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Spots on a Bay?

8K views 21 replies 14 participants last post by  Chiilaa 
#1 ·
Hi folks!

I have an interesting question for you. My dark bay has developed spots. When we clipped him last year, and for the duration of the time I've had him he's never had them. This year (he is 7), about a week after he was clipped he started growing in funny spots in no real pattern, mostly on his barrel. He is usually nearly black in the winter and in the summer his coat naturally is very bay. We clipped him about the same time both this year and last. He also has natural white hairs mostly in his tail and 5-6 in his mane.

His sire is black and his dam is a bay.
Dam:

Damsire:

Sire (Rotspon):


What could be causing his spots??

Thanks!
 
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#3 ·
It would help if you could get a photo or two so we can see what you are talking about. Some bays get dapples, my mare had them, but they are normally associated with good health and a short summer coat. He could just be growing his hair back in patchy, and in a different shade then you are maybe used to, though he will look the same once he's regrown his coat. Different foods, change in diet, change in the quality of hay, ect., can effect how his coat looks, and how it grows. Again though a picture would be extremely helpful in seeing what exactly is going on.
 
#6 ·
Dappling within the coat colour is supposed to be a sign of good health.

Reading between the lines in Anebel's post, I am assuming that she is talking about white spots
He also has natural white hairs mostly in his tail and 5-6 in his mane
 
#7 ·
I know exactly what you are talking about. In fact, I have a sorrel that has one or two of them. They are tiny little white spots, like the size of a pencil eraser right? They are called leukotrichia but most horse people will call them "bird spots". It is a common condition in horses, especially Arabs, and does not have any known root disease process. Most often they are not progressive but don't go away.
 
#9 ·
Ooooh then I am going with Bend-Or spots. They are dark spots that can appear random. The quote is from Wiki :) Sound like yours?

Bend-Or spots (or Ben d'Or, Smuts, or Grease Spots) are a type of spotted marking found on horses. They are fairly rare and range in color from slightly darker than the horse's coat to an almost-black shade. These random spots are most commonly seen on palominos, chestnuts, and darker horses, and may not appear until the horse is several years old. It is still unknown what causes these markings, as they do not appear to be related to other spotting patterns.
 
#13 ·
hmmm.... well my mare named Fifi has a blaze and a stripe connected on her face but it looks really cute,i would put a picture on but i dont want to take up your space on your thread :D
 
#22 ·
Grease spots is another name for Bend-Or spots :) They are more common on chestnuts, but fairly common on bays still :)
 
#18 ·
I am quite sure that my mare has similar gigantic spots. She is Chestnut, and her whole whither/shoulder/front leg are noticeably darker than the rest of her. Literally, I can follow the "wavy" line that divides her "chestnut" from the "liver chestnut"... no blending or anything. She is special ;)
 
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