Bend-Or spots (also called Bend Or spots, smuts, or grease spots) are a type of spotted marking found on horses. They range in color from dark red to black. These random spots are most commonly seen on palominos,

chestnuts The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelated ...

, and darker horses, and may not appear until the horse is several years old. Bend Or spots occur in breeds with chestnut coloration, and most chestnuts seem to have at least one. It is still unknown what causes these markings, as they do not appear to be related to other spotting patterns. However, they may have some connection to the

sooty Sooty is a British children's television media franchise created by Harry Corbett incorporating primarily television and stage shows. The franchise originated with his fictional glove puppet character introduced to television in 1955, with the ...

trait. More may appear as the horse ages. Unrelated patterns may be confused with Bend-Or spots. Some roan horses have patches of darker hairs called "corn marks" or "corn spots." While these resemble Bend-Or spots, they are linked to solid-colored hair growing in over minor cuts or scratches to the skin, and thus the underlying genetic cause appears to be unrelated. Another pattern seen primarily in some

gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

horses is dappling, the presence of darker hairs in round shapes against a lighter hair coat. However, dapples are an intermediate stage of the graying process, and will only last a few years. Palomino Bend-Or Spot

These markings were named after the

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

stallion

Bend Or Bend Or (1877–1903) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1880 Epsom Derby. His regular jockey Fred Archer, winner of thirteen consecutive British jockey titles, said Bend Or was probably the greatest horse he had ever ridden. No ...

, a chestnut who had such spots. Bend Or's pedigree includes several horses with such spots.Thoroughbred Heritage Portraits: Bend Or
website accessed 2008.03.12

References

Horse coat colors {{horse-stub ja:ベンドア斑

See also

References