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I know that appys have stripped hooves as part of their genetics. I also don't find it odd if a horse has white hooves if the legs are white. I know with cats and dogs the nail Colour can correspond to the surrounding fur Colour eg. Black foot = black nails, white foot = white/clear nails.

This is my favorite chocolate palomino appy boy. He doesn't express the appy, only the varnishing, but you can still see stripped hooves beneath his foot fluff.


2 Chocolate Decadence

I believe it is to do with pigmentation (in humans this pigment is called melanin - the more of it, the darker the skin) - it would stem from the colour pigments in the coronet which usually matches the colour of the skin surrounding the hoof.

For example (these are some of my real life horses);
I have a grey WB gelding (once black) who has four large white stocking - you can't see them now as he's white, but when he is wet he has pink skin underneath. All four of his hooves are 'white'.
I also have a grey miniature pony, who has black skin all over him, so he has black feet.

One of my dark bay geldings has four white socks - again, his skin underneath is white so he has 'white' hooves.

I have a rich bay gelding who has two front white socks (pink skin so 'white' hooves), and a random strip of white hair on his hind pastern/coronet band, and where the skin is pink, he has a white stripe down his hoof. The rest of his hoof is black. He is a Thoroughbred, so no appaloosa in him, but the pigmentation caused this colour. Appy's do tend to have striped hooves, but thought I'd mention that the pigments can cause stripes in other breeds of horses.

I have a chestnut gelding, I'm not sure if this is accurate, but his hooves are like a light brown colour in comparison to my bay/black horses? All are oiled regularly, but his are neither 'white' or black!

Think of it like the eyes of horses - my grey WB gelding has a large white (from pink skin) blaze that covers one of his eyes, so he has a bright 'white' wall eye (he has perfect sight, but it is due to lack of pigmentation) and his other eye has dark skin surrounding it, so he has a deep dark brown eye.

If that makes sense? I'm probably babbling haha!

I think is absolutely absurd for them to offer that! Studs should be offering discounts to well bred registered(!!) mares who would better the Morgan breed society! AND, to owners who are not breeding just to make a foal, but because that particular sire is the best match for their mare, and they have the funds to provide/care and raise a foal! Not to mention a purpose for the foals existence ~X(

Sorry my little rant isn't aimed at you @supersarah, only me thinking aloud lol!
Sabino may link to white hooves, but it depends on the pigmentation (or lack thereof) in the leg which would cause the white hooves (from my understanding), not just the gene.

The other day, when I was at the level 1 QH horse championships that all of the horses there used hoof black as their hooves were black. But in the paint world all of our horses have white hooves and we use clear. (Mentioning hoof black will get you stared at). My splash paint horse has 4 white hooves. I've never payed attention to the QH chestnut mare I work with. I think it just matches her legs, lol. I know some horses have hooves that don't match. Trying to remember a specific example.


Now I can't wait to go through my horses on hj2!

Another Toby with white hooves


2G Yule Be A Rover

That one has socks too though, so probably over rules the striped appy hooves. My silvers in real life have striped hooves, and I have tobianos with white legs and black hooves! They usually have little ermine spots around the coronet though

Funny thought,

Well then that answers the age old question about zebras. Since they have black hooves, they really are black with white stripes. LOL