I’m just sort of stunned ANYONE had a problem with it! It just never occurred to me anyone would not like the look, let along think there would be “problems” from it.
My Appy had no sclera. My chestnut GP Swedish mare had white sclera. My four year old bay Swedish mare has white sclera. I think it’s way cooler. Like Mary Lou’s mare, I think it looks better on that side. It makes for super cute, attentive look.
While it doesn’t personally bother me so much . . . It is not quite ideal.
Not sure which breeding registry you would be looking for approval from, but I do know that in general there is a bias against it from pretty much all the German warmblood registries. . . . Not to say that they won’t approve a colt with sclera, but again, it’s not ideal
I ended up with a gelding who has a prominent sclera but I personally find it to be the single most unattractive cosmetic thing a horse can have. Now I am attached to the pumpkin so I don’t totally mind it but I do wish it was on his off side so I didn’t have to look at it all the time. I would avoid when breeding unless the stallion had something phenomenal I couldn’t find elsewhere.
I find it very unattractive and would not choose a stallion with it. There are so many nice stallions without it to pick from.
No problem with it, and I think Home Again Farm’s mare is absolutely stunning!
With so many traits to breed for I’m amazed anyone would even consider this to be a problem.
I have a lovely 2014 colt who has one eye with a white sclera. He is not for sale, but I have wondered whether this would affect interest in him if he does come up for sale down the road. I realized, though, that the type of buyer who would turn down a horse because of this “issue” is not the type of buyer I would want to sell him to. 
As a jumper rider, this is a non-issue.
Wouldn’t bother me. I have had several talented and well loved horses with white sclera.
But I d know some people who will not buy one.
I have a two year old stallion prospect with a white sclera–he has both large blaze and white eyelashes. He does not appear to have a glass eye/blue eye but rather his eye is heterochromatic being both extremely dark near black and dark grey–its actually very attractive in a subtle way and I don’t really notice the sclera at all–though that might be because Im used to it. His grandfather was a very successful stallion also had it (including the white eyelashes). Only one of his other half siblings has the white sclera. That mare produced a filly with gulastra plume (white tail on a dark horses). I do think there is probably some association with white markings possibly sabino or something of that nature. Both sire and dam of my colt are grey–my colt tested black and not a stitch of grey on him. I do keep a mask on him in summer–but I keep masks on all of them.
I bred a sabino mare to a sabino stallion and got a colt with only a normal blaze and both eyes with white sclera. No white on the legs or body - which is FINE by me, because I prefer little to no chrome.
Neither parent had white sclera, my colt has it in both eyes. So, you can breed two parents without it and still end up with it in the offspring, and I do think it’s related to white markings, even though the markings themselves didn’t manifest in this particular colt.
[QUOTE=goodpony;8027338]
I have a two year old stallion prospect with a white sclera–he has both large blaze and white eyelashes. He does not appear to have a glass eye/blue eye but rather his eye is heterochromatic being both extremely dark near black and dark grey–its actually very attractive in a subtle way and I don’t really notice the sclera at all–though that might be because Im used to it. His grandfather was a very successful stallion also had it (including the white eyelashes). Only one of his other half siblings has the white sclera. That mare produced a filly with gulastra plume (white tail on a dark horses). I do think there is probably some association with white markings possibly sabino or something of that nature. Both sire and dam of my colt are grey–my colt tested black and not a stitch of grey on him. I do keep a mask on him in summer–but I keep masks on all of them.[/QUOTE]
Most definitely - I know it is tied to both Overo (not an issue in the WB world), Splash, and Sabino (common in the WBs). Not sure if it is in the Tobiano lines - although many of those also have Sabino. Of course, in Appies too. If you are breeding for bling, whether the stallion displays it or not, you can get the sclera. I personally don’t think it should be an issue, for those who don’t want it, don’t breed for chrome (mare or stallion), probably your best bet to avoid it.
I personally think there are so many other important characteristics we breed for - good temperament, good movement, good conformation, I’m less interested in a little white eye (or a pretty head for that matter). If all else checks “the boxes”, then why bother with a little white around the eye?
As for inherited - I have had it pop up when neither parent had it. I agree, it has an inheritable component, but again, I think that comes more from the parents’ color genetics.
