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Mushroom - a Recently Recognised Dilution The Houlland Connection |
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possibility of a misalliance with a wrong colt or stallion and breeders who have
misidentified the colour of a foal. I have often seen a foal that has been
registered as cream but is in fact a chestnut dun, the breeder having not
noticed the eel stripe. Another misconception occurs where a breeder has
registered a foal as dun because they are confused by pangaré. However,
there are some bloodlines that appear to consistently come up with
unexpected foal colours regardless of the owners. These are the ones I
have studied & taken into account. In the pedigrees of mushroom foals,
both
parents have a line that is common to other mushroom ponies suggesting that
the mushroom colour is recessive so can be carried unseen in one dose for
several generations. It may only appear in homozygous form. Some lines
that often crop up seem to be from the Houlland Stud in Shetland.
Many strange coloured foals descend
from Helga of Houlland, foaled in 1962. The problem of "skewbald" registrations leaves me
not knowing what the basic colour might be where it occurs. |
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From 13 foals, Helga of Houlland produced 10 chestnut foals to chestnut stallions; 1 skewbald to a skewbald stallion; 1 black & 1 piebald to a piebald stallion. One of the chestnuts was Ebony Helvetia. Ebony Helvetia produced 11 foals by 2 different chestnut stallions. Of these, 6 were chestnut; 2 "grey dun, flaxen mane & tail"; 2 "mushroom, flaxen mane & tail" & 1 "mole grey, flaxen mane & tail". All the strange coloured foals were by Park View Rustey, a chestnut stallion who was by Thor of Houlland (Gold Dust of Berry x Nutkin). It is noticeable how closely bred these foals are. Helga has 4 crosses of Ninepins who traces to Café au Lait, a dun & white mare bred in Shetland & owned by Lady Estella Hope. Two of the chestnut fillies went on to produce mushroom foals. One of the mushroom fillies, April Girl of Clonyard was registered as an adult as "dark greyish cream, silver mane & tail". In 8 foals, she produced 5 by chestnut stallions. These were 3 chestnuts & 2 "dark cream, silver mane & tail". To a palomino stallion, April Girl produced 1 "dark grey/cream, white mane & tail" (Firth Amboseli); & 1 "grey roan". To a cream chestnut dun stallion, she had a "cream dun, flaxen mane & tail". One of the "dark cream" foals was FIRTH JUNIUS, my miniature mushroom stallion. His sire, Firth Cornelian has 8 crosses of Avening Jupiter & 8 crosses of Cafe au Lait in his pedigree. April Girl of Clonyard has 9 crosses of Café au Lait in her pedigree. Other Houlland mares have unusual coloured descendants but are not so prolific as Helga. |
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BARCLAY ARMS WILMA |
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Windfaerie in summer as 2 year old. She has produced a chestnut foal by Kellas Peerie Plover (chestnut) |
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It should be noted that there are a couple of ponies in this pedigree that do not fit their colours. Dusky of Gue, said to be grey, is by Airborne (piebald) out of the inspected mare, Lady of Gue, said to be dun. This could be a misidentification of mushroom coloured ponies but it could be that the pedigree is incorrect. April Sun was by Slacks Thunderflash who was registered as chestnut but may have been chestnut roan as his dam was a grey roan. Gletness Rocket, Fireman & Sunstar in this pedigree were by Fireball of Marshwood. Rob of Gue has 6 crosses of Café au Lait. Petula also has 6 crosses of Café au Lait in her pedigree. The Park View Stud (see sire of April Girl of Clonyard in above pedigree of Firth Junius) used several Houlland stallions initially and produced a number of mushroom foals. Park View Miss Lovely Sunday, a full sister to Park View Rustey, produced Cranleigh Samson & Cranleigh Simon, both of which were dark mushroom with very pale manes & tails. Park View Miss Muffet (by Thor of Houlland) was the dam of Park View Grit (see page 6, a mushroom stallion in Sweden by Comus of Houlland) who was the sire of Östertorps Baron (see page 6, also a mushroom stallion in Sweden).
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Text & photographs copyright of Beth Mead unless otherwise stated |
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