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Bend-or spots

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:41 pm
by Cree
My OTTB has them on his body, I finally figured out what they were. He's a chestnut.
I would like to take pictures to share, will do that when the weather is nice.

Can anyone explain them?

Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 12:03 pm
by karenkarenn
I am sure that there are others out there that know more about genetics than I. But I can tell you that the Ben d' Or spot from what I know are from the horse Ben D'Or. They are in Quarterhorses and Paints that have Ben D' Or in them. I do know from personal experience that it can occur in Chestnuts, bays, dark bays, sorrels.
I don't know how such a gene is passed on for such a long period of time and I believe Big Brown has a Ben d' Or spot too. I could be wrong though. But it is a genetic question for someone who knows alot more about coloring and how it could be passed on from Doncaster- Ben D'Or sire who looks like a chestnut or sorrel.I do know that some can be dark and some can be white.

http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/BendOr.html
http://www.theequinest.com/bend-or-spots/

Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 3:29 pm
by Cree
He's registered a chestnut, but my Quarter Horse friend told me he looks more like a sorrel. Whatever that means! I have no idea. Thanks.
I was just curious about them, they are very unique and people ask me all the time about the spots.

Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 3:30 pm
by karenkarenn
Sorrel just means that he has more red than chestnut

Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 3:33 pm
by Linda_d
Cree wrote:He's registered a chestnut, but my Quarter Horse friend told me he looks more like a sorrel. Whatever that means! I have no idea. Thanks.
I was just curious about them, they are very unique and people ask me all the time about the spots.


That probably means he's a very reddish chestnut. Westerners/QH folks frequently call reddish chestnuts "sorrel" while darker chestnuts are just "chestnuts". TB folks call all reddish horses without black points chestnuts.

Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 4:04 pm
by ElPrado
We had a chestnut OTTB that was so red he was like a tomato. He had a tattoo, also. We got him from a kill auction. It took us a while to get him healthy. He was skin and bones. If I could have found his previous owner I would have gone for him with a pitch fork. He was a sweet, gentle horse. Once we got him fed up and retrained he was a great pleasure horse. He really was beautiful.

Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 7:37 pm
by Bast
ElPrado wrote:We had a chestnut OTTB that was so red he was like a tomato. He had a tattoo, also. We got him from a kill auction. It took us a while to get him healthy. He was skin and bones. If I could have found his previous owner I would have gone for him with a pitch fork. He was a sweet, gentle horse. Once we got him fed up and retrained he was a great pleasure horse. He really was beautiful.


People like that will reincarnate as neglected horses, the way cat hating abusers will come back as small rodents.

Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 12:55 am
by xfactor fan
In the west red chestnuts with light manes and tails are called sorrel. The rest of the country calls all red/liver horses chestnut. It is a regional thing, and somewhat breed specific.

Bend Or spots are dark spots on a chestnut or palomino horse. Bend Or ( or Tadcaster) had them. Birdcatcher spots are white spots on a otherwise solid coat. Big Ben had something else. And other horses in his family tree also had that white shoulder patch.

Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 1:40 pm
by Cree
Thanks for the replies.
My gelding is a chestnut with a more reddish tint, but his mane and tail are almost maroon. He also turns a honey colour from the sun in the summer.