Splashed White
Splashed white is the least common of the spotting patterns
in horses, although it is increasing in frequency as breeders
use more and more splashed white horses in their breeding
programs. It occurs sporadically in a number of widely divergent
breeds, such as Welsh Ponies, Finnish Draft Horses, Icelandic
Horses and Paints.
The pattern usually makes the horse look as though it has
been dipped in white paint. On a dark horse, the effect can
be that of an ice cream cone dipped in chocolate. The legs
are usually white, as are the bottom portions of the body.
The head is also usually white, and the eyes are frequently
blue.
The edges of the white are consistently crisp and clean,
with no roaning. Some of these splashed whites have dark toplines,
but on some the white crosses the topline.
The splashed white pattern was originally studied in Finnish
Horses, and was reputed to be a true recessive pattern. If
this were the case, the pattern would be unlikely to occur
unless two splashed white horses mated, which is not the case.
Recent evidence is consistent with this pattern being caused
by a dominant gene. The main problem in the past appears to
have been that minimally marked horses were classed as nonspotted,
which resulted in erroneous conclusions.
Some people have observed that many splashed white horses
are deaf. This is not much of a problem if the trainer realizes
the limitations of the horse in question, and many of these
horses go on to lead full, normal and productive lives. If
trainers rely on many verbal cues, though, these horses will
be labeled as difficult, stubborn, and can be psychologically
ruined by techniques inappropriate for a deaf animal.
No homozygous splashed white horses have ever been documented,
leading to the suspicion that this is yet another gene that
cannot exist in homozygous form. If this is true, the loss
of hearing probably occurs early in gestation rather than
at term, so this is distinct from the lethal white foal problem
where defective foals are born.
The best strategy for splashed white horses, then, is to
mate them to horses without the splashed white pattern.
Combination Paint
patterns> |
