[Eagle Child]

This is my 17 yr old 15hh appy/qh mare, Journey. I call them freckles, but don't know if there's a formal term for these markings on her nose. She's a sweetie. I love her freckles. She has no other appy spots except for two very faint ones--one on her left shoulder and one on her rump.

 

[Bridgertrot]

Weird..almost looks like snow on her nose.

I'm not an expert on App's so I have no idea...other than possibly a fungal thing. -shrug-

 

[Eagle Child]

It's not an outbreak, it's a pattern in her hair/coat. Sheesh. :lol:

Guess I'll just call it freckles. :lol::lol::lol:

 

[waresbear]

Whatever it's called, it looks cool!

 

[Roperchick]

it looks like it COULD be from scarring.....she mighta gotten cut up or something as a youngin (unless youve had her her whole life then nm) and the hair grew back white? otherwise i would just say its a wierd facial marking

 

[Faceman]

Snip fail...:rofl:

I don't recall seeing that before...sort of neat...

 

[Chiilaa]

Has she got any other appy characteristics aside from these spots? Mottled skin, scelera and striped hooves? Can we see more photos? I have no idea what is causing the spotting on her nose, and can't really see it clearly enough to have a good guess.

Have you owned her all her life? If not, do you know if the spots have been there since birth?

 

[Eagle Child]

Snip fail...:rofl:

I don't recall seeing that before...sort of neat...

Snip fail. Haha! Yeah, maybe. I saw somewhere that you've been around a lot of appaloosas, Faceman, so now I don't feel bad that nobody I've met around these parts has seen anything like her nose, since you haven't. :lol:

She does have other appy characteristics. White sclera, mottled skin, striped hooves, short, coarse mane and tail.

She's a red dun, too, so she's unusual, to say the least.

I've only had her for two years and don't know her background. The lady who my barn mgr. got her from for me had only had her for a few months. Never considered that it could be from an old injury. The skin looks good under it. I know she has the scar from an old halter injury ??? up higher on her nose.

Anyhow, here are a couple of other pix. In the one where she's sticking her nose in the camera you can see the mottled skin in her nostril.

 

[Chiilaa]

I am leaning towards scarring too. Not from an injury, but from a fungal infection. However, those pics are still a bit blurry, and it makes it hard to even guess what is going on.

 

[Eagle Child]

Some spots are the result of environmental factors rather than genetic ones. Pelouse's Queen (Pelouse x Harem Queen, by Nathoo), a 1965 dark bay Thoroughbred mare, was so afflicted by a skin disease that her coat grew back in white where it had been scarred by the fungal infection. She was purchased by an Appaloosa breeder, but as she did not of course carry the leopard complex (not found in TBs), she could not pass on the color.

Wow, this horse had what you're talking about on its whole body!

Poor Journey. If what you're saying is feasible, I'm glad she's healthy now with just freckles to show for it. I like 'em. Not trying to make them into some mark of excellence. Just curious.:lol:

Thanks, everyone!

 

[Eagle Child]

oops, wanted to put the link for the article for above picture. Interesting.

http://www.whitehorseproductions.com/tbcolor3.html

Sorry I don't have any close up clear pictures of Journey's nose.

 

[Faceman]

Snip fail. Haha! Yeah, maybe. I saw somewhere that you've been around a lot of appaloosas, Faceman, so now I don't feel bad that nobody I've met around these parts has seen anything like her nose, since you haven't. :lol:

She does have other appy characteristics. White sclera, mottled skin, striped hooves, short, coarse mane and tail.

She's a red dun, too, so she's unusual, to say the least.

I've only had her for two years and don't know her background. The lady who my barn mgr. got her from for me had only had her for a few months. Never considered that it could be from an old injury. The skin looks good under it. I know she has the scar from an old halter injury ??? up higher on her nose.

Anyhow, here are a couple of other pix. In the one where she's sticking her nose in the camera you can see the mottled skin in her nostril.

She definitely has Appy characteristics. The white spotted nose is actually quite similar to the mottled color a leopard ("near leopard") gets when the base color begins breaking up and transforms to the leopard white with spots, however I have never seen it happen on only the nose/face, and certainly not on a horse that old.

Below are a couple of examples - my stallion Chip whose face is about 75% colored out, but still shows how the base color is gradually mottling away, and Rambo, one of my foals, who is just starting to color out in the face...notice how the farther back you go the more mottled his base color is - Appy coloring normally moves from rear to front. Again though, this happens at a younger age - not like in your aged mare. So, I don't know - could be Appy color that has come out, but my best guess is as others have said it is the result of a fungus, or perhaps insectc stings or bites, or even a snake bite - something that has destroyed the original hair, and being an Appy, it would not be unusual for it to grow out white...

 

[Eagle Child]

Hmm. All very fascinating, Faceman! Here's a flash pic of her last summer. Her "freckles" sure do look a lot different when she's shed out. I'll have to watch how they change. Geesh. I kinda hope it's an appy thing and not a past infection thing. :lol:

Here's another interesting link about odd patterns of white spots possibly related to past environmental skin issues, too...

White markings and fungal infections « The Equine Tapestry

 

[banman]

i think its kinda cute!

 

[Eagle Child]

:lol: Thanks! Me, too. Journey and I plan to grow old together. She's easy to spot in the pasture with her funny freckle face, even at a distance. :lol:

 

[Piaffe]

Wow..those are such unique markings! She is a cutie