Stripes on a horse's barrel?

[crookedpainting]

Recently, I was perusing through photos of my gelding and I noticed that he has stripes on his barrel? He’s never had them before and I’ve never noticed them in his winter coat. He’s a light bay who’s never gotten dapples and hasn’t had a single change of diet within the last year or so. I was wondering if anyone could help me? I found one forum here but the photos wouldn’t load and there wasn’t a definitive answer, just a bunch of people going “my horse has those too!”. The photo I first noticed it in was a conformation shot I took about a week ago, it was after a ride and he had been curried, brushed and there was no sweat. I went to go look back and found that in another conformation shot that was taken around late July, he also had them, but on the opposite side. I’m not super worried, I went out to the barn yesterday and there’s no swelling, they’re definitely not his ribs, so what is it? I can only see them in full sunlight too. I’ll try to attach a few photos. (Apologies about how much they’re zoomed in, other people’s faces including mine are in the full photos and I’m a freak about privacy). Edit: 1st and last are his right side, 2nd is his left side.

[StormyDay]

Because of the location, I wonder if it’s from sweat stains+sun bleaching the hair after you ride. Do you wash your horse after each ride or sometimes just curry/brush out?

[crookedpainting]

@StormyDay

Because of the location, I wonder if it’s from sweat stains+sun bleaching the hair after you ride. Do you wash your horse after each ride or sometimes just curry/brush out?

Unless it’s really hot/or they’re super sweaty, I just curry and brush him off. It’s been quite hot this week however he hasn’t been worked due to pulling both back shoes so he hasn’t been rinsed off. The normal weather here is 50-75, so they don’t get rinsed off often just because it’s either too cold or they’re not sweaty enough.

[Hilary]

Not helpful, but My Horse Has Those Too! Not all have them but I’ve had enough who do that I figure it must be something like dapples because they are often with dapples and on horses who are super shiny and healthy.

[Dutchmare433]

Also not helpful and I don’t know what they are but one of my horses gets them too–he’s healthy and shiny, wears a fly sheet and gets hosed off/sweat washed off with tiger tongue after every ride and a bath every 3ish weeks? Have seen them on other horses as well.

[crookedpainting]

Interesting! There aren’t any horses at the barn I ride at with those stripes so I haven’t been able to ask anyone. It would just seem that it happens.

[StormyDay]

@Eclipsed

Unless it’s really hot/or they’re super sweaty, I just curry and brush him off. It’s been quite hot this week however he hasn’t been worked due to pulling both back shoes so he hasn’t been rinsed off. The normal weather here is 50-75, so they don’t get rinsed off often just because it’s either too cold or they’re not sweaty enough.

I’d wonder if maybe the sweat from the girth and your legs may cause them.
or you actually own a zebra. :lol:

[Highflyer]

I have one with them too. He’s a liver chestnut (technically a dun, although since he’s a TB we go with chestnut) and has a faint dorsal stripe/darker knees and hocks so I always thought it might be associated with that.

[endlessclimb]

My late mare had these, and I could never figure out what they were. I called them her fat roll creases (she was not fat in the slightest)

[jvanrens]

@Highflyer

I have one with them too. He’s a liver chestnut (technically a dun, although since he’s a TB we go with chestnut) and has a faint dorsal stripe/darker knees and hocks so I always thought it might be associated with that.

The dun gene is not found in the TB, though nd1 is. You horse likely has that. It gives some primitive markings, though the dorsal stripe doesn’t go right through the tail like it does with dun, but no dilution.

[2tempe]

Wow. It happens that about a two weeks ago I started noticing them on my grey (might as well be white) horse. Same location, both sides, very straight and even. Like someone used a ruler…
They dont follow the curve of the ribs, and I’ve never seen sweat make such a tidy pattern. I’ve had the horse 6ish years, never seen them before. We are in florida, so hosed almost daily. curried to remove sand. Add me to the list!
Edited to add: I have concluded that there is nothing to worry about healthwise. Accupuncture vet said may have to do with the shedding of summer coat, but clearly not any type of skin crud or whatever.

[Gamma]

Is it actually in the coat color, or is it more of a creased/flattened fur pattern? Rabicano gene can cause white stripes on the sides as well as the more common “skunk tail”. It does seem to increase with age, and also maybe tied to more white hair appearing where the skin is rubbed/damaged so if your horse has favorite itching spots white hair could appear there.

If it’s flattened fur, if they’ve spent a while laying down on one side or with the ribs bulging one way, the other side (the side that is curved in) can have flesh rolls even on a horse who’s not overly fat. Not sure how long they’d have to be that way to really set the fur pattern, but maybe if your horse is one who really likes a nap.

[Highflyer]

Mine is definitely color only, it almost looks like drawn lines like a quarter mark but is completely smooth to the touch. He has them year round but they are more noticeable in the summer. And definitely not rabicano related, he has a star and snip but no other white on his body or legs and I’ve seen both parents and 3/4 grandparents and none had much white and no roaning.

[crookedpainting]

Thank you all for giving input! It’s definitely something to do with coat, he was body-clipped last winter and they were never there. I’m quite certain I don’t have a zebra :lol: but a large dog would make sense lol! I looked at a photo of his sire and he had them too, but a bit closer together. I couldn’t see any in his JC foal registration photos, however they weren’t taken on the best camera and he had his winter coat. I found one small thing talking about how they could be related to dapples however I’m not sure seeing as dapples have to do with something from the inside out and these are just surface level ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[crookedpainting]

@Gamma

Is it actually in the coat color, or is it more of a creased/flattened fur pattern?

Definitely color like Highflyer said, I’ve never noticed any pattern in his coat and running my hand over his barrel confirmed that it isn’t. He is quite in to napping but he doesn’t lay flat out, he lays down more like a cat around a litter of kittens if that makes sense? If it were his ribs creating a pattern they’d most likely be more low down and I’m going to assume at an angle as well, these are definitely straight/almost straight down

[NaturalSelection]

I noticed similar stripes on my dark bay gelding this summer! I was perplexed for awhile bc they look like ribs from afar, except that Hermes has ballooned to a sharpe resembling a Thellwell, so definitely NOT ribs. I’ve been calling them rolls…but it’s definitely a coat color, not sweat. Hermes also has slight roaming on his flanks. Never seen or noticed a horse with the stripey coloring before!

[beowulf]

Is he an Oxbow horse? I’ve seen some interesting colors from him.

[rememberthenight]

Honestly- most horse have them. All of mine that I have ever owned and worked with have had them (50+ horses) They are fold marks from when they bend around. They are more obvious on horses with a bit more weight on them, but I have seen them on lean horses as well.

[S1969]

@rememberthenight

Honestly- most horse have them. All of mine that I have ever owned and worked with have had them (50+ horses) They are fold marks from when they bend around. They are more obvious on horses with a bit more weight on them, but I have seen them on lean horses as well.

Yes, this is my experience as well. If you watch your horse get up from lying down or turning around to nip at a fly you can usually see them in action. I suppose it’s not unusual that there might be a slight color difference. I think they are more noticeable in summer because the winter coat hides them.

[crookedpainting]

@beowulf

Is he an Oxbow horse? I’ve seen some interesting colors from him.

Nope, he’s by Bedford Falls.