Horse suddenly gained white spots?

StarlightMagic

StarlightMagic

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 February 2011
Messages
379
Visit site
581975_3780078134634_963288763_n.jpg


What could these be? :confused: My 26 year old mare has suddenly gained them on her side!! Bit old for a colour change :p
 
Birdcatcher spots.

Common in Arabs and TBs and chestnuts. They come and go. Zara Phillip's Toytown has them, as does my boy.

obibirdcatcher.jpg
 
Ah thank you :) Never noticed them on her before and had her 9 years but first time for everything! Are they just random or do they indicate any problems?
 
Obi first developed them in his early teens. I completely freaked out and got the vet as I thought they could be a virus/liver problem etc :o :D

Vet (very experienced equestrian specialist) looked at me like I was mad and muttered that he had no idea what they are :p.

Then I found out about birdcatcher spots.....

They come and go with the summer coat. Some years he has looked like a skewbald with patches in his tail, some years he just has the odd spot.

If you Google, you'll see plenty of pics of other horses.
 
micah had them too. the Birdcatcher is only a theory and some dispute it, but don't offer any other theory

All I know is they say it is not vit/min balance. However within weeks of feeding a a multivit/min they nearly all vanished
 
soulfull said:
micah had them too. the Birdcatcher is only a theory and some dispute it, but don't offer any other theory

All I know is they say it is not vit/min balance. However within weeks of feeding a a multivit/min they nearly all vanished
Click to expand...

I must say that this summer, Obi has much less spots than usual (the pic I posted is an older one) and I have been feeding balanced minerals since last August.

I can't really comment on whether diet has made a difference as he has been diagnosed with rampant Cushings this spring and he is still a bit wooly.

It's worth considering diet though, as you say. We know that copper deficiency is what causes dark coats to bleach out in the sun and the red tips on dark manes.....

I'd be quite sad if improving his diet has meant the lack of spots :(. I rather liked them :o.

Toytown has it listed on his Wiki page as part of his colour - I would expect he had one of the best diets around? :D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toytown_(horse)
 
I have a spotty (on and off) liver chestnut sec B who is very arab-looking. His mum had them, too - also on and off.

Spot2.jpg


Spot3.jpg


Spot1-1.jpg


I rather like it but was very worried when his face did this

CIMG0494.jpg


And the pin-pricks spread and converged, looking like vitiligo. However, they went back to their original dark skin and even a very large area of pink under his cheekpiece recoloured, mostly.
 
Last edited:
I have a grey dun Highland who has these white spots mostly over one side of her body. She has really unusual colouring, grey dun body with white spots, a freckled face, a really well defined dorsal stripe and black/dark grey legs.
I've never heard the term birdcatcher spots but have seen them before on a chestnut.
 
Mine has them and he is a very unaraby welsh cob type! The first one appeared where he had been bit by another horse and he now has about 5 old penny sized ones he's 23 and they have appeared in the last few years, iv owned him for 17 years. The first appeared when in the Midlands on rich sandstone Soil and more now up North on poor clay soil so Im dubious that its diet related. In the book Black Beauty the horse has one on his neck that his former boy groom identifies him by as an old horse (15 in the book!).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top