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Interesting photo! ...fur looks like WARTS!

Heidi January 15, 2010 February 22, 2011

Forums

I just came across this at HorseCity! http://forums.horsecity.com/index.php?showtopic=47059951" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; She is in New Mexico and I *think* these horses may be feral/wild/mustang - whatever term you'd like to use? [img]http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss79/kdrown_photos/100_1921_00.jpg[/…]

Heidi Fri, 01/15/2010 - 10:57

Roswell [i]IS[/i] in New Mexico! :shock:

I *think* this colt/filly(?) looks this way because it is a cold day and the sun was shining. My theory is: The white fur is flat and the black fur is fluffed to regulate his/her body temperature ... white fur flat to not trap heat and black fur fluffed to not have the absorbed heat from the sun overly warm the skin beneath. Perhaps also, when fluffed that much the fur allows heat to drift up/away, out of the hair fibers that would normally keep it trapped close to the skin.
Just guessing.

Dogrose Fri, 01/15/2010 - 12:40

I don't know- look at dalmatians, when they have a black mismarked patch the fur is longer and thicker than the rest of the coat (the usual black spots aren't the same as black markings on a different breed of dog, they are part of the white, I guess like ink spots? They have the same length and texture as the white hairs). I vaguely remember seeing a tobiano with a similar effect in its coat, with the coloured coat longer than the white. Or maybe appaloosa inhibits hair growth, and the effect happens more with the lighter hairs than the darker ones?

Heidi Fri, 01/15/2010 - 19:28

[quote="Dogrose"]Or maybe appaloosa inhibits hair growth, and the effect happens more with the lighter hairs than the darker ones?[/quote]
Well, I *had* thought that, but my 'theory' got blown out of the water.

My own Appy had longer WHITE hair in the blanket part of his winter-coat. I figured this was because he needed the extra length of the white hair to help hold in body heat because the dark hair absorbed and white hair reflected, so he had to have that extra length to keep warm all over.
Then someone blew that out of the water with an Appy whose hair was opposite: Longer dark hair and shorter white hair.

Well, one thing about Appys....they can always make me wanna pull MY hair out! :lol: