This message is from: Sarah Clarke <sarahmagdalencla...@yahoo.com> I agree with your point that the silver dilution gene* (sometimes called silver dapple) is NOT the same thing as "garden variety" dapples, but I do think genes may make a difference. Horses with agouti base coloring (bays, duns) with a large amount of black extension dapple far more extravagantly than those with limit black extension. Fjords due to their dilution, don't for the most part have a lot of black extending into their coats and the dapples are more subtle. All my mature fjords (1 stallion, 3 mares) show some degree of dappling, but it's not the eye-popping kind that a brown bay Thoroughbred mare of mine used to have. I suspect it's one of those nature/nurture interaction things - the coat has to have the abiltiy to dapple and then the horse has to have healty enought coat that the shading varitations show up. - Sarah *to add to the confusion I have a little pony with the silver gene - who hasn't a single dapple,
All the links that you refer to are referring to color markings, primitive, etc. some might call this dappling, however, this is a different subject. I doubt if the, gene, makes a difference here. It is more about ''lifestyle." [ or maybe I should say horsestyle] Cheers, Jerry Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
