I “upgraded” a weanling yesterday.
Poor little dude.
His sire is a leopard appaloosa and his dam is a black quarter horse.
Right now, he looks all black with a little brown around his eyes and on his muzzle. I don’t see any spots or signs of a blanket.
Any ideas on what color he could end up?
Not that it matters at all - just curious!
No pic?
Sounds like a mealy bay.
There’s a pic, he looks very intelligent 
And like he’ll be bay.
Do they develop appaloosa coloring as they get older or would he already have it?
The person I got him from was well-intentioned, and has given him a good start with his handling…not so much with his healthcare and nutrition.
Probably bay - I don’t see any scelera around his eyes that might indicate appy pattern. Sometimes they do “frost” as they get older, but you usually see at least some appy characteristics when younger.
They will exhibit color at birth, although those colors can change over time due to roaning or varnish or greying. But he looks like a “non-color.” App genetics are wacky, you can have two solids produce color and two colors produce solid, it’s all in the genes.
Pic isn’t totally clear, but he looks well enough with regards to weight and coat condition.
[QUOTE=ladyj79;7700389]
Pic isn’t totally clear, but he looks well enough with regards to weight and coat condition.[/QUOTE]
He has never been dewormed or given any vaccinations and was already weaned and eating sweet feed by 3 months (last week). Dam was also unvaccinated and not dewormed. However, he leads well, trailers well, is good with handling of feet, and reportedly ties. :sigh:
I agree, he looks remarkably well in spite of this.
And I do not see any mottling, sclera, or hoof striping.
Years ago I trained a couple of Appys for a breeder. got them started under saddle so she could get them sold. One was a gorgeous near black 2.5 yr old gelding with NO appaloosa marking that I could see. She has finally gelded him because he had no color. It was killing her because he was well bred with very very nice conformation, very much a sport horse type with good height. I got him lightly started under saddle which got him sold. Delighted new owner sent the breeder pics later in the year which showed white frosting coming in across his hindquarters. Better late than never!
chicamuxen
Appaloosa change color as often as most people change their underwear. Having a few spot leopard parent pretty much guarantees color. And it’s not unusual for them to change big time. My varnish roan leopard was born bay — by the time he was 4, he was about 90% white!
Cute little guy! Looks like a nice seal brown.
If there is no white sclera or mottled skin anywhere, then he likely did not get the spotting gene and will remain a nice seal brown.
I have a POAx pony that was born a solid palomino, though she did have some mottling. Over the years she has turned into a varnished roan, but that didn’t start until she was 8 or 9 IIRC. She is 22 now and very roaned out.
He’s brown :). He’ll likely mature a darker, seal brown, though maybe not quite as “black” as this foal shed.
He could still varnish, or “roan out” as he gets older. That doesn’t always appear as a foal or even young adulthood darn cute!
He is adorable!! Good luck with him and good for you giving him an upgrade.
He looks “solid colored” to me BUT, I have seen Appys color as late as 7. One mare had the tiniest bit of mottling on her udder. When she shed her winter coat in the Spring of her 7th year she was a bay roan with spots!
While it’s not uncommon for horses with lp to “color up” later, they are usually born with other characteristics, like mottling, white sclera around the eye, and stripped hooves. Nothing in the photo looks indicative of lp, to me. He looks like a seal brown, but may not end up as dark as his foal shed appears.
Being as the sire was a leopard appaloosa, and not a “few spot” or “snow cap” (blanket w/out spots) means he carried one copy of the LP gene (rather than homozygous like these two colors). Therefore it is quite possible that he did not pass along the genes needed for color.
[QUOTE=epowers;7701132]
While it’s not uncommon for horses with lp to “color up” later, they are usually born with other characteristics, like mottling, white sclera around the eye, and stripped hooves. Nothing in the photo looks indicative of lp, to me. He looks like a seal brown, but may not end up as dark as his foal shed appears.[/QUOTE]
I agree with the above. With no “characteristics” (sclera, stripped hooves etc) - the odds of color developing are very slim.
To get appy color, you need the LP gene (this will give you the characteristics), and perhaps roaning. For spots, you also need one of the PATN genes for a coat color to express.
While I agree - they can change color a bunch (my current horse went from THIS to THIS in the matter of 3 years) - but I would say it is pretty uncommon for a horse displaying zero characteristics to develop color.
This is a fun color calculator! You will see if you take a black base - and add LP you get a roan. Add one copy of PATN1 - you get a leopard. One copy of PATN2 - a blanket appy.
So while yours could possibly roan a bit, get some “frost” I doubt he would develop spots.
He is CUTE though, and honestly, I LOVE that type of color. Mealy dark browns or bays look so lovely when they shine up (my mealy brown TB got the BEST dapples). While I love my girl’s spots, its so hard to get (or show off) a shine on her coat.
I would love if he stays seal brown, but it really doesn’t matter.
Thank you for the information.
You are really a very knowledgeable group!
Though I am working closely with professionals, I will surely have more questions for you as we go.
Also, open to name suggestions!
http://instagram.com/p/rYO5AjjiGQ/
(Not my picture, so no need to critique. :winkgrin:)
I’ve only experience of one part bred youngster, but they were solid coloured for the longest time before any mottling started to appear. I think she might be about three now and it’s getting more pronounced all the time. It’s not very pretty at this stage though (to me at least).
Preciouslittlemanclappinghands probably wouldn’t work, would it? Really, he’s adorable. And this is honest to god why it’s good I’m perpetually broke on the grown up horses because I love every baby I see…which makes riding for breeders an exercise in daily self-flagellation.
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