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Discussion on Horse is developing spots!?
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Member:
kaylab
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Posted on Tuesday, Apr 22, 2008 - 10:40 pm:
I have a dark bay 15yo Hanoverian gelding. Last year, when he shed out, there were some white spots on his coat that had not previously been there.
Only one spot could be theoretically explained by saddle pressure. But since he has quite a few of those spots in places where there is no pressure, I don't think that explains what's going on.
Now that he's shed out, there is a brand new area (more than a spot) with a bunch of white hair, but most of them are spots ranging from dime sized to quarter sized.
It's the weirdest thing I've ever seen.
Disease? Nutritional issue? My friends all say they've never seen anything like this. The spots are few and far between. I don't think we're in danger of him becoming an appaloosa anytime soon.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008 - 6:08 am:
Hello Kayla,
This is not a uncommon phenomena as long as otherwise the horse is in good health this is unlikely to be a disease process. Run a search on "bird spots" or "bird catcher spots" for many other such reports.
DrO
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Member:
kathleen
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008 - 8:53 am:
Kayla,
My arab chestnut mare Mona, age 22, started getting those spots when she was a youngster, can't remember her age. She still has the original spot and it always appears to be just a little larger each year plus she has new ones occasionally. They never grow large but always reappear with the spring hair shed. The color also seems to intensify as time goes on. What started as a few hairs progresses into a full blown spot at some point.
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008 - 9:52 am:
Greatttt, and i can buy a spot lately in my program.. 
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with SPOTS..
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Member:
leilani
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008 - 5:02 pm:
How odd, my Anuhea (sorrel QH) has been developing spots also and none in areas that could be explained as poor saddle fit. Thanks Dr O, they do look like a Mynah bird (and birds do perch on the horses at times) had landed on her. Interesting...
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Member:
erika
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008 - 8:15 pm:
We've discussed these spots before on HA. They are called "Birdcatcher spots" because they are named after Birdcatcher, a well-known Thoroughbred race horse in his day that sported white spots.
Random black spots can also occur, they are called "Bend O'er spots" for the same reason--named after the racehorse known to have had them.
Erika
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Member:
kaylab
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008 - 9:18 pm:
I would have figured they were birdcatchers because they look like bird poop splatters. ;-)
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Member:
jowidner
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008 - 10:47 pm:
I think that there was an article about birdcatcher spots in Equus a while back. Does anyone else remember that?
My horses get birdsplatter spots every spring courtesy of our barn swallows 
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Member:
paul303
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 24, 2008 - 12:11 am:
I have a QH mare with TB blood. She is a chestnut that also exhibits these round white spots. They have increased in number as she gets older. I have to say that most of the get of her sire exhibits these spots.
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 24, 2008 - 9:45 am:
I didn't know the spots could show up so late in a horses life.
I think they make the spots make the horse look distinctive.
Laurie
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Member:
maximum
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 24, 2008 - 7:00 pm:
I have a gelding who develops white in several areas, always changing. Sometimes he has white rings around his eyes, sometimes not, they will come and go in a period of a few months. Dime size spots come and go also, anywhere he gets a nick, cut or large fly bite. But they fade away to appear elsewhere another day.
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Member:
joann
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008 - 11:22 am:
Hi, don't know what parts of the world others are in but I'm in So. Cal and my Arab mare also has white spots on her Chestnut color. I was told it could be related to Circulation problem but I can't seem to find any record of that on this site. If anyone gets new info please post. Thanks. Jo
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008 - 12:14 pm:
One of our horses, an Arab, also has a few of these spots. They are about half the size of a dime. He's had them for years. I was told it was due to fungus of some kind, but found that hard to believe. He hasn't developed any new ones for a very long time and only has a few.
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Member:
muffi
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008 - 10:09 pm:
My chestnut has a huge ben-d- or but it is not black but Brown - on his butt. and he is developing some small white areas - he is coming 9 this year - by not means old yet. I can see what looks to be the very slight beginning of a roany appearance on his butt.
we discussed this last year if I remember.
I put in some pictures of the Ben d'or on his butt
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Member:
muffi
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Posted on Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008 - 10:10 pm:
what I forgot to just add was that I think all those color spots ar COOL Looking!
total individuality - really neat
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