gene help for RL Pony!

[zarzamora]

LOL, so all the Quinsta and Stables gene talk got me interested in the genes and colours of 'real' ponies. The lady who owns the yard I stable my girls at has the prettiest little Welsh B colt... but no one could ever say what colour he is... I had a guess that he had the silver gene, and guessed at brown silver dapple...

Anyway I convinced her to send a hair sample off for DNA testing for the silver and cream gene... and he came back with Hetrozygous for both...

Now I understand that this means he has a 50/50 chance of passing the silver and/or cream gene to his offspring, but im a little hazy on what that makes him- is he a smokey silver dapple?

here he is:
last year as a 2yr old

as a yearling:

I'm fairly sure his dam was liver chestnut, but never saw his dad- sure I could find out though. He was palomino as a foal!

Any ideas??

[Nighthenge]

Yep!  A smokey black silver by the look of him.  And a nice looking colt too! 
If you would Zaz (and your friend doesn't mind), could you PM me his pedigree?  A friend and I are trying to track the silver gene in Welsh.  He's the first positive silver I've heard of in Section Bs.  I wonder if his dam was actually silver?  It can be difficult to tell silver and liver apart sometimes.

[springacres]

There's also the possibility that she was a chestnut who masked silver.  Either way he's a very gorgeous boy

[Silvanon]

*nods*  Smokey black silver dapple.  Love his tail!

[zarzamora]

Yep!  A smokey black silver by the look of him.  And a nice looking colt too!  
If you would Zaz (and your friend doesn't mind), could you PM me his pedigree?  A friend and I are trying to track the silver gene in Welsh.  He's the first positive silver I've heard of in Section Bs.  I wonder if his dam was actually silver?  It can be difficult to tell silver and liver apart sometimes.

Sure- I'll ask sue for it


We're all really excited- as Sue has been debating wether to keep him entire or not, and needs to make a decision as he needs liscencing now he is 3... he's got a fabulous temprement and personality (lets her 6yr old son lead him around and sit on him) and beautiful manners- he's a lovely type too. So I think this has pretty much sealed the deal Vinnie will be very happy!

[Ryuukokoro]

*Ryuu noses into thread* Ryuu is always curious about horse genes! ^^

The smoky black looked palomino as a foal? Is there something genetic about that, does anyone know? Like, do cream genes show more in babies than in adults?

When I was a kid I rode a big guy who looked pure white in his shaggy winter coat but when spring rolled around he turned out to be a palomino! Boy was I ever surprised! haha. But I have no idea how you classify him... would he be a gray? Or just a palomino that sometimes pales out? Haha, dunno which counts as the 'real' coat!

[springacres]

Ryuu - I would guess that the 'palomino as a foal' part has to do with the combined effects of the silver and cream genes.  Since silver lightens black coloration (especially in the mane and tail) and cream lightens color all over the body, I would guess that he appeared a dark palomino as a foal.  In fact, if all I had seen was his yearling photo I still might have called him a sooty palomino.

Also, I used to ride a Quarter Horse mare who was the same as the horse you described - she looked off-white in winter, but once she shed out, she proved to be a gorgeous light palomino with the prettiest dappling. <3

[Silvanon]

The smoky black looked palomino as a foal? Is there something genetic about that, does anyone know? Like, do cream genes show more in babies than in adults?

Most foals look pretty different from their final adult shades, actually.  According to the wikipedia:

Black as foal:  Black foals are typically born a mousy gray but can be darker shades. As many foals have primitive markings, some black foals are mistaken for grullo or even bay dun; the primitive markings on a black foal will, however, fade. Black foals have dark skin and eyes at birth.

Smokey Black as foal:  Smoky black foals are sometimes born with reddish tufts of hair in their ears. However, both traits are also seen in many true black foals as well.

Silver Dapple as foals: Silver dapple foals can be difficult to identify, but commonly have a pale, wheat-colored body coat, white eyelashes, and hooves with tapering vertical stripes. These characteristics fade over time.

[Lectral]

When I was a kid I rode a big guy who looked pure white in his shaggy winter coat but when spring rolled around he turned out to be a palomino! Boy was I ever surprised! haha. But I have no idea how you classify him... would he be a gray? Or just a palomino that sometimes pales out? Haha, dunno which counts as the 'real' coat!

This is actually a pretty common occurrence in palominos - their winter coat is often very pale.  I think it is more common on the lighter coated palominos, but I am not sure it is limited to them.  Down here, it rarely gets cold enough for horses to grow thick winter coats, so I don't see thick coats very often on any color horse!

[Ryuukokoro]

Oh cool! ^^ I didn't know it was a common thingy.