Horse Racing Forum - USA Thoroughbred Races

Picking up on the California Chrome thread in the Racing forum, and comments in the linked article that mention white hooves being more difficult to maintain

Bookman wrote:I realize that there are various variations of this old saying that contradict it, but.......................

One white foot, buy him; two white feet, try him, three white feet, look well about him; four white feet, go without him

Special shoes keep California Chrome's feet comfy

http://www.drf.com/news/special-shoes-k ... feet-comfy

It's my perception, (perhaps incorrect) that white markings are generally becoming more common and more extensive than they were in past decades.

Is this the result of certain sire lines achieving prominence, or have advances in hoof management allowed for more of these horses to run successfully, or?

In recent times, it seems like people's tastes have created a demand for flashy-looking (as in, lots of 'chrome') horses. And since we now have better ways of dealing with soft hooves, maybe those horses aren't being winnowed out of the breeding pool as much as they used to be.
Now, is that a good thing? Or are horses, TBs included, suffering from human manipulation get a certain LOOK, to the detriment of a breed's overall health? Soft hooves are one problem...Lethal White Syndrome is another.

You can find flashy horses from almost any sire line. But the most prominent lines seem to throw flashy horses. Could it all be from Discovery? He seems to be the closest common denominator in the lines. He was a chestnut with a big blaze. Its next to impossible to find a horse without one cross, let alone 5 crosses, to Northern Dancer, Seattle Slew, Mr. Prospector, or Secretariat. The Blushing Groom line has some flashy horses though and he is doesn't have Discovery, so could it just be Phalaris? He is the tail male of almost all TBs.

BaroqueAgain1 wrote:In recent times, it seems like people's tastes have created a demand for flashy-looking (as in, lots of 'chrome') horses. And since we now have better ways of dealing with soft hooves, maybe those horses aren't being winnowed out of the breeding pool as much as they used to be.
Now, is that a good thing? Or are horses, TBs included, suffering from human manipulation get a certain LOOK, to the detriment of a breed's overall health? Soft hooves are one problem...Lethal White Syndrome is another.

These are race horses, not show ponies. Flashy markings have nothing to do with people's taste. Northern Dancer had a lot of white, which has nothing to do with the fact that he was a champion race horse and a breed changing sire.

If Tapit were purple, we'd be seeing purple yearlings topping the sales and winning all the stakes races, and it would have nothing to do with the fact they were a pretty shade of purple.

Now I want a Purple Tapit foal...

Someone here is a fabulous study of color and sabino.

BaroqueAgain1 wrote:In recent times, it seems like people's tastes have created a demand for flashy-looking (as in, lots of 'chrome') horses. And since we now have better ways of dealing with soft hooves, maybe those horses aren't being winnowed out of the breeding pool as much as they used to be.
Now, is that a good thing? Or are horses, TBs included, suffering from human manipulation get a certain LOOK, to the detriment of a breed's overall health? Soft hooves are one problem...Lethal White Syndrome is another.

Lethal white comes from being homozygous for frame overo, which other than a couple horses in Europe, I don't think we see in TBs. A foal can be homozygous for sabino and be unaffected, which is what most of these guys are.

Secretariat didn't seem too bothered by all his white. I'm sure he's another factor in the genetics of the flashy horses coming along today.

I'm sorry if I was not clear in my post...when talking about genetic problems like Lethal White, I was talking about other breeds who are bred for a particular look, not necessarily TBs.
I do see some Sport Horse breeders who have flashy TB stallions to create horses who have unusual coloring and flashy markings...looks like there is a market for those horses based on appearance.
My questions are: Are horses being bred for flashy coloring and markings; and does that goal sometimes create genetic problems for the horses?

BaroqueAgain1 wrote:I'm sorry if I was not clear in my post...when talking about genetic problems like Lethal White, I was talking about other breeds who are bred for a particular look, not necessarily TBs.
I do see some Sport Horse breeders who have flashy TB stallions to create horses who have unusual coloring and flashy markings...looks like there is a market for those horses based on appearance.
My questions are: Are horses being bred for flashy coloring and markings; and does that goal sometimes create genetic problems for the horses?

i read somewhere here that the flashy bred TBs have a shorter lifespan but there was nothing cited that i can recall.