 Dorsal Stripes
Dun Morgan stallion "Zeke" shows
off his dorsal stripe, courtesy of Nancy
Nard, Ragtime Morgans, where
he was standing on lease.
Ah, dorsal stripes. Welcome to the land of ambiguity. |
Dorsal = along the back (spine).
Stripe = clear, sharp-edged line, not an area of blurry shading.
While the stripe needs to have sharp edges, it does not need to be
unbroken; also, it can have body color hairs mixed in, or dividing it into two
or more stripes. Lots of photos, below.
NOTICE: the author of this web site has just seen a photo of a
Breyer model horse with a dun stripe divided in an unrealistic way.
For examples of REAL dorsal stripes that divide, see the photos below
(and anywhere else there are photos of live, dun horses).
p.s. the horse model in question is a pinto or paint, but
that does not change the way dun is expressed; the white markings simply
erase all color (pigment) in the skin and hair where they occur.
One person has posted a photo of this model here:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/fullsize/2841048070058133436lOvcbl
This is not a realistic pattern. See real divided dorsal stripe photos
below. |
Some horses that have no markings other than a dorsal
stripe are duns.
This statement is based on their ability to pass on more "standard" dun
markings,
and now, also, on their testing positive for dun.
Some horses are born with beautiful, dark, clear, sharp dorsal stripes
that go away
within a few months or years and never return.
Some return occasionally. Some even stay.
So far, horses with these last two kinds of dorsal stripes have not been
accepted as "duns". We hope to find out what they are, and how
the trait is inherited, in each case that "breaks the rules" for dun.
Update: at least one palomino that has an "on & off", faint dorsal
stripe,
and no leg barring, has tested positive for dun.
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BELOW: these pictures of various duns' dorsal stripes should give
the viewer a well-rounded concept of what the backs of dun horses can look like.
And not.
For the sake of clarity, we're only showing dorsal from horses that also
have leg markings,
unless otherwise indicated.
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This is Kiger Cougar, a famous dun Kiger Mustang
who has won everything from reining to endurance, and now lives at
Kentucky Horse Park as part of the Parade of Breeds. He has nice leg
barring. His dorsal stripe dwindles away to
almost nothing over his withers, and appears split in two by body-color
hairs over his rump. Shown with his rider,
Jennifer (list member).
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dorsal stripe on Holly, owned by list member
Mary Haas of Haas
QH's
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dorsal stripe on Ricki, owned by list member
Mary Haas of Haas
QH's
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Sassy's dorsal stripe, owned by list member
Mary Haas of Haas
QH's
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Fuzzy foal dorsal stripe and mature version on Wesand Chex,
previously owned by list member
Mary Haas of Haas
QH's
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These
pics from list member Patricia
Jansen in the Netherlands. It appears that this horse's dark, dorsal
stripe hairs shed or grow in at a different rate than its other hairs!
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Marjena Bass' dun QH stallion, Go Copper Glo. Note unusual
"break" or "zig" in dorsal.
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This filly, Honey, is being considered for purchase by list member
Mary Haas. It appears to me that she is a flaxen red dun, but there
is some disagreement about this. She is said not to have any leg
markings; I think this might change when she gets her glossy, summer coat.
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Click these pics to see actual size.
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This
young red dun mare has an amazingly dark dorsal stripe. Wonder what
color she would have been without the dun gene? For sale by Sally
Creger.
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"2003 'Rev' grullo/roan colt 88-89% NFQHA He has a triple
dorsal, lots of striping on his legs, neck and shoulders and cob webbing
on his forhead. Sire: Nitros Revenue, a grullo Driftwood/Poco Bueno
bred horse Dam: Blu Beary Chex (grullo/roan)" FOR SALE!
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Look at the incredible markings on this colt, including a TRIPLE
AND TRIPLE WIDE DORSAL STRIPE! It is believed by some
that this effect is caused by extreme "fishboning", the lines that come
out perpendicular to the dorsal stripe on a strongly-marked horse.
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Home / Up / Dorsal / Legs / Shoulder & neck / Face / Ears / Eyes |
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click HERE.
This web site created with delight by
Hippo-Logistics
© 2010 Barbara A. Kostelnik |
