Genetics

[Lynch]

Understanding the Genetics

[/b]means what the horse looks like.
genotype: means the genetic makeup of the horse.[/ul]I'm pretty sure most of you understand the phenotype of a horse, so I will spend most of my time explaining the genotype of the horse instead.

Every horse has two alleles of a gene, for example Gg or GG.

A horse that has two alleles of the same gene is called homozygous, both genes are the same so this means he/she will be sure to pass them on.

You do not need to write all of the off genes, unless they are attached to an on gene, are part of the base colors, or if two off genes creates a new coat color (only pearl/flaxen does this)

Eye Colors

These genes are not known, but for the sake of the game and breeding I'm making up my own way of how they work.

Heterochromia (one iris / part of one iris is a different color from the rest)

Coloration

Base Colors

Eumelanin (black)

Agouti

1. Chestnut (AKA sorrel) (ee, with any combination of A genes)
2. Bay (AA, Aa, or AAt, plus EE or Ee)
3. Brown (AtAt or Ata, plus EE or Ee)
4. Black (aa, plus EE or Ee)

Dilutions

Cream

Dun

Champagne

Silver (dapple)

[/i][/ul]Flaxen

[/i][/ul]

Modifiers

Rabicano

Sooty

Pangare

Brindle

White Mixed

White Markings

Greying

Roaning

White

Pinto

Appoloosa

[/ul]

Markings

The genetics for markings are unknown but here is a complete list of all possible markings that are NOT affected by known genetics.

Facial Markings

[/b] = a wide white stripe down the middle of the face.
Strip, stripe, or race = a narrow white stripe down middle of the face.
Bald Face = a very wide blaze, extending to or past the eyes. Some but not all bald faced horses also have blue eyes.
Star = a white marking between or above the eyes. If a stripe or blaze is present, a star must be significantly wider than the vertical marking to be designated separately.
Snip = a white marking on the muzzle, between the nostrils.
Faint = a small, yet permanent marking the usually consists of white hairs without any underlying pink skin.
Interrupted = a marking, usually a strip of blaze, that is broken and not solid for the entire length of the face.
Connected = occasionally used to describe distinctively different markings that happen to be joined to one another
Irregular or crooked = a marking, usually a strip or blaze, that does not have a more of less straight path.
Lip markings = a marking, located on lower lip, chin, etc. Lip markings may indicate presence of the sabino color pattern.[/ul]Leg Markings

[/b] = white marking that extends at least to the bottom of the knee or hock, sometimes higher.
Sock = white marking that extends higher than the fetlock but not as high as the knee or hock, this marking is sometimes called a "boot".
Paster = white marking that extends above the top of the hoof, but stops below the fetlock.
Coronet = white just above the hoof, around coronary band, usually no more than 1 inch above the hoof.
Irregular = a marking within the broad confines of a given height, but with significantly uneven edges.
Partial = an irregular marking that only extends up part of the leg to the height indicated, sometimes with the other side of the leg dark.
High White = white stockings that extend above the knee or hock, sometimes extending past the stifle onto the flank or belly, considered characteristic of the sabino color pattern.[/ul]Other Markings

[/b] = dark faint spotting, usually seen on horses with a chestnut or palomino coat.
Ermine marks = the occurrence of black marks on a white marking, most often seen on leg markings just above the hoof.
Medicine hat = an unusual type of pinto or paint coloring where the horse has dark ears and poll, but surrounded on all sides of the head and neck by white.
Shield = a dark pinto marking where the horse has a dark colored chest, surrounded completely by white on the shoulders, legs, belly, and neck. Occasionally used to describe the rarer example of a horse with a totally dark head surrounded completely by white.
Body spots = an isolated spot which can occur anywhere on the body but are not large or numerous enough to qualify them an an appoloosa, pinto or paint.
Birdcatcher spots = small white spots, usually between 1 mm and 1 inch in diameter.
Ticking or Birdcather ticks = markings that involve white flecks of hair at the flank, and white hairs at the base of the tail.
Brindle = an extremely rare horse coat color, it feature faint vertical striping in a shade slightly diluted from the base coat color
Reverse or white Brindle = even rarer than brindle is a white brindle.
Bloody Shoulder Markings = random patches of color of grey horses that simply do not grey out. Despite the name, they can be found anywhere on a horse's body.[/ul]Scarring, skin disease and injury

[/b] = can leave a horse with small white spots, especially along his top line.
Corn spots = patches of solid (dark) hair on the roan sections of their bodies wherever there has been any scratch or damage to underlying skin, even if only slight. This can only be found on roan horses.
Saddle marks = patch of white hairs which may be seen on the back or withers of the horse.
Freeze / Hot Branding = a method of permanently marking a horse for identification purposes. Can either scar heavy and leave bare skin or lightly and leave white hairs.[/ul]

[Lynch]

Basic Color Genetics

For those of you who still do not understand how genetics work, I will show you how to get different colored horses.

Here are all of the known possible eye colors.

Here are a few examples of how to read eye colors;