Horse Color Genetics Worksheet

The coat color and patterning of the horse are determined by its genetic make up. Color dilution results in a lightening or silvering of the coat and sometimes of the skin too.

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Red or chestnut bay and black all of.

Horse color genetics worksheet. 4 coat coloris inherited meaningthat theconditionofthetraitispassed directlyfromparenttooffspring an understandingofthismechanism allowsbreederstopredictthecoat colorsoffoalsbasedupontheir. There are two individual genetic structures or genetic controls that make up the equine colors. Chestnut consists of a red or brownish coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat.

White patterns white patterns will simply be laid over top of the horse s other colors. Color dilutions dilution genes do just what their name would suggest. Alleles controlling color dilution are dominant or semi dominant.

All other known brindles in horses are the result of chimerism or other mechanisms that do not reliably reproduce. Horse color genetics examples of dilution include palomino buckskin cremello dun champagne silver dapple and grullo. One is the actual color and the other is for the white color.

Horse color genetics and genes controlling color dilution. Chestnut is one of the most common horse coat colors seen in almost every breed. Each type of gene does this differently however and some genes may only affect one color or another.

The brindle color pattern does not often occur in horses. He has a 50 50 chance of passing on each of those color genes. The only mutation in horses that reliably produces a brindle coat color is now known to be associated with skin and other health problems and to be lethal in male foals.

Moving forward graves discussed the genetics behind specific equine coat colors. Since the red animal is not gray and not white its genetic formula in terms of the three genes discussed so far is ww gg ee. Base coat colors horses have three basic coat colors graves said.

They lighten existing coat colors. Notice that when two red horses are bred together ww gg ee x ww gg ee the offspring should also be red ww gg ee. So from nondilute mares he would be expected to have 25 nondilute foals 25 dun only 25 cream only and 25 both cream and dun.

Let s say you have a horse that is palomino and also has a dun gene this combo is commonly called dunalino.

Other Colour Modifiers Of Horses Some Of Them Can Lead To