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02-22-2009, 10:22 PM
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#15 |
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Brindle is an unusual pattern of dark, vertical lines on a lighter-colored coat. Though it is seen in a variety of breeds, it is quite rare. The genetics of brindle are unknown, but according to Dr. Philip Sponenberg, the man who literally wrote the book on equine color genetics, "brindle seems to require sooty black countershading for its expression, and reorganizes sootiness into vertical stripes instead of a more uniform sprinkling of hairs."
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Most brindle horses have dark stripes on a lighter body color, but a rare few have white stripes on a dark body color. As with regular brindles, the genetics of white brindles are not understood. It is possible that the white hairs from sabino or rabicano markings are arranged into lines like sooty hairs are in regular brindle coats. It is also possible that white brindles are chimeric, but not all.
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Like the cream gene, the dun gene is also a dilution gene, but it is a complete dominant rather than an incomplete one, meaning heterozygous and homozygous duns look the same. It is often considered a "primitive" color because most very ancient breeds are predominantly or entirely dun, I.e. Przewalskis, Tarpans, etc. Duns are characterized by certain markings known as dun factors. They usually consist of a distinct dorsal (or eel) stripe down the back, leg barring (or zebra stripes), and cobwebbing on the face. As with the cream gene, the dun gene only dilutes the body color, not the points.
| This site has lots of interesting information about all kinds of colors and unusual markings. Equine Color Genetics |
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