blanket appaloosa question

Just got a holiday card from a friend with a picture of her and her appaloosa mare. Its been almost five years since I have seen a picture of her horse, and I could have sworn the horse's blanket was smaller. In the picture her blanket goes all the way up to her shoulders. Do appy's blankets get larger as they age? Kind of like gray's getting more gray, or roans getting more roan? Or do I just not remember what her horse looked like.

Appaloosas carry the genes Lp and PATN which control the spots and characteristics of the Appaloose breed. Most Apps will change as they age. So, yes, it is similar to going grey or roaning out. My grandfather raised and bred Apps for years and had a foal born solid bay with a single speck on her stomach. By the time she was 5, she was solid white with varnishing (varnish= Appy roaning) on her frontal bones and legs.

Your friends mare will most likely be lighter every time you see her.

It kind of depends on what exact coloring she has going on. Would you be able to show us a picture of the mare?

A "growing" blanket can happen-- when it does it usually accompanies increased LP roaning all over-- not necessarily heavy roaning, but some. Does the mare look like she is roaned more than previously as well?

Yes, pics would be great

Its a hard copy but I will try and scan it in tonight (and get her permission to post).

However she looks almost exactly like this horse, only with a few more spots. The last time I saw this mare I thought her blanket only came about half way up her back.

If you got the horse wet, then I bet the pink skin will be under the original blanket area. Roaning will spread with age, even covering the whole body in some horses (making that varnish roan color). The horse's skin will usually remain the same though, dark under the solid and roaning and pink under the white spots and blanketing.

I'm not an expert but I wouldnt be suprised because I have a little appy who as a 3yr old and in her younger years was almost completely dark bay with a blanket on her bottom. Now at the age of 27 years (and this has happend slowly over the years) she is almost completely white/silver colour with the brown spots almost all over her bum and back. Some pics to give an idea.

Wow, that doesn't even look like the same horse!

Friend wasn't so hot me posting her picture, oh well. However, her horse does pretty much look like the one I posted.

Hehe no she looks quite different in each of the pictures but she still has the same silly look on her face