Why Are White Horses Called Gray?

Any equestrian has experienced the average pedestrian commenting on the pretty white horse out in the pasture or in the arena. Here it comes: the eyeroll, the sigh. "It's called gray, not white." Every equestrian knows that. Duh! However, the embarrassing question of "why" comes and you realize that the question is completely legit. And you don't know the answer.

OK, so most equestrians know that most white horses are called gray, even if they don't know why. Some people like to get technical and specify what kind of gray the horse is: dapple gray, iron gray, rose gray, flea-bitten gray. Whatever. None of those are helpful or relevant, and don't answer the question. Here is the logic behind the fact:

Gray horses are born with the gene called- well, gray - and is abbreviated with a G. What the gene does is it slowly adds more and more white hairs to the horse until it turns completely white....or mostly white. This is called de-pigmentation. Every horse that turns gray does so at a different pace. There are many stages of gray, and each stage looks a little different. The technical terms mentioned earlier are not relevant because gray is a progressive color. Each stage might be permanent, or not.

When gray horses are born, they look like any ordinary foal. Cute, and not white. The gray gene (G) is inherited seperately from other color genes, and gray is not a color by itself. Instead, it modifies and changes an existing color that is already there.

Photo contributed by Katy Heck Anderson

Photo contributed by Giorgia Guzman Lucatti

The next stage: as the horse gets older, more and more white hairs cover the body. Some horses go through a bit of a hyper-pigmentation process, turning their original foal color to something darker, usually a weird shade of dark gray, or appear a bit like a roan because of all the white sprinkled throughout their body. The horse below is the same as the foal in the above picture, at 8 months.

Photo contributed by Giorgia Guzman Lucatti

The dapple gray stage is kind of dicey; some horses remain dapple gray for the rest of their lives, and for some it is very fleeting. A dapple gray is when the horse is mostly covered in white hairs, with some dark shades showing through. Some horses that were originally a red color (chestnut, bay, palomino, etc.) might be reddish in color. Some people like to call those "rose grays", although I prefer to avoid being over-technical as it really doesn't matter. The horse is still gray.

Photo contributed by Kari Topjian-Cohen of Dipity Dew

Photo contributed by Jenna Chasnov

The "finished" gray stage is when the horse has turned completely white. Some horses take a long time to turn completely white, and some don't turn all the way white at all and stay in the dapple stage. This is the most commonly mistaken phase that a horse will be called white because, well, he is.

Photo contributed by Ashley Gerrard

Photo contributed by Johna Racquel Pink

Another very common stage of graying that many horses go through is called flea-bitten gray. Genetically, no one knows why it happens. It usually happens after the horse has turned completely white, although some horses begin developing flea-bites while they are still in the dapple gray phase.

Photo contributed by Heather Kaplan

Some individual breed peculiarities:

-Percherons tend to have an incredibly slow de-pigmentation rate, and typically stay in the dapple gray stage most of their lives. Percherons also do not usually develop flea-bites.

Photo contributed by Lauren Zimmer

-Arabians have the highest tendency to be flea-bitten, and also are known for having the most dramatic dense flea bites than any other breed, although any horse regardless of breed can develop flea-bites. Sometimes they can be so dense the horse almost looks like it is re-pigmenting.

Photo contributed by Melissa Rose Obermann

-Color breeds such as Paints and Appaloosas can also be gray, but because the gray covers up the coveted unique color the individuals are less desireable in breeding programs. The horse below is a grayed-out paint.

Photo contributed by Cassidy Allison

Now, not all white horses are gray, but it is by far the most common white horse color. Other white horse colors include double cream (always have blue eyes), maximum sabino (white with pink skin and dark eyes), and dominant white (same as maximum sabino).

To Breed or Not to Breed, Part 2

In my last post, I talked about whether or not you actually have good reason to breed. In this post, I want to discuss several things to consider about your mare and what you want to produce.

There are a lot of people who try to breed their mare in hopes of getting something different, or new. Such as breeding a really hot Arabian mare to a laid back Quarter horse stud in hopes of getting something exactly in the middle. But that is a terrible way to achieve exactly what you are looking for, and here is why.

