Iridescent - Metallic Coat Colours In Arabians Options

[mckulley1]

The NSH filly we had a few years back had this metallic sheen and we marketed her with that in her ad. It was very interesting....She was by a pinto Saddlebred and out of an Egyptian/Crabbet/Polish rabicino mare.

[Guest_Barbara guest_*]

Maybe the arabian horse with iridescence/metallic coat is one of the anquestors of the achal tekine horse?

[Gari]

Barbara,

Now that sounds right!

[Guest_Guest_*]

To be extra evil they also say that the Byerly Turk, one of the arabian founding fathers of the thoroughbted, might ahve been An Akhal-Teke too.

Above quote interested me so off I went on a research mission. On more than one site I read this:

In fact, some researchers now believe that the Byerly Turk and Darly Arabian that were the foundation of thoroughbreds were more likely Akhal-Tekes.

What I can't find is WHY researchers now believe this and what is the evidence to back it up.
Anyone know?

[Hoogie]

There's lots of interesting info on Arabian sires within TBs on www.tbheritage.com

[Gari]

Think the AT people have a very vivid imagination.

Amongst the principle reasons the Blunts went into the desert was that they were looking for desert descendants of the Darly Arabian,:

" They did have one definite purpose in going to Syria, and that was to see if they could find any representatives of the strain from which the Darley Arabian had come over a hundred and fifty years before. The Darley had been in the male line, the most influential of the TB Foundation Sires.................the history of the Darley Arabian had been over the years something of an obsession with the Milbanke side of Lady Anne's family. The Milbankes had been famous breeders of the Thoroughbred in its early days."

P33, THE CRABBET ARABIAN STUD by Archer, Covey and Pearson-Note: there are several pages devoted to the Blunts, the Darley Arabian in the aforementioned CAS.

Point: The Milbankes were a very old family in the UK, members of the aristocracy and for hundreds of years breeders of great horses and amongst the founding breeders of theTB. To claim, albeit backhandedly, that the British breeders didn't know the breed of horses they were using to create TBs, is simply laughably ludicrous.

What does make abundant sense is that true old desert blood-whether a kangeroo rat or an Arabian horse....in the most Darwinian sense exhibited features that made them successful desert animals.

[tkr9]

Just been reading up on Akhal Tekes again... Thought this topic interesting so I'm sorry to bring it up again. Now, the Byerly Turk was of no specified blood or breeding. According to historical 'fact' he was captured on the battlefield, hence the Turk bit I s'pose. The Godolphin is even more suspect parentage. Although he was reputed to belong to a good stable and of noble lineage, he was lost somewhere between travelling to France and being found by Edward Coke who sold him to the Earl of Godolphin. However, looking at pics of him supplied on the website that told me that stuff if he isn't an arabian then we've got our breeds mixed up. With a crest, face and tail carriage like that if he's not an arabian then I'll eat my keyboard.

Now the Byerly Turk on the other hand, now he does look a little suspect...

In all fairness to both breeds they DO come from Persia, around the Caspian Sea, and it is here that the Caspian Horse was found. This breed has sometimes developed a metallic coat AND does occasionally have the skeletal characteristics of the Arabian. As it is very much older than both perhaps its desdendents that went south evolved to be hardy, beautiful arabians, and those that went east evolved to be Akhal-Tekes.

[Gari]

Oh? How old is the Caspian supposed to be? How do you know he is older than the Arabian? What proof is available?
Horse bones have been found in the Abu Dhabi area that are roughly 50, ooo years old-definitely not Caspian origin.

[Guest_Susan Mayo_*]

My *Tuhotmos son Masada El Rabdan has metallic tones in the summer, but they are not gold, they are the iridescent of a mallard duck. Almost blue green. I have never seen it come across on a photo, but it is very apparent in the summer time. Several of his offspring share this trait.

Susan

[Guest_CenturyOak - at work ;)_*]

My stallion Eagle Amir also has a coat like this, complete with dapples on a dark mahogany bay.. but with a distinct metallic look to his coat year round. I love it because I can leave him out 24/7 and he never sunbleaches but hose him off, brush him down, throw him on the trailer and let him air dry on the way to the show and he walks off the trailer looking like I've spent hours and hours on his coat He also has the very fine hair coat.. almost no winter coat even in cold cold weather and very thin skin. We also have a mare of mixed pedigree (purebred but Russian, Egyptian and polish bloodlines) that glistens like this despite having a winter coat or being dirty.. the resulting foal from these two is what I can only call a golden bay.. he is definitely bay but has a golden sheen to his bay coat that is really different looking and quite unique