mare had any white markings at all she would also most likley be sabino.