Breeds of Horse Special #1: Pinto vs. Paint part2
WOW... has it been almost a year already? Ugh, sorry! Oh how time flies! Anyways, I had written this post a while ago, but never got around to posting it, so....
Enjoy!
So this week is part 2 of the Breeds of Horse Special! This post will discuss the difference between the two, markings, and what exactly Lethal White Syndrome is.
So what exactly make a Paint horse a Paint, versus being a Pinto? All horses with the colouration and patterning discussed in the previous post are called "Pinto". What makes a Pinto a Paint is the breed. Quarter horses and Thoroughbreds that have the Pinto colouration are considered to be "Paint horses".
So I know that I have already posted a post on markings, but this little section will just highlight a few interesting markings unique to Pintos.
The Medicine Hat marking, is when a horse who has a completely or mostly white head with dark ears. Sometimes it looks as if the horse is wearing a dark ear net!
A"shield" is when a completely or mostly white horse has a giant dark patch over his or her chest. Most horses with this marking usually also have the medicine hat, but horses that have the medicine hat don't always have the shield.
Blue eyes or "wall eyes" for "solid" coloured horses only exist if there is a white facial marking that reaches past the eye. (i.e. a white face) Pinto's however can have a blue eye regardless of facial markings.
So lastly, if you look at the previous post, I mentioned something called Lethal White Syndrome. LWS occurs when two Overo horses with the Frame gene, have a foal. There is a one in 4 chances that the the foal is born with two sets of the Frame gene, resulting in death within the first 36 hours of life. Death is inevitable due to the fact that the foals digestive system has not fully formed, and the immune system is virtually non-existent. If the foal doesn't die due to illness, the lack of a lower digestive tract and the ability to digest food properly means that the foal will die of starvation. There are genetic tests that your Equine Veterinarian can perform on your horses. If you want to breed two Pinto horses together, this test will warn you if both prospective parents are Frame Overos or not. This is the only way to avoid LWS.
Hopefully i'll remember to post something next week :p
Enjoy!
So this week is part 2 of the Breeds of Horse Special! This post will discuss the difference between the two, markings, and what exactly Lethal White Syndrome is.
So what exactly make a Paint horse a Paint, versus being a Pinto? All horses with the colouration and patterning discussed in the previous post are called "Pinto". What makes a Pinto a Paint is the breed. Quarter horses and Thoroughbreds that have the Pinto colouration are considered to be "Paint horses".
So I know that I have already posted a post on markings, but this little section will just highlight a few interesting markings unique to Pintos.
The Medicine Hat marking, is when a horse who has a completely or mostly white head with dark ears. Sometimes it looks as if the horse is wearing a dark ear net!
A"shield" is when a completely or mostly white horse has a giant dark patch over his or her chest. Most horses with this marking usually also have the medicine hat, but horses that have the medicine hat don't always have the shield.
Blue eyes or "wall eyes" for "solid" coloured horses only exist if there is a white facial marking that reaches past the eye. (i.e. a white face) Pinto's however can have a blue eye regardless of facial markings.
So lastly, if you look at the previous post, I mentioned something called Lethal White Syndrome. LWS occurs when two Overo horses with the Frame gene, have a foal. There is a one in 4 chances that the the foal is born with two sets of the Frame gene, resulting in death within the first 36 hours of life. Death is inevitable due to the fact that the foals digestive system has not fully formed, and the immune system is virtually non-existent. If the foal doesn't die due to illness, the lack of a lower digestive tract and the ability to digest food properly means that the foal will die of starvation. There are genetic tests that your Equine Veterinarian can perform on your horses. If you want to breed two Pinto horses together, this test will warn you if both prospective parents are Frame Overos or not. This is the only way to avoid LWS.
Hopefully i'll remember to post something next week :p
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