Blagdon is the Gypsy term for a solid coloured horse with the white
leg markings extending up onto the body of the horse and possibly also
causing roaning. These type of markings are
commonly called sabino markings within other breeds.
In the past pinto patterns were divided into two main categories,
Tobiano and Overo. Sabino type markings were included in the overo
category. However in recent times Sabino is seen as a separate pattern on
its own. Mostly because of it’s presence in non pinto breeds such as
Arabs and Clydesdales where the ‘crop out’ patterns were seen
to occur. It is now thought that many common white markings such as just a
white sock and a star are simply one of the sabino genes in minimum
expression. Sabino is not just one gene and it is thought there may be as
many as five! Only one can be tested for and it isnt the one commonly
present in the breeds that made up the Gypsy Horse like the Shire. Therefore
if your Gypsy Horse tests
negative for sabino1 it simply means it doesn’t have that one type of
sabino. Not that sabino isn’t
present. I doubt there will be too many Gypsy Horses
testing positive for sabino1, if any, so it is probably a waste of
money to test for it unless your horse has particularly unusual
sabino markings. Sabino1 is a lot more common in some American
breeds.
The loudly marked sabinos are extremely
popular with the Gypsies and are known as Blagdons. Some of their best quality
horses are solid or Blagdon. Sabino sometimes causes roaning, this
not to be confused with a true or classic Roan. The sabino gene is
not thought to cause blue eyes, this is usually the splash gene or
in other breeds frame overo. Sabino, even when there is extensive
white on the face, will usually still have dark skin around the
eyes. Sabino, like all white pattern genes, can have any base
colour and any combination of all the colours we have
mentioned.
The classic sabino markings are the four white socks and a white
blaze, like a Clydesdale. However sabino can come in many forms. Here are
just a few of them.
