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TWHBEA #: 20700806
(Dunn Cashed In x Pride's Secret Lace)
Color: Grullo
Markings: White hairs in forehead, snip
Mature Height: About 15.2
Foaled: 6-3-07 |
| He's not unbelievable, he's
Dunbelievable! Meet "Rowdy" our newest
stallion prospect. This colt is one of the
rarest of rare findings in the Tennessee
Walking Horse breed - a black horse with the
dun gene, otherwise known as grullo.
Grullo (pronounced grew-yo) is a word of
Spanish origin meaning crane. The North
American Sandhill Crane is a bird of similar
color to many grullo horses. Grullo
horses in all breeds are highly prized for
not only their beauty, but also their
stamina and dependability. |
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I'm Dunbelievable is thought at this
time to be one of only two intact grullo
colts in the entire breed. Now that's
exciting! What exactly makes Rowdy a
grullo? A grullo is a black horse with a
dun gene. Dun is a simple dominant dilution
gene that alters the appearance of any base
coat color. It lightens the base coat color
and leaves darker "points" (legs, mane,
tail). Duns have primitive markings often
called "dun factor". These markings can
vary from just a shade or two darker than
the base coat, to very obvious, much darker
markings. |
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| Frequently chestnut horses have less
obvious dun markings and bay horses have
more vibrant dun markings. Dun markings
that are always present include
darker ear tips, a darker face mask, and a
distinct line down the back from withers
down through the tail.
Dun factor also
may include many other markings
including horizontal stripe on the legs, one
or more vertical wither stripes, a "cape" of
color on the neck, light contrasting tips on
the ends of the ears, bars on the ears,
blotches of color on the upper forearm, and
"barbs" off the dorsal stripe. And believe
it or not, there's actually more than that.
Watch for our Dun FAQ page to be added soon!
All the physical talent in the world is useless to us without a good mind. |
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| This photo shows a typical expression for this colt - intelligent, attentive, and relaxed. The physical attributes of the head are said to indicate a propensity toward particular disposition traits. Rowdy's broad forehead, large eyes, large wide nostrils, straight profile, and wide set, open ears are all positive traits to have for trainability, intelligence, and calmness. This photo also shows the beautiful fish boning marks around his neck. |
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We feel Rowdy is maturing very
nicely. He has grown much taller and filled
out considerably over the past six months.
These pictures were taken just days before
his first birthday. Shown at age 13 months
gaiting at liberty. Rowdy's dun factor
continues to develop and I notice more and
more of it all the time.
Another shot of him moving at a moderate
speed. He shows nice lift in the front, a
beautiful natural head & neck carriage, and
tailset. This is an accurate representation
of his color at this time. It can be
difficult to capture the true color of a dun
horse in a photograph.
I believe the gait gene is inherited and the
horse's conformation either enhances or
hinders that inherited ability. Rowdy's
short back, deep and powerful hip, and
strong shoulders clearly blend well with his
God given talent. He is very walky! |
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Upon viewing his newborn pictures
from Looney Sanders Farm I couldn't help
but feel that this baby was simply
unbelievably beautiful and rare, hence
his name: I'm Dunbelievable. We dubbed him
"Rowdy" as a barn name when he
was but a tiny foal and it is actually
somewhat of a misnomer. Once he
arrived home in Texas we discovered that
"Rowdy" he is not! He is actually
as laid back and easy going of a colt as
we've ever had. Snail, slug or even
veggie would have been much more appropriate
names. I find myself calling
him those names, too, but only in the most
affectionate way.
His quiet nature makes it a pleasure to
handle him. We are very pleased with his
temperament and at present would rate him as
a natural "2" on a 1 to 10 scale.
A West Virginia native, Rowdy was
wearing a fur coat fit for a bear. Despite
this he was already displaying some pretty
impressive signs of his dun
characteristics. I continue to discover new
expressions of dun factor on him, and even more
are apparent now that he is in
summer coat. Just this week I discovered an
obvious black thumbprint sized marking on
each jaw (dimples?
)as well as a light-colored
thumbprint sized marking under his chin
between his jaw bones. I haven't seen
these marking in photos of other duns I've
seen, which makes me think they are not very
common.
Are you wondering where the dun gene came
from? Well, we did, too! Being
absolutely certain that the dun gene came
through a 100% purebred,
registered line of Tennessee Walking Horses
was of the highest importance to
us. Please view the pedigree chart listed
below to see Rowdy's line of dun
inheritance. Rowdy's dun line has been
researched and verified by the
respected Elsie Darrah. Elsie is well known
for her diligent work done both
independently and in conjunction with the
Tennessee Walking Horse Association to
establish greater accuracy and
accountability with regard to registration
and color identification. You may have seen
her most recent articles on color published
in The Voice magazine. We are most grateful
for her professional assistance in verifying
that Rowdy's pedigree is indeed pure. |
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Like a strong pedigree? I'm
Dunbelievable's paternal pedigree includes such
respected names as
Coin's Hard Cash,
Pride's Gold Coin,
Pride of Midnight,
Sun's Delight D.,
Mack K's Handshaker,
Triple Threat, and
Midnight Sun. That's virtually a who's
who of the Tennessee Walking Horse breed!
His dam, Pride's Secret Lace, is no slouch
herself.
Pride of Midnight,
Sun's Delight D.,
Carbon Copy, and
Ebony Masterpiece are all there. No one
could accuse this horse of being bred just for
color! The blood of the best horses of the
breed run through his veins and we feel he will
someday complement and strengthen many mares
pedigrees. |
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The total package that a breeding animal
presents is extremely important to us.
While we admittedly like beautiful color, we are
anything but "color
breeders". Our devotion to the breed requires
that we seek more from our
foals than just a pretty coat color. Any
potential stallion prospect must
have gait, pedigree, conformation and
disposition before being considered as
an addition to our farm. Rowdy has a
power-packed pedigree and is displaying
strong natural gaiting ability. He is very
short-coupled and stoutly built
with lots of bone. By our discriminating
standards he certainly qualifies as
a stallion prospect, without even considering
the dun genetics. We feel he
will meet our high expectations as a stallion
and hope you will
consider him as a prospect for your high quality
mare.
Thank you for visiting Rowdy's page! Please
continue to visit our site for
updated information on dun genetics within the
Tennessee Walking Horse breed, a dun FAQ page,
and of course, updated photos and information on
Rowdy as he matures. We hope valuable new
sources of the dun gene in the Tennessee Walking
Horse will be discovered.
If you know of a Tennessee Walking Horse
bloodline carrying the dun gene, or a line you
think carries the dun gene, please
contact us. We'd love to hear from you! |
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