Brindle Horses
(Donkeys and Mules too!)

Bits N Pieces

A brindle filly born this year, pictured above at 10 weeks, is for sale for $5,000 for those interested in acquiring a brindle horse. She is by the liver chestnut stallion FORCE ONE (AQHA 2285563, son of Mr. TroubleStep) and out of the 15.1 h, 12 year old, red dun mare SUNNYS COPPERTONE (AQHA 1372677) by Sonny Superman. The dam is also for sale bred back to the same stallion for $3,500. Of her three foals by FORCE ONE, one is the brindle pictured above, one is red dun, and the other is a washy chestnut with an "oil dribble" on one shoulder. They haven't sent me pictures of the last horse, but it sounds like it might be a partial brindle pattern, so the dam bred back to the same stallion might be a pretty good deal. If you are interested, the owner is Mike Fischer [redacted, contact at webmaster@pasturepost.com]. He does not have e-mail, but you can direct inquiries through a neighbor's e-mail.

Thanks to all of you who have been sending me reports of brindles. I am working on an update of the table which will include all the new reports. I am back in school now that my daughter can drive herself, and will be incorporating this into a project for one of my classes, so in a few months I should have the updates completed.

Registries

There is a new registry for brindle horses started by Anita Garza in 1998 called the Brindle and Striped Equine International. She is registering brindle, heavy dun factor, "netting", horses, zebra hybrids, zebras, donkeys, mules, ponies, etc. She says her registry will have a Register of Merit awards program. Contact her for more detailed information at [redacted, contact at webmaster@pasturepost.com], e-mail, Anita Garza, 11819 Puska, Needville, Texas, 77461.

Some brindle horses can be registered with the IBHA as "brindle dun". They have had the category "brindle dun" since approximately 1971. Unfortunately they aren't able to produce a list of horses registered as this color since most occurred prior to computer searches being generally available. Visit their website for more information, or contact: [redacted, contact at webmaster@pasturepost.com], International Buckskin Horse Association, PO Box 268, Shelby, IN 46377.

The International Striped Horse Association started by Mary Jagow in 1988 has been closed in March 1999 as per Mary Jagow.

Brindle Horses Slideshow

This slideshow was last updated November 4, 1998. To see if new pictures were added since the last time you were here, you may have to "refresh" or "reload" your screen. Remember, these photos in the slideshow are for informational purposes only, in order to educate people on how variations in the Brindle pattern can look. Most of these photos are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without permission. There is a link at the bottom of the page to a photo that can be printed out and distributed to your friends if you wish. If you have trouble with the slideshow, the pictures can also be viewed through our Table of Brindles. The photos on the table, even though small, take a while to load because they are links to larger photos, and the larger photos are the ones that are being loaded. However, you can scroll down and read the table, and click on the unloaded photo box to jump to that larger picture if you wish. If it shows the photo as being not found, it is one of the photos I haven't completed yet.

Click picture to start slideshow ---->>
Some browers may not play the show automatically, so you may need to click each picture to proceed. Also, you may just click each picture if you want to scroll faster through pictures you have already seen.

You Can Help !

We are looking for other Brindle Horses, or information on the Brindle pattern, for a study. Brindle in Horses is very rare. Most people are more familiar with the Brindle pattern in Dogs or Cattle. If you come across any Brindle Horses, or information on the pattern in reference to horses alive or deceased, please let us know.

Click this type to go to our section of unnamed horses, and click each picture to continue. Please see if you can recognize any of these horses. The first three unnamed photographs were probably taken around 1978 to 1980 by Chuck VanHorn of Cave Creek, Arizona, to make a slideshow presentation demonstrating various colors and markings for the International Buckskin Horse Association. Unfortunately, names of the various horses were not recorded. The next two unnamed photographs were taken of Bavarian Warmbloods in 1989 by Evelyn Simak. If you recognize any of these horses, please contact us.

General Information

The first record of the Brindle Pattern in Horses seems to be by J.A. Lusis, in the publication Genetica vol.23, 1942. In the article on "Striping Patterns in Domestic Horses", he details a Russian cab horse from around the 1800's, that was preserved and put in the Zoological Museum of the Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R., in Leningrad. I believe the horse is now in the Natural History Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. If anyone has connections to do research in Russia, we could use more detailed information on this horse, if it is available in their archives. The most recent book mentioning the Brindle Pattern, is Phil Sponenberg's new book on Equine Color Genetics, 1996, Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa, 50014. Another good book on genetics, is Ann Bowling's new book Horse Genetics, 1996, CAB International, available thru Oxford University Press, 2001 Evans Rd, Cary, North Carolina, 27513.

Brindle has occurred in such diverse breeds as Arabians, Thoroughbreds, Mustangs, Quarter Horses, Bavarian Warmbloods, Russian Horses, Spanish Horses, and supposedly also in the Netherlands. Sometimes the pattern seems to be composed of dark hair (black or brown), sometimes of white hair (roan). Since so little information is available on the Brindle pattern in horses, we are not sure if they are from the same gene or not. There could be several genes involved, producing similar patterns (much as pinto/paint spotting can result from several different genes). Many people confuse Dun Factor markings (stripe down the back, barring on the legs) with brindle. Indeed, there have been many examples of horses that were probably carrying both genes. However, the Russian cab horse, and the Brindle mare on the far right in the photo you can click the highlighted type to see, do not have any Dun Factor markings whatsoever. Click highlighted type to compare Dun Factor and Brindle. Brindle horses also have texturing in their coat, similar to that seen in some Appaloosa horses. The pattern seems to be inheritable, especially in terms of coat texturing, but the expression of the darker or more intense pigment to make the pattern visible is highly variable, and even varies with individual horses seasonally / yearly. However, before we start drawing too many conclusions about the pattern, we need to locate more examples for a study.

Update & Contact Information

Written information was last updated © August 20, 1999. When returning to this site, remember to select the refresh or reload icon from your internet explorer tool bar at the top of the screen, so your screen will reload the latest information. The address of this web site is https://www.brindlehorses.com

You may e-mail me at webmaster@pasturepost.com Click here to e-mail me!

You may also contact me: [redacted, contact at webmaster@pasturepost.com], J. Sharon Batteate, PO Box 8535, Stockton, CA 95208 USA
Click this type for a picture of a Brindle Horse with contact information you can print.

Unless otherwise noted, the articles on this site are by J. Sharon Batteate webmaster@pasturepost.com The pictures and information on this site are for informational purposes, in order to educate people on the Brindle pattern. The pictures and information on this site are copyrighted. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright holders.