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We get asked the question "What can I Get?" on a regular basis! Genetics is a serious hobby of mine, especially equine genetics. I've come across some great equine genetics websites for the beginner up to advanced and would be happy to pass those links along. This page is not going to go heavily into genetics but there are a few facts I want to get across because there is so much bad information and old theories out there! Once you have read the quick facts then scroll down to the color of your mare to read what you can get!
Genetic odds are what I will be discussing here. I see a lot of people out there advertising a stallion as a high or even 100% color producer when the said horse is not a homozygous tobiano, cremello or perlino. That is just random luck or bad statistics. A buckskin or palomino stallion without any dun factor or other modifiers is 50% likely to pass on the dilution gene Cr when bred to a non dilute horse (such as a sorrel or bay). So where do the inflated stats come from? Stallions are often bred to dilute mares and the offspring may get their color from the mare not the stallion. Our former stud RMR Docs Gold King also throws black babies which add to his color stats. So don't go on advertising puffery when making your breeding decisions. One buckskin stallion is probably as likely to get you a palomino or buckskin baby as another if all other color factors are the same. BUT our stallion DOC DUN IT HOLLYWOOD also carries another dilution gene - DUN!!!! Since he's also homozygous for black points it will make him a HUGE Buckskin and Dun (black points) producer!!!
HERE ARE SOME QUICK FACTS!
- All genes for every trait and modifying trait come in pairs which are inherited one from the sire one from the dam
- ALL horses have a base color of black or red! There are no exceptions. EVERY OTHER COLOR IS CREATED BY MODIFIERS WHICH "STACK" ON BLACK OR RED!
- The modifying gene Agouti is the reason there are not more solid black horses even though they are genetically black. Agouti is a DOMINANT gene and it only takes one to limit black to the points. ALL bay, buckskin and other black pointed horses have at least one Agouti gene.
- UC DAVIS labs can test for Red/Black genes, Agouti genes, Sabino genes, Creme genes and several others. There is now a test for Dun factor!
Our stallion DOC DUN IT HOLLYWOOD is HOMOZYGOUS for Agouti - he will NEVER throw solid black.
MOST Modifying genes are dominant - that means it only takes one gene from one parent to create that effect. This is true of Creme, Sabino, Tobiano, Dun, Roan, Grey, etc. Paint Overo coloring is dominant but much trickier.
Now that I gave you a brief background I can go onto the heart of the question. Not all sorrel or all bay mares are identical genetically but here is educated guesses on the "What can I get?" question!
SORREL MARE OWNERS:
When bred to DOC DUN IT HOLLYWOOD you can get buckskin, bay, Dun (black points) or buckskin dun (dunskin)! You have over a 75% chance of getting color "buckskin, dun or dunskin". YOU HAVE A 100% CHANCE OF GETTING BLACK POINTS!
BAY MARE OWNERS:
When bred to DOC DUN IT HOLLYWOOD you can get buckskin, bay, Dun (black points) or buckskin dun (dunskin)! You have over a 75% chance of getting color "buckskin, dun or dunskin".
PALOMINO MARE OWNERS:
When bred to DOC DUN IT HOLLYWOOD you can get buckskin, perlino, bay, Dun (black points) or buckskin dun (dunskin)! You have over a 87% chance of getting color "buckskin, dun, perlino or dunskin".
BUCKSKIN MARE OWNERS:
When bred to DOC DUN IT HOLLYWOOD you can get buckskin, perlino, bay, Dun (black points) or buckskin dun (dunskin)! You have over a 87% chance of getting color "buckskin, dun, perlino or dunskin".
GREY MARES:
Grey overrides other colors. If you know what the mare's color was as a foal then read the above information for that color then remember: A grey mare has a 50% chance of throwing her grey gene! As the foal ages it will lose the color it is born as and become grey over time.
OTHER QUICK FACTS:
A BAY - Black modified by Agouti.
A BUCKSKIN - Black modified by Agouti and Creme.
A DUN - Black modified by Agouti and Dun.
A PALOMINO - Sorrel/Red modified by Creme.
A DUNALINO - Sorrel/Red modified by Dun and Creme.
A DUNSKIN - Black modified by Agouti, Dun and Creme
A PERLINO - Black modified by Agouti, Creme and Creme. In other words a perlino is genetically identical to a buckskin except he has an extra Creme gene which makes him homozygous.
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