Monthly Archives: April 2008

The First Cloned Horse Reproduces – Ruins Fugly Horse Business Model

Putting Good Stuff Out of Business

Sites like Fugly Horse of the Day earn their traffic by slaughtering (with words) the fuglier aspects of the species (or should I say those that breed & sell them). If we continue to clone horses, this poor website will be rendered obsolete, which is sad because it makes me laugh.
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Define Your Horse’s Face Markings

Horse face markings are as varied as the animals who wear them. Each horse marking is wholly unique to them, but most fall under several broad categories.

Interrupted Blaze or Stripe

Define Your Horse’s Leg Markings

Almost all horses have leg markings of some sort, from a tiny spot of white to whole white legs. Here are the general definitions of each marking, which are a bit more definitive than markings on the face because they are based on leg anatomy.

Horse Colors – Unexplained Markings and Patterns

Unexplained Markings and Patterns

While some of the rarer markings are the result of various white patterns (especially pinto), there are also plenty of unexplained markings and patterns. Some of which have had geneticists scratching their heads for years.

Horse Color White Patterns – Roan

Roan Shades

Roaning can affect any base color and creates a huge rainbow of amazing colors that range in variety from pink to blue. A foal may be born their base color and show the pattern upon first shedding, but the pattern remains consistent from year to year.

Horse Color Dilutes – Champagne Gene

Champagne Characteristics

There are a few characteristics exclusive to animals affected by champagne, which makes it one of the dilutions that can be visually identified with a reasonable degree of accuracy. It is one of the few dilution genes that affect the skin as well, making it a dusty pink color. They can also have faint dorsal stripes, but dark like a true dun. Otherwise the champagne coat is very uniform in color, with no obvious counter shading.

Metallic Sheen

Freckles

Light Eyes

Champagne Shades

The champagne gene affects the bases, along with some of the modifiers and dilutions to varying degrees. Any animal affected by the gene can carry a metallic sheen and reverse dappling in their coat.