The Horse from The Wizard of Oz
This is cool. We're going to set aside any criticism towards the writer for breeding for color. She has a very valid point, when you get conformation and color, then why not?
" Have you ever seen a purple horse?
This is cool. We're going to set aside any criticism towards the writer for breeding for color. She has a very valid point, when you get conformation and color, then why not?
" Have you ever seen a purple horse?
I got a colt that turned purple. I bred my blue roan Appaloosa mare to a Cremello stallion, thinking I'd get a buckskin or maybe a palomino foal. Of course I bred for conformation first but with that in place, why not go for the color too?
WBX Komaan Commander was born black with silvery sides and a line down his back. When he shed his newborn coat he turned bright chestnut red all over, including his legs, but kept the black mane and tail. (I failed to get a good photo of that color.) That first summer he became metallic bronze with faint tiger stripes. Oh, how I wanted him to stay that way! But he turned bright redagain for his first winter. Anxiously I waited, hoping the bronze would come back. However, the following Spring he was a True Purple.
I wrote to UC Davis to ask what it would cost to get all of the color genetic testing done; each individual test is a certain price and I didn't have much money. I sent photos. A woman wrote back that she'd test him for free; evidently she was intrigued. He came out to have, besides the LP gene that makes Appaloosa characteristics, the Black gene, the Red gene, the Cremello genewhich is a dilution gene, The Dun/Grulla gene, another dilution gene. Just about the only things he did not have was Agouti which causes bay. When Autumn rolled around he turned dark chocolate. I sold him then so I have no idea if he keeps on changing but I think he must do so. He must have a crowded closet in which he keeps his wardrobe!"
Neat,I wonder what colour he'll end up or if he'll stay purple...?
ReplyDeleteHe's a nice looking horse, whatever his color.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I love Appaloosas.
ReplyDeleteOur little mare started off chestnut with a white blanket, then turned roan, so she was kind of PINK. Both my Appys change colour between winter and summer.
I know why people get totally hooked on breeding Appys. You never know what you'll get - even after they're born! This is such a cool looking horse - I agree, whatever his colour!
How cool that they can test for color on top of everything else they can test for now.
ReplyDeleteGoodness what an entertaining little man it will be a surprise at every coat change.That said he's a very nice horse anyway so whatever colour he'll be pleasing to his owner.No I don't have a problem with breeding for colour as long as it's from decent well conformed horses. When a lot younger I had a 7/8 Tb mare who was a pale sickly palomino , not altogether surprising as the silly man who bred her put a dark brown ex racehorse to a local palomino stallion who was 3/4 Tb. I sold her when she was 6 so don't actually know what colour she ended up though suspect it would be cream dun as she was getting a lot of black hairs in both her mane & tail & was getting odd black hairs on her body,more after each coat change. She was actually registered with the palomino society as a foal & was inspected as such. Was known locally as the flying sh**e because of her strange colouring & her excessive speed
ReplyDeleteWow. I wouldn't have believed those base color changes without pictures! I know appys often change their color/spot pattern, but base color changes are fascinating. Genetically, it sounds like he is a smoky grulla (would be a smoky black, but also has dun factor). It's pretty shocking to see pics of him displaying that bronze dun-looking base color. Thanks for sharing! I'm a bit of a genetics geek, and this is fascinating!
ReplyDeleteAnd here I've been thinking I was crazy because I thought my friends Appaloosa was purple and gold. Glad to see it is possible lol.
ReplyDeletehad an appaloosa filly who was born bay with a few tiny snowflakes on her back. By the time she was six months old she was almost black with no appy spots at all. At a year old she was silver-gray with a few black and white spots and then that winter she went bay/black again with only a few spots. We actually had to put her down at the age of 2 because of an injury, but when we did that she was gray with a lot of spots all over her. I wish I could have seen what colour she was in the end.
ReplyDelete