# Equestrains among us: three questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 30, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equestrains-among-us-three-questions/324251 "2005-09-30T20:50:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equestrains-among-us-three-questions/324251/1 "2005-09-30T20:50:23Z")
I’ve been bored here at work today, browsing all sorts of horse classifieds. (Just dreaming!) Some of the ads include the phrase “own son/daugher of \_\_\_\_ (fill in the blank).” What does that mean? I couldn’t figure it out by the context of the ads. Also, in the ads for Freisians (REALLY dreaming!), they would sometimes have a reference of “PREF” or “STER” next to the horse’s name in the pedigree. Eh? AND … is it true that the term “red/strawberry roan” has been replaced by “chestnut sabino”? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equestrains-among-us-three-questions/324251/2 "2005-09-30T21:12:50Z")
Pref(erent) and ster (star?) indicate judged qualities of blood lines, each term indicating the rating of a preceding generation. It is a bit gushy, but [this page](http://blacksterlingfriesians.com/oneadmin/salehorsedetails.php?horse_num=290) talks abut the PREF and STER relationships in the particular horse being shown. There is also “Model” as an attribute. Ster appears to be Friesian (or Dutch?) for “star.” You might check out the [Friesian Horse Association of North America (FHANA)](http://www.fhana.com/) website. They include a page on [FPS Registry Overview](http://www.fhana.com/RegistryOverwiew.php) with the rules. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equestrains-among-us-three-questions/324251/3 "2005-09-30T21:15:49Z")
OK, then I’ll lock the _other_ one. Damn the boards are flaky this afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equestrains-among-us-three-questions/324251/4 "2005-09-30T21:32:46Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Pref(erent) and ster (star?) indicate judged qualities of blood lines, each term indicating the rating of a preceding generation. > > It is a bit gushy, but [this page](http://blacksterlingfriesians.com/oneadmin/salehorsedetails.php?horse_num=290) talks abut the PREF and STER relationships in the particular horse being shown. There is also “Model” as an attribute. > > Ster appears to be Friesian (or Dutch?) for “star.” > > \ Thanks! The gushy link really did explain it well. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equestrains-among-us-three-questions/324251/5 "2005-09-30T22:25:59Z")
> [@Avarie537](#): > > I’ve been bored here at work today, browsing all sorts of horse classifieds. (Just dreaming!) Some of the ads include the phrase “own son/daugher of \_\_\_\_ (fill in the blank).” What does that mean? I couldn’t figure it out by the context of the ads. > > Also, in the ads for Freisians (REALLY dreaming!), they would sometimes have a reference of “PREF” or “STER” next to the horse’s name in the pedigree. Eh? > > AND … is it true that the term “red/strawberry roan” has been replaced by “chestnut sabino”? > > Thanks! I’ve been told that “own son/daughter” is used to indicate that the horse in question is the biological offspring of the named stallion. Supposedly it’s not unheard of that a seller will use “son/daughter” when the stallion is actually the grandsire. I don’t think that “chestnut sabino” has replaced “red/strawberry roan.” They’re two different coat patterns. However, sabino is considered highly desirable right now, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some sellers are up-selling perfectly nice roans by calling them sabino. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equestrains-among-us-three-questions/324251/6 "2005-09-30T22:30:08Z")
> [@cwthree](#): > > I’ve been told that “own son/daughter” is used to indicate that the horse in question is the biological offspring of the named stallion. Supposedly it’s not unheard of that a seller will use “son/daughter” when the stallion is actually the grandsire. > > I don’t think that “chestnut sabino” has replaced “red/strawberry roan.” They’re two different coat patterns. However, sabino is considered highly desirable right now, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some sellers are up-selling perfectly nice roans by calling them sabino. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2005, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equestrains-among-us-three-questions/324251/7 "2005-10-01T03:11:33Z")
Is it true there are officially no “white” horses, they’re either “albino” or “grey”? ---
**Author:** ![chestnutmare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@chestnutmare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chestnutmare)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2005, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equestrains-among-us-three-questions/324251/8 "2005-10-01T12:48:45Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > Is it true there are officially no “white” horses, they’re either “albino” or “grey”? Generally speaking all white horses are officially grey. This is because the skin under the hair is not white. There are a few white horses, but they are genetic freaks without necessarily being actual albinos. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equestrains-among-us-three-questions/324251/9 "2005-10-01T18:25:19Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > Is it true there are officially no “white” horses, they’re either “albino” or “grey”? Most white-looking horses are considered “grey.” Grey horses start out as another coat color and get lighter over time as they lose pigmentation in their coats. My mostly white horse was a very dappled grey only a few years ago. There are some “white” horses that are not greys or albinos. They’re usually maximally expressed sabinos. “Sabino” is a pattern of white spots on the horse. In some horses, this “spot” covers the entire coat, making the horse all over white. The genetics behind coat color can be pretty complicated, but this site gives a good overview and shows the various coat colors/patterns: [horse color genetics](http://www.equinecolor.com/color.html) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equestrains-among-us-three-questions/324251/10 "2005-10-02T04:23:08Z")
> [@Avarie537](#): > > Some of the ads include the phrase “own son/daugher of \_\_\_\_ (fill in the blank).” What does that mean? I couldn’t figure it out by the context of the ads. I’ve also seen the “own son/daughter” used to mean ‘naturally bred’, as opposed to artifically inseminated breeding. But it doesn’t seem to be a very common expression. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equestrains-among-us-three-questions/324251/11 "2005-10-02T05:30:33Z")
So, was “Silver’s” color fake? ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equestrains-among-us-three-questions/324251/12 "2005-10-02T23:39:42Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > So, was “Silver’s” color fake? Probably not fake, just a grey that got lighter over time till he was all over white. My grey is now very white except for her mane, tail, and lower legs. She’s still called a “grey” though.