Whenever you breed two opposite spectrum horses together, the wider the range of things that could go wrong. Here is an interesting way to look at it: if I grade a horses temperament with a 1 being bombproof and a 10 being a crazy hot horse, what happens if I breed them together? The chance of me getting a horse that is a 5 on the scale is not unlikely, but absolutely any other number on the scale is also possible. The chance of getting a 7 or a 2 are definitely there, or even extreme enough to potentially get a 1 or a 10.

It has been said that stallions help balance out faults, but nothing is ever guaranteed. What if your mare's terrible bowed legs get inherited? Yes, your stallion's conformation was flawless, but you failed to recognize that getting a horse perfectly balanced, or in the middle of the scale, doesn't happen as often as you think. So when I say that you need to want a horse that is exactly like your mare, I truly mean it! If you want to breed your mare to produce something you don't have, chances are it won't turn out the way you expect.

All this interesting stuff to say, that the chances of producing a horse that is athletic in the way you want it to be is greatly improved if both horses are suited to the task. If I want a horse that is a 2 on the temperament scale, breeding horses that are both 2's gives me a huge chance of having a horse that is the same. The next best option would be to breed horses with a 1 and a 3; you would have to be content with the offspring being a 1, 2, or 3, but still all three options are very close to what you were hoping to create.

 If I breed my champion western roping horse to an English dressage horse in hopes of creating a horse that is "more versatile", chances are I will create a horse that isn't very suitable for either. Remember: a horse that is trained is worth more than a horse that isn't, but a horse that is trained in a specific area is worth far more than a horse with general training. The more concentrated your horses athletic area is, the more they are worth, and the more likely they are to pass those traits on because it is already part of their DNA.

Breeding two horses that are good at endurance trails will probably result at least in the same, and in lots of ways it can produce a horse that is even better than it's parents because of the combined talent in the genes. Thoroughbred racing horse breeders are always doing this: combining the most talented horses in their breeding farm in hopes of creating something even faster.

Now, some horses in different disciplines combine well. For example: an endurance Arabian usually crosses well with a Thoroughbred; both are bred for racing, so the result could be an even faster endurance Anglo-Arab. Another example could be that a western roping horse could be bred to a western cutting horse; because both require horses that can be slightly independent, trustworthy, and "cowy"(or with a lot of sense when it comes to working cattle), that is what you can expect to produce. The horse might be better at one or the other, but they are not so far away that the horse couldn't be exceptional at both and at the least you have produced a very sensible working cattle horse. Actually, in my area of the country working cow horses that can do general ranch work are worth far more than horses than can jump 4' in an arena.

You also may need to take into consideration what qualities your mare has that aren't her fault. If she limps, is it through an injury, or conformational fault? I'm always surprised at how many people breed their cranky mares and have the best foals. She might not have always been crabby; has she been abused in the past? My point is, what sort of traits does your mare have that are because of the environment around her and not her fault? My own mare has a bit of a belly but that isn't conformation; that was the result of having two foals. I know that because I have pictures of her before she was a broodmare. If she gave birth to a filly and that filly was used as a broodmare, then I might expect the same thing to happen.

The areas that you need to be completely comfortable with that no amount of 'balancing' can guarantee are:

-Talent
-Height
-Conformation
-Temperament

If you aren't satisfied with your mare in these four areas and don't want something exactly like you've got, then don't breed!

Next up: Is showing my mare important before I breed?

To Breed, or Not to Breed: Part 1

Have you ever been interested in the idea of breeding your horse? If you're like me and you like to dream, then you've probably been all over Craigslist and different breeding websites finding just the right stallion; you might even have the name picked out and are imagining competing on a foal that doesn't even exist!

However: circumstances change. You can't guarentee that you will own this foal forever, no matter how much you love him. Let's go extreme and just ask the question, what happens if you die? Or he comes up so lame he can never be ridden again? Or hay prices sky-rocket and you can't afford him anymore? Your horse will probably be sold, hopefully you will make even a little money from the sale. But in order to be given money to take the horse off your hands, someone needs to want your horse.What makes a horse wantable?

