Hello all. Well, I have now experienced a reality check--I no longer have time for all of my blogs. I started this blog when I was out of work and bored, and now that I am back in a job and teaching horse lessons, I just don't have time for everything anymore.
So, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for the horse pictures you have all sent me. I know I didn't use them all here, but the fact that you sent them means the world to me. I even got photos from as far away as OZ! YAY!
Overall, I appreciate everyone for the support. If you ever have questions about your horse's color, feel free to contact me. Thanks, and remember: a good horse is NEVER a bad color!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
I'm really, really sorry!
Okay, I PROMISE I'll have my new posts up soon! But, I have a problem with not having enough pictures of cream horses, particularly buckskins, cremellos, and perlinos. I do have enough palominos. If you have any, please send them my way. Thanks a million!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The Cream Gene - Dilute Gene
While modifying genes modify the coat color over time, the dilution genes dilute the pigment of the hairs and potentially the skin of the horse to a lighter color. The most common and possibly most sought-after dilution gene is the cream gene. The cream gene is what produces palominos, buckskins, perlinos, cremellos, smoky blacks, and smoky creams. When a creme gene is present on a fully pigmented horse, such as a chestnut or bay, the horse's coat is diluted to a lighter gold color. It's mane also is sometimes diluted, depending on the horse's base color.
Cream is expressed in the written form as Cr. CC indicates a fully pigmented horse. When Cr is coupled with a C, the heterozygous form becomes CCcr, indicating the presence of one cream gene and one pigmented gene. The presence of two cream genes would be expressed as CcrCcr. Sometimes this is shortened to CCr for heterozygous and CrCr for homozygous.
The following is a quick chart that explains what you get when a horse receives one or two cream genes. Click for a larger view. To explain the cream gene further, we have split the six cream dilute possibilities into their own separate blog posts: palomino, buckskin, smoky black, cremello, perlino, and smoky cream. A more detailed description is included on each dilute color's blog post (click the color name for its post).
Cream is expressed in the written form as Cr. CC indicates a fully pigmented horse. When Cr is coupled with a C, the heterozygous form becomes CCcr, indicating the presence of one cream gene and one pigmented gene. The presence of two cream genes would be expressed as CcrCcr. Sometimes this is shortened to CCr for heterozygous and CrCr for homozygous.
The following is a quick chart that explains what you get when a horse receives one or two cream genes. Click for a larger view. To explain the cream gene further, we have split the six cream dilute possibilities into their own separate blog posts: palomino, buckskin, smoky black, cremello, perlino, and smoky cream. A more detailed description is included on each dilute color's blog post (click the color name for its post).
Monday, July 20, 2009
To My Readers
Sorry that I haven't posted in a while. I have started a new job and am still getting settled with getting my schedule in place. My goal is to make sure I post a new color at least twice a week, if not more. So stay tuned!
I also still need photos! I'm starting on the cream genes next, so I need photos of palominos, buckskins, perlinos, and cremellos! Spotted, sabino, and other modified variations are welcome! Click here for how to send me photos. Thanks!
I also still need photos! I'm starting on the cream genes next, so I need photos of palominos, buckskins, perlinos, and cremellos! Spotted, sabino, and other modified variations are welcome! Click here for how to send me photos. Thanks!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Gray - Dominant Modifer Gene
Found in just about any breed, GRAY is a modifier gene that works similar to how a human's hair will turn gray over time. The gray allele, represented in writing as "G," removes the pigment from the horse's hairs over time. The hairs will turn completely white, or the horse will have white hairs with flecks of red or black, known as "flea-bitten gray." However, the horse's skin pigment will not change--the skin will remain dark.
Above is Dude's Bad Lady a gray Tennessee Walking Horse mare. This photo of Lady was taken in the fall of 2005.
This is Lady and her first foal, Stardust, taken in April 2009. In both photos, Lady has grown her winter coat. We can clearly see the differences in Lady's coat that have occurred over time. The dark hairs along her buttocks, thighs and gaskins have been replaced with lighter hairs. Her dapples have become less prominent, and her mane is showing less black and more gray and white hairs.
Here is Glory, a 20 year old Missouri Fox Trotter mare. Glory has a flea-bitten coat covered in tiny black specks.
In this photo, we can clearly see Glory's dark skin and the black "flea bites."
There are two key characteristics that define the gray color. First, a gray horse is never born gray. Gray modifies the pigment of the hairs over time, so it is not active when the horse is born. The foal may start showing gray hairs as soon as it start sheading it's foal coat. The tell-tale signs that a foal is turning gray will be white hairs intermixed with the base color, white rings around the foals eyes, and white hairs on the muzzle. Or the horse might not change color until it's older. I know a chocolate Kentucky Mountain Horse stallion who suddenly turned gray when he was 15 years old.
