Dear Prism,
I have a sorrel stud that i breed to a gray mare. If you look at the mares papers gray goes back to her great grandmother. The foal
is sorrel now. Will see turn gray? – Thanks Jeff, submitted via horsegazette.com
Dear Jeff,
To give you a better answer, I’d have to know what colors the gray mare’s parents are. We need to know whether or not the mare
is homozygous for gray (had two gray parents and inherited a gray gene from each of them). If the mare is homozygous for gray
then all foals she produces will be gray (by virtue of inheriting a gray gene from the dam) – if the mare is heterozygous (one gray
and one non-gray gene) then her offspring run an approximately 50% chance of not being gray. In your original question you
didn’t say how old the foal is now but without seeing the foal all I can tell you is to look around the eyes and at the base of the
ears. Most foals that will gray out start with what is called “goggles” around the eyes. These are circles or bands of gray hair
around the eyes. You can also look at the base of the ears to see if you see gray hairs coming in. Hope this helped with your
answer. If you have a picture you can send in it will give me a better feel for whether or not the foal will turn gray. - Prism
Prism,
I have a Dun Mare and I am wanting a dun/buckskin/palomino foal. What would give me that best chance? – Josh, submitted via
horsegazette.com
Josh,
Without knowing what “color” of dun your mare is or her background I’m going to give you a generic answer. In order to breed
for a Buckskin or Palomino then you will have to breed to a stallion that carries the “Dilute/Cream” genetics. Your mare will
give the dun genetics 50% of the time so you have a 50/50 chance of a dun foal based solely on the mare’s genetics. I’d look for
a Palomino (red-based) or Buckskin (bay-based) stallion for a 50% chance of a single-dilute foal. If you want to guarantee
buckskin or palomino foal then look for a Double-dilute stallion (Cremello or Perlino) to get your Buckskin or Palomino foal. Prism
Dear Prism,
I have a bay mare with a dun stripe and she is very black around the face, especially the eyes so I think she may also have the
sooty gene. How should I breed her if I want a chocolate palomino or silver dapple? – Pamela, submitted via horsegazette.com
Dear Pamela,
Well, we know that bay is a black horse with the Agouti (A) gene (this limits the black coloration to the points; mane/tail and
lower legs). You said she has a dun stripe and I’ll assume that this runs down the back so I’m leaning toward your Bay mare
being a Dun mare instead. Lots of variables involved in getting a chocolate palomino or Silver Dapple out of her. I’d look for
Double-dilute for the palomino and a Silver Dapple stallion to get the silver dapple foal. As with all horse breeding, there is
always room for the color you don’t want or plan on. But the Palomino or Silver Dapple stallions would give you your best
chance as getting what you’re breeding for. - Prism