Dominos Black Deck, Diamond S Ranch

The Playmaquer from North Star Ranch

The Stallion Himself Not only should you ask to see the stallion, but you should ask to see him IN ACTION...under saddle, in the pasture, with other horses. This will give you a better chance to see his outstanding physical characteristics and temperament. His pedigree and bloodlines are also important. Bone and muscle diseases such as HYPP can be passed on genetically. Be sure to ask about such diseases, as well as his age, and his breeding record. Another factor to look at is his show record. Horses who are shown as Halter Horses are different than Performance Horses, and pass on different body types and temperaments to their offspring. Most breeders will be happy to share this information with you. (Incidentally, all of these guidelines apply to the mare as well. Some stallion owners are looking for the same things in brood mares!) top of page

Barlink Triplecash from 3 Bar S Stables

His Color Overo? Tobiano? Homozygous? Heterozygous? Lethal White Foal Syndrome? What do these mean? Overo-Generally, overos look like their white starts under their bellies and works its way up. The white usually never crosses the back. Overos can have either all white faces, or blazes and stripes, and usually dark legs with the white not crossing the line above the knee or hock. Minimum white overos have more contrasting color than white. Frame Overos are mostly white with a "frame" of contrasting color around the top line (crest of neck, back, and rump). Some may appear to have been splashed by a paint brush (Calico Overo), or dipped in a bucket of paint (Splashed White)

All Around Cowboy from David's Ranch

Tobiano-Usually, tobianos look like a bucket of white paint was poured on them from above, and the white ran downwards. They may have white in their manes and tails. Some may actually have two contrasting colors (black and bay) along with the white in equal amounts. Coat patterns commonly called "Medicine Hat", "Piebald," or "Skewbald" are types of tobianos. They usually have all or some white legs and dark faces, but not always.

You may have heard that some characteristics come from your genes, or are inherited from your parents. The same thing goes for color in horses. Genes travel in pairs. Horses are born with one gene from each pair of his dam and sire. If his dam has one gene solid paired to one gene spotted (or colored), the foal has a 50% chance of being colored. If that same foal's sire has one gene spotted paired to one gene spotted, the chance has increased to 75-100% because he will get one gene from his father, and one from his mother, and his father carries a matching gene pair. Therefore, from the dam and sire, the foal could get one solid and one spotted gene, resulting in a colored pattern. He could also be solid with a recessive tobiano gene (very rare). If the two genes he received from his parents were solid and overo, the resulting pattern would be overo. The foal could also have minimal white on his face, legs, and belly, and be classified as "breeding stock," carrying a recessive overo gene. Or he could get one tobiano and one tobiano(or overo and overo), and he would also be spotted.

Hombre's Blue Smoke from Tailwind Farms

Homozygous-The stallion described above is Homozygous. Since his genes are identical, he has a better chance of passing his coat pattern on to his offspring. The term Homozygous is most often applied to tobianos. Stallions are genetically tested to determine if they are homozygous, and thus have a better chance of passing their color on. However, these DNA tests only determine the "markers" which may lead to a homozygous horse, and are not a sure thing. If you are looking for a black baby out of your black solid or colored mare, breed to a homozygous black stallion, and your chances increase to 75 - 100%.

Genetic testing for Homozygous Tobianos is available through the University of California Davis for $50(U.S. funds). Just send a 10cc blood sample from the foal and the dam, a 3 generation pedigree, color photos of the horse from both sides, and name and address of where to send the results. These tests, as mentioned before, are not absolutely certain, however, of proving your horse homozygous. Heterozygous-The dam described above is Heterozygous. Her genes are not identical, and she has less of a chance to pass on her color because she might give the foal her solid gene. Lethal White Foal Syndrome-This genetic disease is most common in Homozygous Overo Foals (Foal with both genes overo) born from crossing Frame Overos. The foals are born mostly white with blue eyes, and die shortly after birth because of fatal intestinal blockages. There is no cure. The risk seems to increase with the amount of white present in the pattern of the sire and of the mare. Although Lethal White foals have been born to minimal white crossings and solids, the rule is to avoid crossing Frame Overos to Frame Overos, especially if the Frame Overo pattern goes back a few generations. Generally Remember, genetics is not as predictable as we think, and anything can happen! Nothing is 100% sure. But, the rule of thumb when looking for color is...

When breeding a... To a ... The result will be... Solid Horse Spotted Heterozygous Horse 50% chance of color Spotted Horse Spotted Homozygous Horse 75 - 100% chance of color, 50% chance Homozygous Sorrel Sorrel Sorrel Black Bay Bay some Sorrel rare Black Black Black Black or Buckskin, palomino, etc. Black Sorrel Bay some Sorrel rare Black.

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