This is a photo of Silhouette, Glory's filly. She is about 3 years old in this photo. Her color is very typical of a horse that is changing to gray. She still has her dark hairs, especially in her mane and tail.
It is highly possible that Stardust, Lady's foal pictured above, will turn gray. We're already starting to see small white hairs in among the red hairs.
This is a Lipizzan stallion from the 2004 tour of the Lipizzaners in Phoenix, Arizona. This stallion was young--about six years old. He is turning white, but he still has the black hairs in his mane, tail and on his legs.
This Lipizzan stallion is far more advanced in his gray stage. He does not have the flea bites but is instead completely white. Gray is common and is cultivated in the Lipizzan breed--horses that are not gray do not sell for as high a dollar.
The second characteristic is that gray is a dominant modifier gene. It will change the color of any horse, whether it's black, chestnut, bay, palomino, or any other color. It does not affect any white markings on a horse, however, as the white hairs are already devoid of pigment. White markings are also accompanied by pink skin, which also will not be affected by the gray gene.
This is a photo of Blanco that I took at the 2008 Festival of Horses in Scottsdale, Arizona. Blanco played Shadowfax in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy and is currently a part of Imagine - Discover the Magic. This photo clearly shows how Blanco has a white blaze. We can see the pink skin where his blaze would be.
Names for Gray Horses
Here is the list of names I've collected for gray horses. Be sure to contact me if you have suggestions for more!
Alabastar, Alaska, Angel, Arctic, Arctic Ice, Avalanche, Banshee, Blanca, Blanco, Blue Ice, Bright Star, Cameo, Casper, Caesar, Celeste, Chantily's Lace, Cloud, Comet, Crushed Ice, December, Diamond, Dove, Dry Ice, Ghost, Glacier, Glacier Ice, Gossamer, Gringo, Hedwig, Ice, Ice Block, Iceberg, Ice Bright, Ice Capades, Ice Cube, Ice Man, Ice Skater, Ice White, Icicle, Icy, Ivory, Jedi, Lightning, Leche, Luna, Lunar, Milky, Moby Dick, Moonbeam, Moonlight, Moon Star, Mouse, Opal, Pearl, Pegasus, Phantom, Polar, Polar Ice, Powder, Ptarmigan, Quartz, Rabbit, Rome, Salty, Shadowfax, Silver, Silvermane, Snow, Snowbird, Snowbound, Snowfire, Snowflake, Snow Job, Snowman, Snowmane, Snowstorm, Star, Starbright, Starchild, Stardust, Stargazer, Starlet, Starlight, Starshine, Starstruck, Star Studded, Solar Star, Sparkler, Spartacus, Superstar, Sugar, Talcum, Unicorn, Whitefoot, White Knight, White Satin, White Star, Winter, Zero, Zircon
Review:
Gray - a modifier gene that gradually eliminates the pigment from the hairs of the horse, turning the horse's hairs white.
Dominant - the qualities dominate the overall appearance of the horse, no matter what color.
Represented as GG (homozygous) or Gg (heterozygous).
Gray horses are never born gray; the gray coloration comes over time.
A gray horse's skin pigment will not change; it will have dark skin throughout its life.
Thanks to M&M Stables for the photos of Glory and Silhouette and to Charming Pony Parties for the photo of Lady and Stardust.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Brown - Modifer Gene
The next modifer gene on our list is a color that isn't always recognized by all horsemen. There is also no genetic marker that has been identified for it yet. This color is BROWN.
Above is Seattle Slew*, the Triple Crown winner in 1977. Seattle Slew has had an extremely strong impact on the Thoroughbred racing industry. And he was brown. http://www.seattleslew.com/
A head shot of Seattle Slew*.
Brown modifies the black gene by creating a lighter brown color in the "soft parts" of the horse. This includes the muzzle, behind the elbow, the belly, and in front of the flank, as well as various other areas on the horse. A genetic marker for brown has not been found yet, so it is not confirmed if it is a dominant gene or not. The overall look of the horse will be a light black or brown. Seal brown is a common description for the color, as is light brown. In some registries, however, brown is not necessarily recognized. Many horse owners will mistake brown for black bay when the horse does not carry the agouti gene to make it a bay. The best way to find out if your horse is brown or black bay is to have it tested for the agouti gene.
These are some more pictures of Seattle Slew+. We can see in the winter photograph that Slew's brown color even showed through his winter coat.
