varnish roan?

[Susara]

When I saw this pony at the show this pattern was totally new to me. In the week since I've seen TWO pics on New Rider showing such horses! One was a TB even. I understand it's called varnish roan. Aparently the horse becomes whiter as it ages, as with greying. So I guess it's actually totally different from classic roan?

Guess it's obvious that TBs sort of dominate our yard, any non-solid colour facinates me :-)

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d136/hartlief/IMG_3932.jpg

[chev]

That looks like it could be the early stages of varnish roan. It's not classic roan; the roaning isn't even and occurs on the legs too (even though the head is dark, as it would be on classic roan). It's not grey at work - grey starts on the head, so the face is one of the first places to grey out.

Varnish roan typically has dark points on the bony bits (so, the nasal bones, hip, legs and point of shoulder later in the process) which this horse does.

There are no signs of sabino, no skunk tail that would suggest rabicano.

I'd go with varnish roan. :)

[cvb]

chev

I didn't think varnish roans "roaned out" more with age ? Fi changes with her coat slightly (tho not sure thats not just a factor of coat length). But I can never really decide if she's changing with age (have had her for 3 years since she was 6).

[chev]

The gene works in a similar way to grey in that respect. Some horses get very pale very quick, while others retain more of the base colour later into life. I'll see if I can find any good examples...

[chev]

Varnish roan (http://www.mustangs4us.com/Horse%20Colors/appaloosa.htm#Appaloosa_Roaning_or_Varnish_Roan_) from birth to four years :)

Another (http://www.equinecolor.com/app.html) example at the bottom of the page, but doesn't show the progression.

Varnish roans differ from classic roans in that they progress from a solid (or solid with pattern) until the varnish pattern ahs completely disguised the original markings. Most end up very roaned, with varnish marks only at the point of hip, on the front of the canons, and on the nasal bones. Others do retain more colour. Varnish roans differ from greys in that the coat will never lose all colour completely, and the whole process of roaning out is usually complete earlier.

I can't find any more pictures that actually follow the roaning out from start to finish just at the moment; I'll have to dig around and see if I can find some more. :)

[cvb]

Chev

Fi was bay blanket at birth.. but the only photo I have is black and white on her registration document :rolleyes:

I was just curious how light she'd get.