What color.....?

Question

What color colt would one get if one bred a blood bay and a white grey?

The stallion, Firefox, came from bloodbay parents and granparents.

The mare, Victoria's Secret, came from a flea-bitten grey sire and white grey dam. Grandparents are unknown, sorry!!!

If someone could help, it would be extremely appreciated!!!

Answer 1

In horse color genetics there are two base coats - black and chestnut.  The black gene is dominant to the chestnut gene.  Bay and grey are both modifier genes.  The bay gene, called agouti, modifies black hairs by lightening them, although it can also be carried by chestnuts.  The grey gene can be carried by - and can effect - horses with either color base coat.  

Each horse inherits genes from both its sire and dam.  Without testing a horse's DNA it can be difficult to determine what genes the horse carries.  In the case of your Stallion, Firefox, he obviously carries at least one black-base gene and one agouti gene.  Since both of these genes are dominant (expressed) we know this for a fact.  We also know that his most recent ancestors also carried these genes.  However it is possible that they all carry recessive chestnut genes.  Each grandparent could have had a dominant Black (B) gene and a recessive chestnut (c) and passed on a (Bc) combination to Firefox's parents and they to him.  The mating of two (Bc) carriers gives one chance in four of foaling a (BB) black, one chance for a (cc) chestnut) and two chances for the foal to be (Bc).

The grey gene in Victoria's Secret works the same way.  Since all three horses from the family were grey we don't know whether they carry black or chestnut or both base genes.  If both of Victoria's Secrets' parents carried only one grey gene it is possible that she also carries only one grey gene.  The chances of her passing it on to the foal are 50%.  

Assuming that Firefox has a base coat gene pair of Bc and one agouti (bay) gene and Victoria's Secret has an unknown base coat pair and one grey gene, the possible colors for the foal are black, chestnut, bay or grey.  If Firefox carries two black genes that would eliminate the chance for a chestnut foal, and if he carries two agouti genes the foal would start life as a bay.  If we decide that Victoria's Secret carries two grey genes the foal will definetely be grey.

There are a lot of websites that discuss equine color genetics in much more detail.  This is a really, really simplistic explanation of the possible colors for your foal.  Check  http://www.geocities.com/equine_color/in... http://www.equinecolor.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_coat... , etc. for further reading.

Answer 2

maybe a chestnut, or black or maybe even gry or blood bay.

Answer 3

dark grey

Answer 4

more or less a chestnut colour