Chincoteague Ponies with bright blue eyes have them because they have a pinto pattern/white pattern. No independent blue eyed gene, such as in people, has been identified in horses. Pinto blue eyes are brighter than the blue eyes found in double cream dilutes. Ponies with pinto blue eyes can have two blue eyes, one blue eye, or partial blue eyes.
The Splashed White pinto pattern (SW1) is usually the reason for blue eyes in Chincoteague Ponies. Homozygous splashes will almost always have two blue eyes. Heterozygous splashes can have two blue eyes, one blue eye, a partial blue eye, or none at all. The inconsistency of blue eyes in ponies with splash white is why blue eyes sometimes seem to skip generations or appear out of nowhere in a family line.
The Tobiano pinto pattern that is so common in Chincoteagues has not been found to cause blue eyes. Occasionally Chincoteagues will not visually appear to have a pinto pattern other than tobiano, but blue eyes indicates the pony likely has splashed white or another white pattern.
Other pinto patterns such as Frame, Eden White, and some of the White Spotting/Sabino patterns can have blue eyes. Frame is not found in Chincoteagues. W20, W34, and W35 are found in Chincoteague Ponies but do not appear to cause blue eyes. Two of the Eden White patterns have been found in Chincoteague Ponies and may cause blue eyes.
The Splashed White pinto pattern (SW1) is usually the reason for blue eyes in Chincoteague Ponies. Homozygous splashes will almost always have two blue eyes. Heterozygous splashes can have two blue eyes, one blue eye, a partial blue eye, or none at all. The inconsistency of blue eyes in ponies with splash white is why blue eyes sometimes seem to skip generations or appear out of nowhere in a family line.
The Tobiano pinto pattern that is so common in Chincoteagues has not been found to cause blue eyes. Occasionally Chincoteagues will not visually appear to have a pinto pattern other than tobiano, but blue eyes indicates the pony likely has splashed white or another white pattern.
Other pinto patterns such as Frame, Eden White, and some of the White Spotting/Sabino patterns can have blue eyes. Frame is not found in Chincoteagues. W20, W34, and W35 are found in Chincoteague Ponies but do not appear to cause blue eyes. Two of the Eden White patterns have been found in Chincoteague Ponies and may cause blue eyes.
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Black heterozygous splashed white with two blue eyes.
CLG Surfer's Blue Moon (Surfer Dude x Got Milk) Pedigree |
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Chestnut homozygous splashed white with two blue eyes. Color tested.
Wave Runner's Artistic Expression (Wave Runner's Phantom of the Waves x Wave Runner's Kenzie) Pedigree |
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Chestnut heterozygous splashed white with one partial blue eye.
Diamond's Jewel (Courtney's Boy x Unforgettable) Pedigree |
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Bay tobiano and likely splashed white with two blue eyes. Maryland Assateague Horse.
Dewy (Llama Boy x Tipperary) Pedigree |