Is Your Mama A Mare: Genetic Possibilities

When you think about breeding, one of the first thoughts you may have is "what will the baby look like?". There is actually a way to find out your chances of having a foal of specific color by using a genetic chart. The mare and stallions colors help determine the foals coat color. For example, let's consider a foal that has a parent with an allele of C+(chestnut coloring) and Ccr(Cremello Coloring). The odds are that the baby has a 25% chance of being Chestnut, a 50% chance of being Palomino, and a 25% chance of being Cremello. Cremello coloring usually shows dominance over chestnut, which means that the foal has a greater chance of having lighter color fur opposed to rich, brown fur. A veterinarian can go over dominant colors with you so that you can determine the genetic possibilities of the foal!

**The horse on the left is a Cremello, the horse on the top right is a Chestnut, and the horse on the bottom right is a Palomino