Horse Talk

[Bunnylady]

Since the gelding currently known as "Chex" has Appaloosa breeding, there's a good possibility that he's one of the Appy patterns known as a varnish roan. Varnish roans are sometimes born solid colored, and get more and more white hairs as they age. They usually retain color on their legs from about the knees down, and often a dark blotch down the middle of their faces, and there may be a few other areas on the body that retain a certain amount of color. Sometimes, varnish may express on top of other Appy patterns, and sometimes they "roan out" to become almost completely white. The high whites and wide blaze make it hard to see if he has the appy characteristics (mottled skin, striped hooves, visible sclera), though sometimes you can get varnish without the characteristics. And to make things really confusing, there are some things that can resemble appy characteristics that really aren't (visible sclera can be the result of pinto patterning, for example).

It's also possible that he's a genetic gray. Genetic grays are born almost any color and get more and more white hairs as they age, sometimes winding up completely white (wouldn't that be odd, a white horse named "Copper?"). With most grays, the white hairs show up around the eyes first; they often go through a phase where there are pronounced dapples on the body.

Though with so much "chrome," it's possible that you have diagnosed correctly, and the white on his body is Sabino roaning. Sabinos may vary a bit from season to season as to how much roaning they show, but it's usually pretty stable; if this guy's white hair count seems to be progressively growing, he's more likely to be one of the above. Of course, if you wind up just training him up a bit and selling him, you may not have him long enough to settle it once and for all in your mind.

I'm not a lot of help on names; whatever name an animal has, I seem to inevitably call 'em "Buddy," or "Baby Girl" when I talk to them.

 

[abigalerose]

I think Rose for the filly would be cute too but that's my middle name so I won't do it lol.
And about Chex, I got pictures of him today as a yearling and it doesn't look like his color has changed at all over the past year and a half, so I'm thinking it is sabino, I think he's got some white spots on his belly, I'll check later when I work with him. And I talked to his second owner, and she said she got him from auction (he was super skinny and wormy), and she was told his mom was an appy/mustang cross and Dad was a "paint" but I'm thinking that since his original owner obviously just threw whatever horses in a pasture together and didn't take good care of them, that his sire may actually be a welsh pony, because he looks it.
Also I'm not so sure about the name copper now lol

 

[abigalerose]

When do horses lose their milk teeth? The four in front?

 

[abigalerose]

The paint gelding had a really swollen sheath, we went to the vet yesterday and he cleaned it out, and gave him a shot and said it'd bring the swelling down, I just checked on him about 30 minutes ago and he's still swollen, should I be concerned or give it a little more time?
I tried to stand outside and wait to see if he's peeing, but it's 7° and I couldn't feel my hands anymore so I gave up.

 

[GingersHuman]

Light exercise is usually good for a swollen sheath too.

 

[abigalerose]

I exercised him a little bit, well, mostly I just had him and the other two trotting around the little dry lot that they're in, but hopefully it does some good

 

[chicken19]

Yeah, I need someone to break down all the paint stuff for me in the dumbest way possible because I don't understand ANY of it.
And I need name suggestions, for both of these boys and the filly that's coming home soon.
I already have June, and the fillys name right now is Jazz/Jazzy, and I was thinking of keeping it simple and just changing it to Jasmine.
And I could give the boys names that start with the same as each other, but different than the irls, or I can do all J's, or I can totally switch it up and rename the filly something different and just have everyone with different sounding names.
So give me lots of suggestions!
P.s. I do think voodoo fits the paint but I'm not sure I like the way it rolls off the tongue, so maybe something with similar meaning?
And I'm considering naming the sabino 'Copper'.
Here's the filly again

I like names that are also things, like 'June' is name but also a month, and 'Rose' is a name and a flower, and 'Jade' is a name and a stone, etc., if that makes sense.

I'm sorry.
Horses are about partnership, love, hard work, and time.
Not about cute geldings and trading horses and selling them because something's cuter or easier.
Neither is it about trying to find out if your horse is a rare color.
Or breeding horses to get the colors you like most.
I thought you had a great thing going with your mare June.
But now it looks like you need to grow up.

 

[chicken19]

"Paint" is a registry; unless the horse has registered parents and is registered with the APHA, technically it's just a pinto (though a lot of folks don't seem to know that)

Thanks for that I have a "pinto" and always wondered what the difference was

Pintos are any horse with white and colored patches.
Paints are pintos that are decended from quarter horses or thoroughbreds.
Not all pintos are paints and all paints are pintos.
I own a registered APHA mare.

 

[abigalerose]

I'm sorry.
Horses are about partnership, love, hard work, and time.
Not about cute geldings and trading horses and selling them because something's cuter or easier.
Neither is it about trying to find out if your horse is a rare color.
Or breeding horses to get the colors you like most.
I thought you had a great thing going with your mare June.
But now it looks like you need to grow up.

That's interesting because I don't personally know anyone who has never sold a horse to get one they like better, and I assume when you say "rare color" you're talking about the red sabino, well, I don't really care if it's a rare color or the most common color on the planet, I just like to know what they are so I know exactly what to call them. And I would never breed for a color I like either. If I bred and there was a chance for a nice color then that would just be a bonus. And I also really like learning about color genetics. But it's really all about personality and health. Do I happen to have pretty colored horses? Yes. But I also personally think that my red sabino horse is an ugly color. And I did originally want to trade the geldings for a stud colt that was very well put together and out of two fantastic horses with great bloodlines and personality, and yes, was a pretty color to boot, because he was pretty much my dream horse. But I'm on the same page as you. I think horses are about love and partnership. Which is why I'm keeping these geldings, because I instantly clicked with them, Even though ones pretty and ones ugly and the pinto is grade and the other is a mutt, and they're both geldings, which I don't like, and I really wanted that darn colt. But their personalities mesh really well with mine so they're staying.
But I also won't keep a horse that I can't get along with, which is why I sold Jade, I wasn't going to butt heads with her for the next ten years.
So if you want to judge someone for what they do with their horses, find someone else. Maybe you'd like to gripe at my cousin, because she sees horses as nothing but livestock and will threaten to put a bullet in their head if they act up. She even strongly considered selling her horse the other day because he had an off day where he rode bad (no bucking just acted like he didn't know anything) and because he's been eating bark off the trees, and I thought she loved this horse the same way that I love June! But hey, to each their own, and if she thinks horses, cows, sheep and whatever else are all in the same category and way way below us on the totem pole, then that's her thing, and I don't judge her for thinking that way even though I think much differently. (Because yes, she thinks I consider the horses feelings too much).
So maybe I'm not the one that needs to do the growing up.

 

[chicken19]

I'm happy that you're keeping your new geldings.
I'm sorry for what I said.
I just read all your previous posts and got all fired up.
Sorry.