What makes a dapple

Some might show dapples only in their youth, while others might show them only later in life in fact, sooty also tends to become stronger with age.

Some mares will dapple when pregnant, and not at any other time. While not all horses will dapple, one seemingly clear link is fitness. Horses with a predisposition for dapples will show them while in excellent health, if they have a good balance of trace minerals and omega-3 fatty acids.

This provides a good coat quality, and thus, makes the dapples clearer. Though there seems to be a clear connection between good nutrition and dapples, this is not always true, as some horses will show them even when malnourished or sick. What is certain is that they look very beautiful, and can be a striking visual effect in those lucky ones who have them. The occurrence of silver dapple in horses. Veterinarija ir zootechnika, S Kaps, BM Spiess. Pferdeheilkunde, S Rieder.

Molecular tests for coat colours in horses. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Share on Facebook. Sadly, double dapples can be sickly dogs and have all sorts of health issues.

This is because breeding two dapple Dachshunds actually passes on the recessive gene for white markings, which creates conformation, vision and hearing issues in the Dachshund. Double dapple Dachshunds usually have big patches of white fur with splotches of the dapple pattern over it.

Some will have more white in their coat than others, but most have it on their neck, paws, nose and tail. While this might look pretty, white fur is associated with severe health defects in Dachshunds and may cause major health problems for them.

The dapple pattern itself is usually more intricate than with single dapple Dachshunds, almost like two different patterns intertwining with each other with a multicoloured effect. Because of the recessive gene, double dapple Dachshunds may have blue eyes.

They might have one eye blue and one dark, or both eyes might be blue. Some double dapples will have two dark eyes, just like Dachshunds with regular colours or patterns. Dachshunds usually have deep tan or cream markings over their eyes, but with double dapples you might see a lack of pigmentation around the eyes.

Just like with the single dapple Dachshunds, double dapples can either be very striking or quite subtle. The dapple markings are particularly hard to spot on cream or red coloured Dachshunds. Sadly, 1 in 4 double dapple Dachshund puppies has health problems related to the recessive gene. So it really is a huge issue that these poor dogs are still being bred irresponsibly for their rare or beautiful coats.

Here are some of the health issues double dapple Dachshunds suffer with:. In some instances, the double dapple Dachshund puppies are born with an eye missing or no eyes at all. Double dapple Dachshunds often have sight problems related to their eye deformities or another congenital eye defect, which can lead to varying degrees of blindness and even total blindness.

The double dapple Dachshunds may have deformed ears, which can lead to hearing problems and ongoing issues. Some poor double dapple Dachshund puppies are born with one or both ears missing.

Not only is this heartbreaking, but there are also the ongoing vet bills to manage the condition. As you can see, the main issues for double dapple Dachshunds are with their hearing and eyesight. Some definitely have it worse than others, and some double dapple Dachshunds may be born with no health defects at all.

Are dapples possible? I have known more than a few horses that show dapples in the summer, but not winter, or some that dapple in the winter, but not summer, and even a few that only show dapples when they are clipped, and some that will have their dapples clipped off with a body clip. My VERY unscientific observations have no conclusions for you. I can also tell you that you are more likely to see dapples on gray or bay horses.

For you redhead lovers out there, you will probably just have to enjoy your horse looking like a newly minted penny. I wanted to also do a bit more research about dapples, so I chatted with Dr.