Lots of people breed their mares for sentimental reasons. Some just want a baby with "color", whatever that means. Some think that as long as the horse is trained really really well, it doesn't matter what kind of horse they produce. Some breed for the experience, some want to raise a baby, some want to have a project that they can start as a blank slate. A horse with lots of general training is worth more than a horse with none, and a horse with very specific training is worth even more than a horse with general training. 

You may or may have not noticed, but I have an equine genetics blog. I am really tuned into the color genetics aspect of breeding. I'm just going to say it: I live in Idaho. Colored horses are a really big deal around here. In fact, so much so that there are just as many paints as there are plain chestnuts. Right now, people are practically giving away their grade paint horses. They wanted a horse with color and they got it. Now they don't want it, and it turns out that their "colored" horse wasn't as unique as they thought.

There are all kinds of reasons some horses are more desirable than others. But the one factor that never changes or goes out of style is that horses with papers are worth twice as much money as a horse without. Why? 

A horse with papers can be shown or competed; showing in itself can actually make money and is a huge hobby and sport. Anyone who shows is willing to pay more money for a horse that they can show on than a horse who can't be shown on. Also: a horse with papers, no matter if they can be ridden or not, can produce more horses with papers. If your papered mare comes up lame and physically can't do more than sit in a pasture, she can still have worth as a breeding mare. If the same thing happens to your grade mare, you might not be able to find a home for her. I was hoping to avoid it, but the unavoidable topic to bring up is horse slaughter. Not that you would intentionally send a horse to slaughter, but there are people who pick up unwanted horses for a free and sell them for a profit to be killed for canine (or even human) consumption.

There are a lot of people who think that if you don't breed horses professionally, you shouldn't be breeding at all because your horse has a chance of ending up at the slaughterhouse, or you're being selfish by not saving a horse from the slaughterhouse and breeding yourself. I don't agree with this mentality; if you have very good reasons for breeding, specifically with the mindset of making sure your horse is valuable to someone else, then they hopefully will not end up at the slaughterhouse. 

I also don't think it is selfish to not rescue, rehabilitate, or buy a slaughterhouse horse. Yes, I know there are many horses who are perfectly good who are ending up being slaughtered, however you do have to consider that there might be a very good reason they weren't wanted. What if you go in with the intention of saving a horse and want a life-long partner, but you realize a week after bringing him home that he isn't mentally stable, or has a genetic disease like HYPP that can't be cured? You may have just made a huge mistake and may need to put him down. A huge heartache, waste of time and money.

Here is a good checklist for your mare; these are not definite deciding factors, but is the best guideline for first time breeders particularly to have all 8 as a yes.

1. Is she in good health?
2. Has she foaled before?
3. Is she registered?
4. If so, are you even interested in producing another foal with the same registry?
5. Has she had a 5-panel genetic test done?
6. Does she have good conformation?
7. Has your mare been shown? Successfully, unsuccessfully, or not at all?
8. Lastly, are you willing to produce a horse than you know someone else will want?

In the next part, I'm going to talk a little more about some other factors in determining whether your mare is actually suitable for breeding; this was more of a do you actually have good, substantial reasons for breeding.

All the pictures in this post are free stock photos found on pixabay.com or publicdomainpictures.net.

Horse Color Genetics: A Little More on Sabino

Here is the last post I did on overo, but since I have learned much more and would like to do seperate posts, going a little more indepth on each overo type.

Sabino is a part of the KIT gene, which are a set of genes that share the same locus. Roan, dominant white, and tobiano all fall in as some of the others. It is also an incomplete dominant gene, meaning that, whether in heterozygous or homozygous form, the pattern will express itself in different ways.

Sabino is also classified as an overo pattern. However, it has so many different forms that many people don't know how to describe it. The following horses are all sabino:

While the two horses in the middle have very similar markings, the top and bottom one aren't even comparable. That is how much variation there is in the mutation.

The first three horses were all heterozygotes; one dominant copy of the gene. The last one is what is called 'maximum sabino', and it is homozygous for sabino, or SB1. Along with dominant white, maximum sabino can sometimes be confused for albino, but in reality it is, just like dominant white, like a giant white spot that covers up the color underneath. They always have dark eyes, unless combined with other genes which might cause blue eyes.

