October
Horse Color Genetics
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It can be tricky to breed for a specific horse color.
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We all have our favorite horse colors and markings. Often, our favorites are the least common, such as roans and palominos. Many breeders strive for a unique nitche - top-quality horses displaying those fun, less-common colors and markings we love to see in action.
Here are some coat-color thoughts to keep in mind:
- The genetics of coat color are complicated, and the science of color is an ongoing process. Researchers do not know everything yet.
- All white markings are superimposed over a base body color. This includes gray horses. Thus, when discussing color inheritance, the base color must be considered and understood.
- Foals are rarely born the color or shade they will appear in adulthood. If there is any uncertainty, it is usually best to wait until the foal has shed the foal coat before identifying the color. Papers can be sent to AQHA with the color blank and filled in after the foal has shed the foal coat.
Learn more about horse colors. Get AQHA’s FREE report, Coat Color Genetics.
Some fun facts about horse color:
- Combined, sorrel and chestnut horses comprised 37 percent of all American Quarter Horses registered in 2005. Black horses accounted for approximately 3 percent.
- Legend says sorrel horses are generally flightier and more “hot” than horses of other colors and that they mature faster than those of other colors. Black horses, on the other hand, are generally held as sleepy.
- Black horses are usually not born jet black, instead typically appearing as some shade of gray (from light to dark) with a black mane and tail. As foals, they will have dorsal stripes and usually zebra stripes and are often confused with grullos. When these horses shed their foal coat, they will look black.
Understand the color genetics of each AQHA-approved coat color. Get the FREE Coat Color Genetics report today!
Brush up on these color terms:
Allele - Alternative forms of a gene that occurs on the same place on a chromosome.
Chromosome - A series of genes strung together. They appear in pairs, and each parent gives one of its chromosomes to the foal. Horses have 32 pairs.
Dilution - A gene that causes a horse’s coat color to become lighter in appearance.
Dominant - A gene that will be expressed phenotypically over a recessive gene.
Gene - Segment of DNA that provides a blueprint of genetic information.
Genotype - The genetic makeup of an animal.
Homozygous - A pair of genes that are the same.
Heterozygous - A pair of genes that are different.
Modifier - A gene that changes the phenotypic appearance of a horse.
Phenotype - The physical appearance of an animal.
Points - The mane, tail, legs and eartips of a horse.
Recessive - A gene that will be hidden phenotypically if a dominant gene has control.
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I have a AQHA Bay Mare that is turning 16 years old. She has never been bred and I was wondering if it is to risky to breed her now?? She gets very marish toward my gelding during her cycle and I even wondered if breeding her could improve her attitude. She in no way gets out of line with me or other people. In fact, she is very layed back and can be trusted with babies and young children and other Quarter Horse friends ask for them to be led around on her. I compete in Pole Bending on her at AQHA shows so she is in very good shape from practicing. If you think it is safe to breed her at her age I would like for her to have a Bay so I was also wondering what to breed her with.
I bred my 21 year old barrel mare for a 2008 maiden foal. Mare was in good shape and well kept her whole life. Now I have a perfect 6 month old filly be her side. She is healthy and baby is healthy. I did not have one problem, but it probably depends on your mare. If you want a bay, breed to a bay with bay parents or even a black.
I have a sorrel AQHA mare and have plans on breeding her to a buckskin AQHA stallion. What colors would this combination come up with?
This cross (sorrel x buckskin) could yield the following colors:
palomino, buckskin, smoky black, sorrel, bay or black
An excellent & informative site online to help understand breeding & color is:
http://www.doubledilute.com
Hope this has helped.
Peggy Reimer
I have a sorrel mare, 4 years old. Brown sire, sorrel dam. The mare had a little roaning on one leg when I bought her as a yearling, but that was it in addition to a star and a half pastern sock. Suddenly in the last three months she is getting white hair on her body in some random hairs and then in about 15 spots about half the size of a dime with white skin under them. My vet says its genetics, but I really do not want my quarter horse mare looking like an appaloosa! Could it be a mineral issue? Or is this really a luck of the draw with genetics
I have a 4 year old sorrel mare. Palomino paint sire, sorrel dam. She has 4 white stockings, white blaze & white hair mingled in all over her body with one area on her back leg that is trying to turn into a paint spot. I am planning on breeding her in a year or two but I don’t want a paint I would prefer either a palomino or buckskin. What color should I breed her to
to achieve this?
Leanna,
If you are wanting a palomino, your best bet would be to breed to a dilute..which is either a cremello (best chance) or perlino. Either one will guarantee a diluted colt (palomino or buckskin) the white on your mare just indicates she could be a sabino which is indicitave of the white hair throughout her coat. this coloring is just an option, kind of like getting chrome bumpers on your truck, the base color which is sorrel is what you are looking at. The way I would go is because she is probably registered as a paint would be to find a really nice tobiano cremello stud in your area. This would “almost” guarantee a palomino. A great website to look at would be the cremello and perlino site.
I have a 10 yo bay QH mare that I was considering to breed in the future. I would really love to have a grulla foal, but dont know if it would even be a possibility with her being a bay.
Tiffany,
Check the information about coat colors that AQHA has available. There are also several websites that can give you info about Grullos and other coat colors. Some suggestions:
http://www.geocities.com/Baja/Outback/2936/colors.html
http://www.everettacres.com/For_Sale.html Scroll down to “Links” on this page and choose the one from “animal genetics” to find possible coat color outcomes when crossing your horse to another color.
There are more sites out there and some good books available, too.
I have a 2 yr old Pinto mare that has a dark bay Arabian mother and a Black with some white Tobiano Paint father. Both parents are papered. My mare was bred to a 3 yr old AQHA Dunn Stallion. Any clue as to what color this foal might be?? Is one color more dominant than the other?
I’ve bred my 18yo bay mare 3 times - 2x to the same sorrel stud and once to my sorrel overo paint stallion. I have 2 chestnut fillie by the sorrel stud and a bay overo (okay, she only has one spot - but it qualifies) filly by the paint stud. My question — what can I do to guarantee a colt? (LOL)
I have a sorrel mare bred to a dark bay stallion (with a buckskin sire), her mother was black and her sire was bay. Is there any chance for a bay foal? Her last foal by a grey stallion is a sorrel like her.
Hi All,
See this web site page also:
http://www.equinecolor.com/unusual.html
The rest of the site is also interesting to explore.
Peggy Reimer
I have a sorrel mare, bred to a dark bay, and my foal came out dark bay. YOu will probably get a dark bay.
I bred a brown mare to a blood bay and had a black filly. She was born grullo with strips, now at seven months she is jet black. She went throught a lot of color changes. From gurllo to buckshin to brown to black. I hope this will be her final color. I was not expecting a black and this is a wonderful surprise for us.
I have a 3 year old palomino halter mare. And i wanted to no what color to breed her with??