Interestingly, my mare with the one white sclera eye is by Weltmekannt (no white sclera, dark brown with minimal markings) out of my Rubinstein I mare Rubizza (no white sclera, dark bay with minimal markings). When she popped out with her chrome I was amazed. Later I tested her for sabino and was told she was not a sabino. She had three full siblings and none were like her in coloring - the others were bay or dark brown with minimal white.
She has had three colts and three fillies. She produced two fillies and one colt with minimal makings and no white sclera. The other three are black with lots of chrome and one white sclera eye. Those were all from stallions without white sclera and with conservative markings. I find this so interesting!
[QUOTE=Home Again Farm;8027777]
Interestingly, my mare with the one white sclera eye is by Weltmekannt (no white sclera, dark brown with minimal markings) out of my Rubinstein I mare Rubizza (no white sclera, dark bay with minimal markings). When she popped out with her chrome I was amazed. Later I tested her for sabino and was told she was not a sabino. She had three full siblings and none were like her in coloring - the others were bay or dark brown with minimal white.
She has had three colts and three fillies. She produced two fillies and one colt with minimal makings and no white sclera. The other three are black with lots of chrome and one white sclera eye. Those were all from stallions without white sclera and with conservative markings. I find this so interesting![/QUOTE]
Not saying any of these horses had sabino - but sabino can “hide” - minimal markings one generation, then loud markings pop up. I had one - stallion was sabino, but you’d never know it without looking very carefully. He had a tiny white snip on his lower lip - and one very low socklet. Mare was solid, no white at all. But that white snip is a sabino indicator - and the colt I had was LOUD! High whites, huge keyholed blaze, spots on his hind leg above the hock - and also rabicano and coon tail. Very flashy. His mane was rabicano, made him look like a flaxen.
So, sabino can be very non-obvious:yes:
some of you will find this very interesting then. Especially with respect to markings skipping a generation. My colts sire had a tiny white star and otherwise plainly marked. He did sire a few large flashy blazes but more typically little or no markings at all. He was a grey pony too and pretty much ran tru to course–about 50/50 grey offspring.
Anyhow This is my colts grandsire (he subsequently was a grey pony): https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201896162938678&set=pb.1021903725.-2207520000.1424894331.&type=3&theater
and this is my colt: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201896172778924&set=pb.1021903725.-2207520000.1424894331.&type=3&theater
[QUOTE=goodpony;8027338]
I have a two year old stallion prospect with a white sclera–he has both large blaze and white eyelashes. He does not appear to have a glass eye/blue eye but rather his eye is heterochromatic being both extremely dark near black and dark grey–its actually very attractive in a subtle way and I don’t really notice the sclera at all–though that might be because Im used to it. His grandfather was a very successful stallion also had it (including the white eyelashes). Only one of his other half siblings has the white sclera. That mare produced a filly with gulastra plume (white tail on a dark horses). I do think there is probably some association with white markings possibly sabino or something of that nature. Both sire and dam of my colt are grey–my colt tested black and not a stitch of grey on him. I do keep a mask on him in summer–but I keep masks on all of them.[/QUOTE]
Do you have a photo of your boy’s eye?
Wall eyes bother me, but not white sclera.
I think this is mostly an American problem. I always found it interesting that while American breeders hate what is called “human eye,” the Bedouins apparently prized it.
[QUOTE=kookicat;8028374]
Do you have a photo of your boy’s eye?
.[/QUOTE]
unfortunately Ive found his eye to be terribly difficult to photograph in proper light where it shows the different colors. Its definitely darkened with age and is a more bluish-grey but not sky blue by a long shot.
his eye is genuinely dark-near black for the most part (this is with a rosy glow cast from the sun setting–he’s not actually that red nor does his eye appear brown to the naked eye:))https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205057066839300&set=pb.1021903725.-2207520000.1424902816.&type=3&theater
I love the white eyelashes. 
Its only half his eyelashes on that eye the other half are dark–when he was born the blaze didn’t appear to touch the eye but was very very close. It will be interesting to see if he passes on any markings–he’s got two stockinettes behind too. His father gave the right hind stockinette on nearly all of his purebred offspring. His colored siblings appear to have more white markings while the grey had very little if any.
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