In the most recent equine genetics book available, The Equine Tapestry, Lesli Kathman talks a little about SB1 and why it has the number on the end. Scientists are anticipating more sabino mutations that are yet undiscovered, but SB1 is the only one that is testable at the moment.

Within the heterozygous range, the pattern can vary immensely, from almost not there, to a fully fledged pinto pattern that can be mistaken as nothing else. Because of this, sabino is hard to breed for. Minimum and maximum form within the heterozygotes is not neccesarily transferred from parent to offspring. For example: a maximum heterozygote could produce a minimum heterozygote, and vice versa.

Note: the difference between maximum sabino heterozygotes and maximum sabino homozygotes is tremendous; the former usually represents itself in the loud pinto form, the latter in the all white form.

Many heterozygous sabinos have some kind of roaning, making the patches less defined than many of the other pinto genes. Some have even been mistaken as plain 'roan' (also sometimes called true roan). Any of the above horses have just the tiniest bit of roaned out bit, but be careful when identifying sabino's, as horses that actually carry both roan and sabino will probably be more defined than you would think.

Sabino can be identified easily in a more maximum form, by the irregular splotchy patches that look like the horse was randomly splattered with paint, and is usually accompanied by some kind of large face marking and stockings. Minimum forms can be easy to mistake, however, for minimum forms of other patterns such as frame or splash. Sadly, I have no rules as to how to differentiate the two, other than the tendency to 'behave' differently. Maximum heterozygous forms can be almost indistinguishable from several of the dominant white mutations, especially within Arabians. The two arabians below have good examples of what some may not recognize as a pinto pattern.

In breeds where pinto colors are not 'available', like Arabians and Clydesdales, sabino is very much a part of. It has been noted, however that Clydesdales do not carry SB1, but almost every single one has some form of sabino. The mutation may be specific to the breed, but that is yet unknown. Notice the large face markings, tall stockings, and belly spots, which all are indicators of some kind of white patterning gene.

If many breeds allow sabino, but not other pinto patterns, the question my mind keeps wandering back to is this: should sabino actually be considered a pinto gene? In most cases, most horsemen don't consider bald face markings, tall stockings, or even small belly spots to be anything of consequence. And homozygous sabinos can barely be called pinto at all.

I would say, in my own opinion, that minimum heterozygous sabinos are much more common than maximum heterozygous sabinos. Even if you look up pictures of the former, there are many more than, because the owners don't see them as anything in particular, aren't labeled as such.

What is the Difference Between Paint and Pinto?

Among horse owners and enthusiasts, there is quite a lot of confusion on the subject of whether a horse is a paint, or a pinto. What is the difference? Is there a difference?

There is, in fact, a slight difference. But just by looking at a horse, you won't be able to tell. Any owner of a paint or pinto horse will tell you, 'Paint is a breed, Pinto is a color'. This is true to some extent, but not always.

Technically, the Paint horse is a breed. The APHA (American Paint Horse Association), because it is an official registry, doesn't allow just any paint-colored horse. They must have one parent that was registered as such, and another parent that is an approved cross-breed.

Many registries do this to allow for different types, and new blood. For example: the POAC, which is not a very old breed, allows for any POA that is crossed with an Arabian, Thoroughbred, Appaloosa, Connemara, among others, to be fully registered as long as they meet other height and color requirements. Through out-crossing, many different kinds of conformation are allowed for, whereas, if only POA blood were allowed, they would be mostly similar in build, in either a more Western type, or English type. In old breeds, like Arabians and Thoroughbreds where no outcrossing is allowed for purebreds, there is a much more typical type between all of them as a whole.

Even though it may seem that the Paint Horse is a color-oriented registry, any horse that is born solid either from two registered APHA horses or from one APHA parent and one approved outcross breed (the only out-cross breeds allowed are Quarter horses, Thoroughbreds, or Appendix (meaning 1/2 Quarter horse, 1/2 Thoroughbred)) can be registered as breeding stock. It is not the same thing as full-registry in that there are some showing restrictions, but they can produce very valuable or colorful foals by breeding back to another registered Paint horse. The horse below is a 'solid' paint.

