Horse Color Question?

Question

This horse i ride is a chestnut, and is beautiful. the way you can tell hes different from the others is that he has has a small white spot on the left side of his withers. does this mean he has some paint in him, but he didnt get most of the color?

Answer 1

Its more likely a scar than anything. I had a tb, and he had white on his back and withers, and they were just old scars from ill fitting saddles etc

But then again, he might.

Answer 2

No it doesn't mean he has any paint. Remmember Big Brown, he had a huge white birthmark on his side. That white spot can be a several things. The most common would be, a birthmark, or saddle sore. Luck.

Answer 3

Have you ever seen what happens to a horse when it is branded?  The hair under the brand eventually grows in, but often it grows in white, not the color of the origional hair.  That's why you can see the brand, especially freeze brands.

The same thing happens often when a horse receives an injury of some sort.  If your horse has a small spot in an area on its withers where a saddle could rub, I would be very suspicious that the mark is from an injury.  It doesn't have to be a cut, even a friction burn can cause hair to grow in white.  That is why most of your posters are guessing the white spot is due to a saddle sore in the past, and not from being a Paint.

There are some Paint horses out there with only one or two patches of white.  The best way to tell if your horse's white spot is from an injury, or else a natural spot such as you'd see in a Paint, is to check what color the skin is under the spot.  White hair in Paints normally has pink colored skin under it, and the dark hair has blackish skin.  If the white hair was from an injury, the skin underneath will not change but remain dark.  Wet your horse down, and try to tell what color his skin is under the spot.  If its the same color as the rest of his body, you can be certain that the pigment comes from an injury.

Hope that helps.

Answer 4

It's more likely that he's had a saddle rub on his withers.

Answer 5

no he is not a paint..lol..did he come with papers..you can research the parents and your horse itself on the website..allbreedpedigree.com

Answer 6

Hi! I Have A Horse He is Dark Bay Called Clover And Has A White Spec Down The Side Of His Shoulder! I Asked My Riding Instructor And She Said He Is Still Classed As A Dark Bay!

Hope This Helped!

Answer 7

my stepmum's horse is the same, but she is most definetely purebred thoroughbred and her coat is not paint. it is not form an inury or saddle sore, its just there....lol

Answer 8

Not likely that he's a paint.

The most likely cause for a white spot on the withers is improper saddle fit at some point in his life. If you look closely at the skin under neath the spot and it is black then he's been injured there. If it's pink then he MIGHT have some pinto patterning. But it's most likely he's had an improperly fitting saddle on at one time that caused the spot to turn white.

Answer 9

It sounds like his saddle, or whatever saddles are used on him, are rubbing him a little bit. You can correct it by getting these nifty little cushions you can find at almost any local tack shop. You could take a picture of it and bring it in to the shop, and they could probably find the right kind of pad he needs.

And, if you show him, it's totally acceptable to use them in the competition ring. In my opinion, it makes you look more professional. :)

This is all English, though. Western might be another story. I'm not sure.

Answer 10

sounds like my horse but hes not a paint