Rabicano

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

An extensively expressed rabicano Arabian horse
Classic rabicano markings on flanks and a skunk tail

Rabicano, sometimes called white ticking, is a

horse coat color characterized by limited roaning in a specific pattern: its most minimal form is expressed by white hairs at the top of a horse's tail,[1] often is expressed by additional interspersed white hairs seen first at the flank, then other parts of the body radiating out from the flank, where the white hairs will be most pronounced.[2] Rabicano is distinct from true roan, which causes evenly interspersed white hairs throughout the body, except for solid-colored head and legs.[1]

Etymology

The word, "rabicano" is of

epic poems in Italian literature: In Orlando Innamorato (1495), "Rabicano" is a magic horse originally ridden by Argalia. In Italian
, the term simply means "roan" and might therefore have been a descriptive name.

Characteristics

Skunk tail
Flank ticking
Rabicano on a bay most often is exhibited on the mane and tail.

The characteristics most often associated with the rabicano pattern are white hairs at the tailhead and the flank, where the body of the horse is joined by the hindquarters.

chestnut or chestnut-based coat express white patterns such as rabicano more readily; that is, they tend to have more white. Minimal expression may include a few white hairs in those areas, but is often not mentioned in descriptions of an individual horse's color.[4] Rabicano is a white pattern that falls into the category of roaning or scattered white hairs, the genetics of which are not yet fully understood,[5] but are apparently a different genetic mechanism from true roan.[1]

The original definition of "rabicano" referred to the presence of white hairs in the base of the tail, a characteristic called a "skunk" or coon tail.[6] The term "coon tail" is associated with white hairs in the form of striping at the tailhead.[4] The sides of the tail at the tailhead may have much white hair. Extensively marked rabicanos sometimes exhibit striations in their pattern on the ribs, giving them a striped appearance.[7]

Prevalence and inheritance

The rabicano pattern is thought to be a dominant gene in some families,

gray
.

Higher expression of the rabicano pattern on the flanks may produce a coat easy to mistake for true roan. However, in highly expressed rabicanos, the distribution of white hairs along the barrel may produce faint striping or stippling over the ribs, which is not seen in true roans. Furthermore, the skin of some rabicanos may be slightly mottled with pink, particularly on the abdomen and groin.[10] This trait is not seen in true roans, and suggests that, like the white hairs associated with other white markings and patterns, the white hairs of a rabicano may be rooted in unpigmented skin cells. However, the genetic and developmental controls of such roaning are poorly understood,[11] and has not yet been formally studied.[4]

While rabicano itself does not produce white markings on the face and legs, it can be confused with some of the numerous sabino patterns, one of which has been mapped to the KIT gene.[citation needed] Other color patterns mapped to KIT include tobiano and true roan.[12][13][14] This may explain the close association between rabicano and sabino, which are often observed in the same horse.[citation needed]

Vs. roan

See also:
Roan horse
This horse could be either roan or rabicano; lack of white hairs on forehand and presence of skunk tail suggest rabicano, but overall body pattern is more typical of a roan.

Rarely is rabicano patterning extensive enough to be confused with true roan.[4] It is, however, possible for a horse to carry both rabicano and roan genes.[1] Rabicanos are not true roans and can be distinguished from true roans by the following:

  • Roaning on rabicanos is centralized at the junction of the stifle and the flank; true roan is evenly distributed over the whole body except the points.
  • Rabicanos usually have skunk tails or rings of white hairs in the tail, while true roans do not.
  • Rabicano roaning often spreads, while true roans usually become darker.
  • Rabicanos do not develop corn marks when their skin is damaged.

Vs. sabino

See also: Sabino horse

Sabino patterning usually is expressed with high white legs markings with white sometimes extending onto the belly, face, and chin; sabinos often lack the white hairs at the base of the tail that characterize rabicano. A horse may carry the genes for both patterns, however.[1]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rabicano.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Caudill, Andrea (July 25, 2010). "Skunk Tailed". America's Horse Daily. Archived from the original on September 22, 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  2. ISBN 978-1-59921-036-0
    . rabicano: A coat color in which a few, scattered white hairs appear amid a darker-colored background, usually on the hindquarters and dock
  3. ^ Juan de la Cruz Puig. Antologia de Poetas Argentinos,1910. pg. 131. "Rabicano: caballo que tiene cerdas blancas á la raíz de la cola." [Rabicano: a horse that has white hairs at the root of the tail]
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8138-0759-1
    . Retrieved August 3, 2008.
  5. ^ Veterinary Genetics Laboratory. "Introduction to Coat Color Genetics". The Regents of the University of California. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  6. ^ Behning, Laura. "Rabicano, Roan, Flaxen, and Frame Overo Morgan Horses". Morgan Colors. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2008.
  7. ^ Peters, Anne (May 4, 2002). "A roan by any other name is a roan". Thoroughbred Times. Lexington: Thoroughbred Times Co. Inc. Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  8. ^ Sponenberg 2003, p. 70, indicates that roan has reappeared in Thoroughbreds via a new mutation in a single horse
  9. ^ Overton, Rebecca (December 15, 2004). "In The Genes" (PDF). Quarter Horse News. American Quarter Horse Association. pp. 24–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  10. ^ B. Kostelnik. "Rabicano". The Horse Colors Site. Hippo-Logistics. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2008.
  11. ^ "Introduction to Coat Color Genetics". UC Davis. Retrieved August 3, 2008. The inheritance of scattered white hairs, sometimes called roaning, is not defined.
  12. S2CID 32790547
    .
  13. S2CID 22835035
    .
  14. PMID 7096983
    .
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