Mare help!? Colouring Problems?

Question

Hey, I want to breed my mare but she is grey, I would really like to breed a palomino or chestnut, probably not a grey or bay. If you could give me some info that would be great. Thanks

Answer 1

Genetics of coat color in horses is a little complex.  There's no way to tell if your grey mare is homozygous or heterozygous (has one or two grey genes.)  Here is a well-done website that may help put you in the picture.  Good luck.  http://www.geocities.com/Baja/Outback/29...

Answer 2

Unfourtunately, unless you are a magician, you can't pick the color of her foal. Palomino's are very difficult to breed, as their genes tend to be recessive. Even breeding two palomino's can result in a chestnut or bay, depending on their lineage.

If your mare was bay or chestnut, I'd say find a good certified cremello stallion, and the chances would be good for a palomino. Cremello's are the best bet to "lighten up" the foal's color. Being gray, however, you may find it is impossible to get a palomino out of her. If she doesn't have the genetics, then no matter the stud, there is nothing you can do. That's mother nature!

The same goes for chestnut horses...though they are more poular. If you can find out what your grey mare's sire and dam's coloring, it would help. If she is registered, it should say on her pedegree what color her parents were. If, say, her dam was bay and her sire was grey, a chestnut and a palomino  would probably be improbable, even if you bred to a chestnut or palomino stud.

If you have your heart set on a chestnut or palomino, either sell your gray mare and buy a different mare to breed, or just buy a weanling in the color you prefer.

If selling isn't an option, just hope for a healthy, happy foal, not matter what color it is! Beauty is only skin deep.

Answer 3

If you buy a palomino or chestnut instead of trying to breed one, you are 100% guaranteed to get what you're after.  Much cheaper to do so, too.

Answer 4

don't know

Answer 5

Aside from white, genetically the color grey is the most dominant.  In order of dominance  White is very rare, then grey is next then black then red.  Most grey horses are born a different color, then turn white.  If you don't want grey, find out whether your mare's parents were both grey, and what color she was born.  If your mare carries two grey alleles, called homozygous (each horse gets one from each parent) she will always have a baby that turns grey, no matter what you breed her to.  The only way to find out is to find out her parentage.  Otherwise you can breed her, and if every foal she has ends up grey, you know she is homozygous for grey.