The above photos are of Big Brown^, the Triple Crown contender who won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 2008. Ironically, Big Brown is NOT brown. He's a bay. Brown's name came from his sponsor, UPS, whose motto at the time was "What can Brown do for you?" http://www.ups.com/
Above is Seattle Slew*, the Triple Crown winner in 1977. Seattle Slew has had an extremely strong impact on the Thoroughbred racing industry. And he was brown. http://www.seattleslew.com/
A head shot of Seattle Slew*.Brown modifies the black gene by creating a lighter brown color in the "soft parts" of the horse. This includes the muzzle, behind the elbow, the belly, and in front of the flank, as well as various other areas on the horse. A genetic marker for brown has not been found yet, so it is not confirmed if it is a dominant gene or not. The overall look of the horse will be a light black or brown. Seal brown is a common description for the color, as is light brown. In some registries, however, brown is not necessarily recognized. Many horse owners will mistake brown for black bay when the horse does not carry the agouti gene to make it a bay. The best way to find out if your horse is brown or black bay is to have it tested for the agouti gene.
These are some more pictures of Seattle Slew+. We can see in the winter photograph that Slew's brown color even showed through his winter coat.
The above photos are of Big Brown^, the Triple Crown contender who won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 2008. Ironically, Big Brown is NOT brown. He's a bay. Brown's name came from his sponsor, UPS, whose motto at the time was "What can Brown do for you?" http://www.ups.com/
Names for Brown Horses
Here is a list of names that would be great for brown horses. Let me know if you have any to add!
Amber, Auburn, Brownie, Brunette, Cake Batter, Cappuccino, Cashew, Chocolat, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Clay, Cocoa, Cocoa Butter, Coffee, Espresso, Fawn, Fudge, Godiva, Hazel, Henna, Hershey, Latte, Malt, Mississippi Mudd, Mocha, Mud/Mudd, Mudslide, Nestle, Nutmeg, Oatmeal, Peanut, Porter, Root Beer, Sepia, Sienna, Snuff, Soda, Stout, Toast, Twix, Umber, UPS, Walnut, Willy Wonka
Review:
Brown - Modifer gene that causes brown coloration in the "soft points" of a black horse.
Potentially Dominant - the qualities dominate the overall appearance of the horse but only if the black allele is also present.
Not recognized as a color by all horse registries.
Not currently represented in writing as genetic markers have not yet been found.
Common names for shades include light brown, brown, and seal brown.
*Photos by Anne Eberhart, downloaded from http://www.whitehorseproductions.com/ecg_basics2.html
+Photos by Tony Leonard, downloaded from http://www.seattleslew.com/.
^Photos from http://horseracing.about.com/od/triplecrown2000/ig/Big-Brown-Photo-Gallery/
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Bay - The Agouti Gene
Now that we know the two base colors that make up all horse genetics, we can start looking at other colors. Many colors are caused by modifiers. Modifiers are alleles that change the appearance of the base color. One of the most well-known modifiers and most identified is the agouti gene, which creates BAY.
The above picture is of Proud Man's Cherokee Chief, aka Maverick, a Tennessee Walking Horse. Maverick is a excellent example of a bay horse. When the agouti allele is present, it acts on the black allele, restricting the coloration to the "points" of the horse. The points are the lower legs, ear tips, mane, and tail. What is left is the original chestnut coloration of the horse. Maverick is considered a mahogany bay because of his very dark red coat color. He also has a star and snip.
This is Ambrosia, a bay Thoroughbred/Trakehner cross.
The bay color is caused by the agouti gene. The agouti allele is expressed in writing as "A." Lowercase "a" means that the allele does not exist. It is possible for a horse to be homozygous for the agouti gene, or AA. In order for the horse to visibly be bay, however, the agouti allele must accompany a black allele. The horse can be homozygous for black and agouti (AA, EE), homozygous for one and heterozygous for another (Aa, EE or AA, Ee), or heterozygous for both (Aa, Ee). In all of these cases, the horse's phenotype will be bay.
If the agouti gene exists without a black gene, the horse will not have the appearance of the black having been restricted to the points. A chestnut horse can carry the agouti gene if one of its parents carried the agouti gene and it happened to be passed on. They can even be homozygous agouti if both parents carried the the gene and happened to pass it on. In writing, either case would be Aa, ee or AA, ee.
The agouti gene is also responsible for creating colors such as buckskin and perlino. More information on those colors is coming soon.
This is Ranger, a bay Tennessee Walking Horse. Note that his eye color is not brown but hazel. There is no genetic explanation for this as of yet, but some genes, such as the agouti gene, seem to carry a genetic marker for hazel eyes as well.
Above are Thunder and Bree. Thunder is a yearling Thoroughbred, and Bree is a Tennessee Walking Horse. Ambrosia is in the background. Bree also carries the tobiano gene, which is what creates her white markings. She is considered a bay tobiano. Obviously Thunder is still in his winter coat. As his owner has only recently acquired him as of this post, she isn't sure if his summer coat is going to be bay or brown (another modifier gene). We'll include more photos as we receive them.
