Friday, November 18, 2011

Anyone familiar with horse color genetics?

I had a filly born last night that is 100% white with pink skin and blue eyes. All the skin is pink, no color markings anywhere. The sire was a black and white tovero (about 80% white), and the dam is a sorrel paint with only about 15% white on her, both sire and dam have blue eyes. What are the chances of a pure white, pink-skinned foal being born? Just curious.

Anyone familiar with horse color genetics?
I'm 99.9% sure it's impossible for your foal to be cremello. The genes don't work that way, a black horse and a chestnut horse can't produce a horse with two copies of the cream gene since they have none of that gene themselves. It is possible for a horse with a black base color to have one dose of the cream gene and still look black (since in the single dilute form cream doesn't really affect black), but your foal would still have to get the second dose of the gene from somewhere and it's not going to be coming from the dam. So basically, if your foal turned out buckskin or palomino, this would make sense, but not cremello.





Therefore your options are these: either a maximum expression paint, or lethal white. If it's lethal white, well, you'll know since the foal will not survive. If the foal is healthy, that rules that out. What pattern is your mare? If she's overo, than lethal white is a definitely possibility. If she's not, then you have nothing to worry about.





It's totally possible for a paint to be solid white, it's happened before. It's just the maximum expression of the gene that causes paint markings, it's so extreme that it completely covers the body.


This website has a picture of a maximum expression paint (scroll down to the bottom of the page) along with more information on the difference between lethal white and cremellos, :


http://www.doubledilute.com/lethalwhite....
Reply:Paints can produce cremellos, though from a black and white horse it would be unusual. That horse must not have had a dominate gene with Black. It is totally possible that it's a cremello horse. I'm almost sure it's a cremello. Congrates.
Reply:hey well firstly congrats!!! and ooo did u no that bay foals are first born white then they go dapple and then bay!!! its like that whith lippazannas they are born bay then go dappled and then white... she is olny a day or say old so dont stresss bout if if u are worried call in a vet to check it out but im sure its fine





and remeber it may not have been a high percent chance of her being white but there is always theta chance!!!





enjoy her
Reply:Well she could possibly be pure white when she is older, but there is a 50% chance that she'll change color as she grows. (Trust me I'm a horse expert!)
Reply:Sounds like a cream horse. Happens with paints. Its not unusual.
Reply:Now that I see your horse does have overo in its lines it is even more likely that it is a lethal white. I hope not be it sure sounds like it could be. Please let us know what happens.
Reply:After seeing this post about the type of horses bred, it is deffinitly more likely to be a lethal white. To the person that stated it could be a cremello: this is a good thought, and could be possible, but is very unlikley. A cremello foal is slightly colored, they have a hint of creme to their color. Also any white markings are visible on a cremello, you can tell the difference between a star on its head to the rest of its body. A lethal white is pure white, with no visible markings.


A cremello would be very unusual out of these two parents. Having an all white, non lethal white is possible, although it is rare.





A site about lethal whites vs. cremellos, with info on the genetics of each:


http://www.doubledilute.com/lethalwhite....


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