A lot of people get confused when the owner of the horse tries to explain that their ordinary-looking horse is a registered Paint (breeding stock), but that is because most people who don't own horses don't know how registries, or genetics, work. The fact that two loudly-marked horses can produce a solid foal makes no sense. But in the genetic sense, it does. Another solid paint mare, below:

It is quite unfair, though; by reading through the APHA rules, I learned that irregular markings, or blue eyes, which both indicate some interesting genes that can produce colored foals, aren't allowed full registration.

Back to the other subject: what, then, is a pinto?

A pinto is defined by the fact that it is, and isn't, a breed.

Any horse that has paint-markings can be called a pinto. They may or may not be actually a different breed. For example: Tenessee Walking horses can be purebred, and also pinto color. If you don't know and you call them a pinto, that is totally okay, but the owner may sharply reprimand you and tell you that,  it is in fact a Tenessee Walker. Below is a paint-color Tennessee Walking horse.

Technically, there is actually a pinto registry. It's pretty cool; they are much more forgiving of breed, and you can basically double-register if you want. There are slightly more rules for registering stallions, but almost any horse that has paint markings, even with unknown parentage, can be registered. The mare below is double-registered as Half-Arabian, and also Pinto.

 In fact, any horse that shows two pinto characteristics but is not loudly marked can be registered as well. Which as basically taking into account some genetics. Registering a horse with the PtHA (Pinto Horse Association) can greatly increase a horses value, and all because of the color!

There are many un-registered paint-marked horses. Which, in any case, would be a pinto. I've found that owners of any Paint or pinto horse is very particular about calling them one or the other.

The final question: does it actually matter what you call them? To me, not really. When speaking in terms of genetics, I'll use either, although if I wanted to be technical I would use pinto because I'm only talking about the color, and not the breed.

It is fascinating how many registries there are. If you have a horse with absolutely no papers at all, there is very likely a chance you can register it somewhere.

Horse Color Genetics: The Silver Gene

Review: E/e=black or red, A/a=bay or black

Dilute genes are any genes that make the horse turn a lighter color, like dun, cream, or champagne. Silver is sometimes put in the same category, but I personally don't think of it as a dilute, but more of a modifier.

Silver, similarly to agouti, only works on horses with dominant extension (E/e, or E/E). A horse must have black pigment for silver to be 'active'. It won't show up on a horse with red pigment (e/e).

What exactly is silver? A horse with black pigment and the silver gene (abbreviated with a Z) will always have a significantly lightened mane and tail, which can range from a silver color (hence the name), to a blonde or cream color. Sometimes even a bizarre orange color, like the Morgan below.

All black pigment, whether on just the legs or over the whole body, depending on whether the horse is black or bay, is usually lightened to some degree. The normal color is sort of chocolate, but it can be much darker, but not quite pure black. The one below is on the darker end. If it is a bay horse, then the whole body will not be lightened, but the black on the legs will.

Silver is a simple dominant gene, with exceptions. One copy or two dominant copies won't make a difference, the horse will look the same. The exception is a horse with red pigment will not be silver, like I mentioned before. There is a catch, and that is that red horses, or horses with recessive extension, can still carry the gene. A red horse can have the silver gene and hide it, since there is no black pigment to lighten. The pony below could carry it, and when crossed with a black or bay horse could produce a silver baby.

When paired with a black horse, it is called 'silver dapple' or sometimes 'black silver', and with bay, 'silver bay'. Basically, add on silver to whatever the color is, with the exception of silver dapple. Silver buckskins are very pretty, although unusual. Not neccesarily rare, but silver is not very often paired with other modifiers, but it is possible. The first pony is a silver bay, and the one below is a silver buckskin.

Flaxen chestnut, which can be a very dark color, is sometimes confused with silver dapple. Because a red horse can range in color from bright red to a liver color, and then paired with a cream mane and tail, the darker flaxen chestnuts are sometimes easy to mistake as silver dapple, and vice versa. However, the silver gene usually causes the mane and tail to be not nearly as white as a flaxen chestnuts. The horse below is bay roan silver.

