The Surprising Reason Domesticated Horses Have White Markings!

Comments · 696

• SC

  @ScienceofRaisingHorses · 1 year ago (edited) · pinned

  We have a WINNER: By far the most common comment is mentioning the fact that there are mammals in the wild that DO have white pattern.<br><br>They have very set pattern; the same coloration very similar from one individual &nbsp;in the same species : think of the Orca with their definite spots of white, or the zebra with their individual but very much similar pattern. <br><br><br>So yes indeed they do have white. A lot of them are predators and most of our domesticated species are not maybe that has an impact on the survival of animals in the wild with white that are not associated with detrimental mutations.<br><br>Main point however is this: &nbsp;Yes, Pandas, Orcas, Skunks, Zebras were never domesticated, neither were &nbsp;the wild dogs of Africa. Animals that WERE domesticated dominantly, for the most part show more white pattern then their wild counterpart species THAT is the point that is being made. <br>This statement doesn&apos;t mean that its the ONLY reason animals can have white.<br> <br>As mentioned by others, some mammals adapt to winter condition by stoping the production of melamine in their fur, an adaptation to arctic climate so they can blend in.<br><br>Thank you for all of you pointing this out and commenting. I like that you are thinking critically about things and asking questions. Wonderfull!!

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• NA

  @NalaRichenbach · 1 year ago

  Famous Thoroughbred breeder and racehorse owner, Ogden Phipps, in 1971 turned down a chestnut colt with three white socks in favor of a filly with no white on her. Phipps felt that horses with white on their legs were weak in comparison to horses with solid-colored legs and dark hooves. What he actually did was give away 1973 Triple Crown winner, Secretariat, in favor of a solid-colored filly who couldn&apos;t run. ALL because he did not like horses with white on their legs.

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• KA

  @kaylahbkitty9691 · 1 year ago

  Very cool that some domesticated foxes started developing curly tails and floppy ears just like a dog.

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• RA

  @rainydays4673 · 1 year ago

  There was a video about a Russian fox fur farm. They did an experiment and bred for less aggression toward humans. Within 7-8 generations they had tame pet foxes. As a unexpected result the coat colors changed, as temperment and hair color were connected. Fascinating video!

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• GE

  @GeeNoniGee · 1 year ago

  That&apos;s why I kept my blonde and white tuxie kitty inside for 19 years. He had SUCH a fun life! If I&apos;d let him go outside, he would&apos;ve been coyote/eagle food.<br>My neighbor&apos;s cat was about 15 when she passed, and she was a mostly outdoor kitty who never got hurt, but she was the shade of a pine cone, my boy looked like a big Twinkie.

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• FL

  @Flugkaninchen · 1 year ago

  I noticed that markings in the legs are extremely rare on Icelanders, even though they come in all colours. <br>I wonder if that is because they are genetically closer to wild horses or simply because of selective breeding, because judging the gaits is much easier when all four legs have the same colour.

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• SA

  @sarahb.6475 · 1 year ago

  I never realized that white in horses (or other animals) was linked to domestication. I did know that white socks often go with the chestnut color - I remember looking that up as I had noticed on the ranch all three chestnut horses (who looked very similar) had white socks. The markings were useful to tell them apart. <br><br>I didn&apos;t know there were people cloning &nbsp;horses!

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• HA

  @hag8752 · 1 year ago

  I have an all white cat, blue eyed baby, he goes limp when you pick him up and purrs when you look at him. He can feel you thinking of petting him and he will start purring and kneading

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• DB

  @dbmail545 · 1 year ago (edited)

  I bred Catahoula curr dogs for a decade. People interested in the breed are interested in the divers coloration of the dogs so I studied and experimented with coloration. There seems to be a &quot;default&quot; coloration of dogs, the coloration they will have if no &quot;color&quot; &nbsp;overpowers it. Black and tan with white blaze seems to be it and I jokingly call &quot;the right color&quot;. Breeding a &quot;leopard&quot; color with another leopard is a good way to get a litter of puppies where one-quarter of them are deaf. The best litters with all heathy puppies and still with some leopards are bred from a leopard and a &quot;solid&quot;.

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• DO

  @DoubleDogDare54 · 1 year ago

  One color variation you didn’t mention was Appaloosa/Knabstrupper. That’s got to be complicated considering all the variations!

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• GN

  @gnome5676 · 1 year ago

  In my opinion theres nothing sweeter than white socks. i love them on cats and horses, they are so cute.

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• PA

  @payntpot7623 · 1 year ago

  That will explain why some purebred Dingos have white stockings on front legs sometimes. &nbsp; I have long wondered about this. &nbsp; &nbsp;It must go back to when they first entered Australia alongside the early peoples who settled there tens of thousands of years ago(40,000 or 50,000?). &nbsp; &nbsp;Wow.

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