This is Bree. We can clearly see that her legs, although white, still show the black coloration above the white.
Bay comes in many shades, most particularly mahogany bay, blood bay (a dark red color that is lighter than mahogany), light bay (a chestnut shade to the coat), and black or dark bay (a very dark red, very close to brown). There is no genetic difference in the shades; i.e., there is no way to know what shade the horse will be when breeding for bay.
Names for Bay Horses
The following are names I've gathered over the years that seem to describe the bay color of a horse very well. Feel free to respond so we can add to this list!
Ambrosia, Bayberry, Baylee, Bloodstone, Brandy, Brego, Burgundy, Catalina Bay, Cherry, Chianti, Cisco, Cleveland, Frisco, Garnet, Ginger, Jordan, Mahogany, Merlot, Rimrock, Robin, Seabiscuit, Scarlet, San Francisco ("Frisco"), Whiskey
Review:
Bay - caused by the agouti allele, which restricts the black coloration to the points of the horse.
Dominant - the qualities dominate the overall appearance of the horse but only if the black allele is also present.
Represented as AA (homozygous) or Aa (heterozygous).
Shades include mahogany bay, blood bay, light bay, and dark or black bay.
Thank you to Firewalkers Ranch for the photos of Ambrosia, Ranger, Thunder and Bree.
The above picture is of Proud Man's Cherokee Chief, aka Maverick, a Tennessee Walking Horse. Maverick is a excellent example of a bay horse. When the agouti allele is present, it acts on the black allele, restricting the coloration to the "points" of the horse. The points are the lower legs, ear tips, mane, and tail. What is left is the original chestnut coloration of the horse. Maverick is considered a mahogany bay because of his very dark red coat color. He also has a star and snip.
This is Ambrosia, a bay Thoroughbred/Trakehner cross.
The bay color is caused by the agouti gene. The agouti allele is expressed in writing as "A." Lowercase "a" means that the allele does not exist. It is possible for a horse to be homozygous for the agouti gene, or AA. In order for the horse to visibly be bay, however, the agouti allele must accompany a black allele. The horse can be homozygous for black and agouti (AA, EE), homozygous for one and heterozygous for another (Aa, EE or AA, Ee), or heterozygous for both (Aa, Ee). In all of these cases, the horse's phenotype will be bay.
If the agouti gene exists without a black gene, the horse will not have the appearance of the black having been restricted to the points. A chestnut horse can carry the agouti gene if one of its parents carried the agouti gene and it happened to be passed on. They can even be homozygous agouti if both parents carried the the gene and happened to pass it on. In writing, either case would be Aa, ee or AA, ee.
The agouti gene is also responsible for creating colors such as buckskin and perlino. More information on those colors is coming soon.
This is Ranger, a bay Tennessee Walking Horse. Note that his eye color is not brown but hazel. There is no genetic explanation for this as of yet, but some genes, such as the agouti gene, seem to carry a genetic marker for hazel eyes as well.
Above are Thunder and Bree. Thunder is a yearling Thoroughbred, and Bree is a Tennessee Walking Horse. Ambrosia is in the background. Bree also carries the tobiano gene, which is what creates her white markings. She is considered a bay tobiano. Obviously Thunder is still in his winter coat. As his owner has only recently acquired him as of this post, she isn't sure if his summer coat is going to be bay or brown (another modifier gene). We'll include more photos as we receive them.
This is Bree. We can clearly see that her legs, although white, still show the black coloration above the white.
Bay comes in many shades, most particularly mahogany bay, blood bay (a dark red color that is lighter than mahogany), light bay (a chestnut shade to the coat), and black or dark bay (a very dark red, very close to brown). There is no genetic difference in the shades; i.e., there is no way to know what shade the horse will be when breeding for bay.
Names for Bay Horses
The following are names I've gathered over the years that seem to describe the bay color of a horse very well. Feel free to respond so we can add to this list!
Ambrosia, Bayberry, Baylee, Bloodstone, Brandy, Brego, Burgundy, Catalina Bay, Cherry, Chianti, Cisco, Cleveland, Frisco, Garnet, Ginger, Jordan, Mahogany, Merlot, Rimrock, Robin, Seabiscuit, Scarlet, San Francisco ("Frisco"), Whiskey
Review:
Bay - caused by the agouti allele, which restricts the black coloration to the points of the horse.
Dominant - the qualities dominate the overall appearance of the horse but only if the black allele is also present.
Represented as AA (homozygous) or Aa (heterozygous).
Shades include mahogany bay, blood bay, light bay, and dark or black bay.
Thank you to Firewalkers Ranch for the photos of Ambrosia, Ranger, Thunder and Bree.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
