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Talk to me about sclera...

I wasn't sure of the best place to put this, but I feel most people check this particular section where they might not check others. What does it mean when a horse has "sclera"? I am aware of what the sclera is is anatomically, but I don't understand why people say a horse "has sclera" (since ALL horses do). What do they have when they "don't have sclera"? Do they solely mean the sclera is white? Isn't ALL sclera white? If it's not white, what is it? Do they solely mean that the eye shape (the shape of the lids?) is such that the sclera is either visible or not? What gives?

Dilutes Thu, 05/21/2009 - 19:50

[quote="Andrea"]I thought scelara was the white/pink fleshy tissue in the corner of the eyes. Not the eyelids... I love eyeliner on all horses with brown or blue eyes.[/quote]

Okay so I read the previous appy link. Saxon has the full white sclera though his inner white area is more obvious than the other end which only shows if he moves his eyes back and forth. His inner flesny bit you talk about Andrea is totally pink.

Looking at the appy link, Saxon's mottled skin around his eyes and muzzle is very different so I'm assuming the mottling is typical of a palomino. His striped hooves don't look like the appies either. I couldn't get photos as it was raining but I'll try and remember today (if only they lived out in my back paddock and not currently on agistment).

NZ Appaloosas Thu, 05/21/2009 - 20:25

Keep in mind, not all appy hoof striping is as obvious as what's in that link. Those are just really solid examples. And, they can also have fully amber-coloured hooves, with no striping, on "solid" legs (no socks/stockings).

Diane

rabbitsfizz Fri, 05/22/2009 - 13:30

I have a Pinto gelding with one eye full sclera, the other partial, ie he permanently looks wild eyed, but he isn't Appy....
I am wondering if quite a few of the things we have always thought of as denoting Appy are not unique to Appies...stripey hooves, we know come from Silver (and how cool would it be to find we actually could get Red based horses showing stripey hooves caused by Silver??) Sclera we know can come from Sabino and Splash (not sure which, maybe both, as there is no test we have no way of knowing yet) So sclera and stripey hooves, even in a horse of Appy descent, could just as easily indicate Silver and Sabino, as Appy characteristics.....

Dilutes Fri, 05/22/2009 - 21:53

Are the appies generally born with stripey feet? Saxon's were all pink and then a blotch of grey/dull black appeared on his hooves except on his full white hoof. The blotched dull black soon started to turn into stripes. I took some photos a couple of days ago to show but because we'd had some heavy rain Saxon's hooves were rather damp and it's hard to see the stripes. When they're dry and clean it's easier to see them as there is more contrast. They aren't as wedgey as the Silver Site says they should be though.

The weirdest thing I found with Saxon when we got him at 6 months old, was when he was wet you could see he had a big black dinner sized pigment of skin over his rump. His hair wasn't any different in colour but over the month the black patch disappeared. I now know Palominos can be pink skinned as I learnt from the old Equine Board thanks to an EB member. Previous to that, I'd read a Palomino description website that stated they were black skinned, hence my confusion with Saxon. I still wonder why that large black pigment of skin faded to pink? I wonder if he had more black pigment that had faded previous to me buying him. I actually thought when I first saw the pigment he was turning black skinned until everytime I washed him every two weeks (being summer and very humid) I'd see it getting smaller and fading until it was no longer there.

You girls probably know it's nothing unusual and I'm just showing my ignorance :oops: I am trying to learn though :lol:

(Excuse his feet, yes I need to give him a trim and now the weather is better I can).

accphotography Fri, 05/22/2009 - 22:00

You know... I don't know. My filly's solid hoof looks JUST like that. Identical. However she does not have cream so she doesn't have that in common with Saxon... and, she does not have silver. She also has no Appy characteristics whatsoever save for the stripes (and sclera, but she's bald faced). There is no explanation for her stripes that I am aware of. Maybe flaxen does it. Her solid foot is SUUUUPER BLONDE and I have always attributed that to flaxen in my mind, so maybe the hoof stripes are attributed to that as well. So maybe Saxon is flaxen and cream (and silver LOL).

NZ Appaloosas Sat, 05/23/2009 - 00:13

Striped feet fall into the sclera category...it can be caused by more than one thing/found in more than one breed. That's why neither striped feet nor sclera alone qualify a horse for appy regular registration. In the absence of a coat pattern, mottled skin AND either sclera or striped feet are required, but not sclera AND striped feet with no mottled skin.

So, in Saxon's case, the white sock could easily explain the amber hoof. In the striped hoof, does he have any white on that leg at all, no matter how minimal? But having said that, if there were appy there, I would think that there would be more 'dark' to the dark stripes. With Pearl and Ebony, their stripes are more narrow (the 'white' ones that is) which gives their hooves a more grey than black look.

Diane

Dilutes Sat, 05/23/2009 - 02:10

He's so darn light I can't tell if he has actual white hair above the stripey hooves. I'll give his legs a good wash when it's warm enough and post some pics here and see what you all think.

Jenks Sat, 05/23/2009 - 15:16

I have gone from being fine with it, to liking it only on certain horses....A big black eye is hard to beat on a grey. But a blue eye with or without sclera on any color can look good when rimmed in black skin.... pink rims do not have as good contrast, but it's got to be my last thing I'd imagine that I'd really care about. I think the eye just looks bigger when solid (no sclera).

Morgan Sat, 05/23/2009 - 16:08

hooves have the same patterns of pigmentation as the rest of the skin and hair. where the tubules grow out of the coronary band each has a certain pigment. Since some chestnuts have slightly mottled skin, this will show also in the hooves as stripes.

Morgan Sat, 05/23/2009 - 16:54

On her it cound feasibly be the flaxen, since the hoof is pretty much hair and flaxen affects mane and tail...
or maybe sabino

have you looked closely at the skin under her tail bone? the mottling I'm thinking of is not very visible at all, just where the skin is a kind of lighter than black but with little spots that are a shade lighter and darker. like faint freckles.

edit: oh wait, she's a dun right? that's a dilution, could it be making lighter hooves?

accphotography Sat, 05/23/2009 - 17:14

Well her solid hoof's pastern is REALLLLLY blonde, not red at all. She is flaxen... but according to UCD, she isn't dun.

No mottling under her tail. Not even the light freckling. It's BLACK black under there.