My new mare color Q and conformation

[Paula]

Has anyone seen a palomino with a dark tail like this? I am sure that she is palomino because she had a perlino filly this spring. I have never seen a palomino this color but I like it because it is different! Comments on her conformation too. She has Mr San Peppy and Doc Bar on her face papers.Her name is Sweet poco belle
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[Inyureye]

I had a palomino who looked like her - the tail wasn't as dark, but there was a dark core to his blonde tail similar to hers but not as much dark. He also had a very light dorsal stripe, but he was a palomino, alright. I dunno his breeding, I actually leased him for several years and if he had papers, his owner had them. His back was a little shorter than hers, and legs slightly longer but otherwise very similar conformation. No other comment on the tail, lets see what others say.

[AppyLady]

Not all palominos are the stereotypical golden color with white manes and tails.
This horse is a palomino...

[mcc4ever]

I thought by definition a palomino had to be some version of gold with lighter mane or tail, I can see where the above mare could be palomino even with the darker tail, but I'm not understanding how the app is palomino at all. It looks sorrel to me. Can you explain?

[Paula]

Do you have other shots of the appy? That looks very sorrel from the shots and lighting? How do you know she is palomino, has she produced colored foals or have you had her tested for cream? I have seen very chocolate pallys but from the picture that just looks sorrel. The definition of palomino is a red based horse with one cream gene. On the other side people used to argue about my mare being paly until she had a perlino foal by a buckskin stallion proving that she did indeed carry a cream gene.

[Inyureye]

Mcc4ever, you are on the right track with palomino, which IS a sorrell (chestnut) with a creme modifier, lightening the package. (I think - always take my comments on genes with a big lick of salt - I tend to sound more knowlegable than I is, and I am not an expert here...) The appy looks sorrell to me, as well, although I don't see where the creme gene is expressed. Someone with more genetics info than me might comment.

Now that you bring it to my attention that palomino is at base a sorrell, it would make sense if there are some darker tails in palominos - more chestnutty - still palomino, genetically, though.

[mcc4ever]

So we agree on our genetics as to the creation of palomino, sorrel/chestnut with a single cream gene. Which is why I can understand the gold horse above being palomino. And I suppose the lighting on the appy could be poor, but unless one of its parents is a double dilute or it has produced a double dilute when crossed on a buckskin or palomino I'm not sure how they can say for certain that it is also a palomino. I've seen some very chocolate palomino's but I still think this horse looks sorrel in that pic. Without being argumentative I can't wait to see what the reply's will bring, and I'm hoping some of the color experts will jump in here.

[summerhorse]

Yes a palomino can have a dark mane and/or tail (or self colored). That (they believe) is the sooty gene at work. They can also start out light and darken with age. The mare certainly looks palomino. A lot more palominos probably have/had darker mane tails than we ever guessed thanks to something called peroxide... The appy picture is really too dark for me to tell for sure but it LOOKS sorrel.
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[AppyLady]

Okay, here are more pictures of the palomino Appaloosa, but you won't like these any better! (Sorry about the poor quality of the scanned photos.)





This is a good example of what "sooty" can do to a palomino. I didn't see this horse as a foal, but I was told he was born palomino and later developed the sootiness. As a stallion, he sired several palominos out of non-cream mares. All of the ones I saw were clear palomino with no sooty.

[Paula]

I can see that he is sooty in those pictures The first picture is just to dark to see his actual color. He is one of the darkest I have ever seen. But on his tail and mane he is still white where he is not sooty..my mare has a gold tail no white at all and that is what I have never seen on a palomino. And she is not sooty anywhere very clear pure gold all over except the bottom of her tail which is chestnut to chocolate color,possible sooty? don't know if it would only affect the tail?. O and nobody is telling me conformation critique.

[onewildhoss]

in my opinion, she looks a little heavier on the front end than she does the rear, but that could just be the angle of the camera. You never can tell. It is very difficult to tell what her neck looks like in the photos. In one it appears very thick, but in another it looks to tie in nicely, and appears clean through the throatlatch. Not halter clean, but clean, none the less. Her shoulder angle is a tad steep, but I have definately seen worse in the conformation department. Overall, I would say she is a nice mare. Not a halter horse, but a nice using horse type. And I love her color! Were it not for the perlino baby, I would never have guessed her as pally
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[Paula]

No I don't think she could ever be a halter horse. She is only 14.2. That first picture is decieving on her neck as she is turned toward the camera, I just liked that picture because it caught more of her natural color.. She is really hard to photograph color wise. Her neck is very clean, I don't know how it could be any cleaner. I am going to work on her hind end muscling when it warms up a little and when finals are over.I rode her the other day and we chased a few calves, boy,I have never rode a horse so quick!! she is like a corvette, I had to be ready or she would leave me hanging in the air LOL. Thanks for your critique!!

[summerhorse]

Yeah you can tell from the new pictures that the appy is a sooty palomino. He's cool!
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