Basic Color Genetics & Fraud

Basic Color Genetics

All equine colors start from the base colors, black, bay and chestnut.

Dominant genes for color or color modification are displayed and do not skip generations, therefore at least one parent must display the gene in order to pass it on.

Dominant color genes are: Black, Bay, Buckskin, Dun, Palomino, Champagne (Amber, Classic, Gold or Cream).

Dominant modifying genes are:  Roan & Grey

Dominant color pattern is:  Tobiano

Black is a dominant gene and bred to a chestnut with a hidden agouti gene can produce black, bay or chestnut (chestnut is a recessive gene) and can be hidden).

Black does not have an agouti gene because if it did it would be bay since the agouti restricts the black to the point.

Black bred to a chestnut without a agouti gene can only produce black or chestnut.

Chestnut, Sorrel, Palomino, and Cremello can have one or two agouti genes.

Chestnut or sorrel is a recessive gene and bred to chestnut or sorrel can only produce chestnut or sorrel.

Recessive color patterns are:  Overo & Sabino

Black to black can produce black and chestnut if one or both have a red
factor to contribute but can never produce a bay.

Palominos, Buckskins and Smoky Blacks are single dilute dominant colors and have one cream gene. They must have at least one parent who is a single dilute (Palomino, Buckskin or Smoky Black) or who is a double dilute (Cremello, Perlino or Smoky Cream)

Seal brown is a modification of black by a mealy effect which causes brown, pale red or yellowish areas on the lower belly, flanks, behind the elbows, inside the legs, on the muzzle and over the eyes. The effect varies from very extensive to minimal, in which it is very subtle and easily missed as a contributing factor to the overall color of a horse. In South American Spanish the mealy effect is called pangare and is more consistently considered in horse descriptions than is the case in English.

SAY NO TO FRAUD!

The rules of color genetics are pretty firm and rarely do they change.

I found in my research that some TWH horses have changed colors from their birth foal colors after producing foals consistent with their registered colors and then they produced foals in colors that defy the most basic rules of color genetics. The owner of some of these mares is still telling prospective buyers that he has a letter from the breeder that explains the mare's color discrepancies.  Just think how rich we all could be if when a color becomes popular we could change the color of our mares so they could produce the desired color foals.

I was a fraud investigator for the state of Kansas and the above situation has always caused my blood pressure to go up when it is so obviously a willful act done.  On the grandfather clause they should have required photos of all those horses blood typed to ensure they matched the papers they were being blood typed to. That would have hampered the switching of papers to totally different horses or at least those that didn't match by color. 

Well enough said so off the soap box.

Elsie

Last Chance Farm 10267 206th Road   Nortonville, KS 66060   Phone: (913) 886-6481   Fax: (913) 886-2713 elsietwh@hotmail.com