The color has been partially isolated in particular breeds such as Rocky Mountain, Morgan, Shetland, Miniature, and Icelandic. It can also be in Quarter horses or other breeds, but is more unusual.

Using Horse Colors to Know a Purebred

There are certain horse registries where only certain colors are allowed. Most registries have colors that are not neccesarily 'illegal', but just aren't present in a purebred. Using this information, you can have a clue as to the breed of the horse, and also to recognize a non-purebred when you see one. This could also be useful in being angry at model horse makers for using colors that are 'illegal' in certain breeds.

Let's begin with Arabians. Most Arabs are recognizable, yet the colors allowed are very limited. The coat colors allowed are:

Base colors (red, black, bay, brown)

Gray

Roan/Rabicano (it appears the AHA identifies rabicano as roan, although true roan is not apparent in the breed)

Sabino (Although not SB1, as yet unidentified)

Dominant White (careful when identifying, this can be confused for other forms of pinto)

Colors NOT allowed:

Cream (that includes palomino and buckskin)

Dun

Champagne

Appaloosa

Tobiano

Frame Overo

Splashed White

Roan

Silver

Here is a stallion that appears to be pure Arab, but his coat gives him away. The owner states that he is 7/8 pure Arabian, which is about as good as it gets in terms of color and breeding.

Most of the dominant white coats actually look more sabino compared to several of the other dominant white mutations, so they are a little more recognizable than other pinto patterns.

Quarter Horses:

The AQHA is very forgiving, and are annoyingly un-meticulous about the registry colors. There aren't really any rules. They can come in every color under the sun, but AQHA doesn't allow loud pinto patterns. Cropout-producers would be allowed, which honestly isn't fair because purebred Quarter horses could carry something like sabino and produce a loud sabino foal that couldn't be registered.

Thoroughbred:

The Jockey Club is a little unusual in that there are no genetics taken into account. Palomino is allowed, yet buckskin or any double dilutes aren't mentioned. The Jockey Club seems a bit indifferent to actual color. If another color is present, they wouldn't care about the color; rather that the foal would not be purebred.

Colors allowed:

All base colors

Palomino (am I the only one who wants to know why there aren't more of these?!?)

Gray

White (this may be double-dilute, or dominant white. Quite a few white patterning mutations are found in Thoroughbreds)

Colors Not Allowed (or simply not present)

Dun

Champagne

Rabicano

Pinto (including, I believe, SB1, meaning unusual markings wouldn't exist)

Appaloosa

They also mention roan, but it is listed with gray almost as though the process of graying could count as roan. Whether roan is actually apparent in Thoroughbreds I am unsure.

Mustangs:

Because Mustangs are allowed to just breed as they want, almost every color is allowed. Again, whether the actual gene is available is the question. I don't think any genetic studies have been done on Mustangs, other than assuming their color genes are the same because they originated from the other horses. The BLM is not really concerned about the genetics, because most people do not buy their Mustangs for breeding purposes. There aren't any rules either, so I am going to have to guess as to which colors are 'available'. Also some areas of the BLM have more color variation than others. The only color I think isn't present at all is champagne, which I believe is a domestic mutation.

Tenessee Walking Horse:

The TWHBEA is relatively loose, and Tenessee Walkers generally come in a rainbow of colors, which can make for very interesting breeding options. 

The colors allowed: 

All base colors

Cream

Champagne

Tobiano

Sabino

Roan\

Dun

Silver

Grey

'White' (it states in the rules that white is rare; I'm going to guess that they are referring to some form of dominant white)

"Overo" 

There are several things I was surprised about; I have never heard of a dun TW, but upon Googling it, there are some, but not many.

Another possibly confusing term is 'overo'. I've seen many tobianos...

And some sabinos....

But did not know that 'overo' was a possibility. The question: which one? Sabino has already been listed, so it has to be either splash, or frame.

This one looks frame, and it turns out there are quite a few of them. I can't find anything on splashed white.

To wrap all that up, the only color 'out' is appaloosa, and even then there is a registry for spotted gaited horses, a 'Walkaloosa'. 

There might be a second post in the future, talking a little more about several registries with unusual color rules.