# Question about stallion color and size



## Horses4Healing (Feb 3, 2012)

Hello All,
So what I am wondering is what color genes are more dominate than others? She is a chestnut (see pictures below) and I have no clue what to breed her with as far as color goes. (again, not going to care if I breed to a paint stallion and get a solid foal) I have heard that gray stallions tend to have more dominate color genes. And also what about size of the stallion? She is only 15hh and I want to breed her to something that isn’t huge and thus the baby will not be too big for her to foal. So what is a good size range for her? I have heard that one hand on either side of the mare’s height is safe. So since she is 15hh that means stallions that are 14hh to 16hh…is that right? And of course I am not breeding for a Sport Pony so stallions that are under 15hh is not really what I am looking for. 

This is Triple To A Tia the mare I’d like to breed next breeding season (2013 for a 2014 foal)


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

There is no base color gene dominance that I am aware of, although someone can correct me if there is information supporting one gene dominance over another that I haven't seen.

Base color is determined by which genes are used from each parent, and the selection is random.

White and dilutes, as in grey and Appy white, and the cream gene, are dominant over base color, but it has nothing to do with which base color the horse is...


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

There are only two base colors Face. Black and red. Everything else is a modification of those two colors. Black is dominant over red. If the horse has a black gene it is black based. It can still carry a red gene though. Red will _never_ hide the black gene.


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

NdAppy said:


> There are only two base colors Face. Black and red. Everything else is a modification of those two colors. Black is dominant over red. If the horse has a black gene it is black based. It can still carry a red gene though. Red will _never_ hide the black gene.


Yeah, but if I understand her question correctly (and it is possible I don't), she is asking if a parent were, say, X/Y, would the X or the Y be dominant over the other in the selection process - whether the foal would get the X or the Y from that parent. There is no "dominance" as to that...it is random. Once whatever color gene is selected from each parent, then of course you get into the actual dominance of one gene over another. I could be reading too much into her question...


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

I won't go into color because that's far too complicated. However if she were my mare I'd find a stallion that I liked and not worry about it being too big. Horses VERY rarely have any problem foaling. I've seen pony mares that were bred to draft stallions (Artifically of course) that foaled without a problem. if you found a 17 hand stallion it wouldn't be a hardship on your mare at all.


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Ahh that could be Face.


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

kevinshorses said:


> I won't go into color because that's far too complicated. However if she were my mare I'd find a stallion that I liked and not worry about it being too big. Horses VERY rarely have any problem foaling. I've seen pony mares that were bred to draft stallions (Artifically of course) that foaled without a problem. if you found a 17 hand stallion it wouldn't be a hardship on your mare at all.


Agreed...I've bred 16 hand stallions to 14 hand mares and never had even a hint of any kind of issue...


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## GhostwindAppaloosa (Jun 3, 2011)

The only color that is dominant over ALL colors is grey. It will mask anything! a grey horse WILL turn grey regardless of what color it is born. that being said

if you breed your mare to a homozygous black stallion you cannot have a red foal. It would most likely come out bay possibly black. (depending on other factors.)

If you bred her to a fewspot appy stallion. She would have a spotted foal. Whether that be from a small blanket to a full leopard. 

There are a ton of calculators online to give you percentage of what color it can be.


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

GhostwindAppaloosa said:


> The only color that is dominant over ALL colors is grey. It will mask anything! a grey horse WILL turn grey regardless of what color it is born. that being said
> 
> if you breed your mare to a homozygous black stallion you cannot have a red foal. It would most likely come out bay possibly black. (depending on other factors.)
> 
> ...


I believe you will find that dominant white, as in Appy white and other colored horses, is dominant over all other colors also. I don't know if there were a battle between white and grey, which would be dominant - how the heck would you know, and would it matter anyway?


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

White patterns are dominate. Grey doesn't cover them, it blends the rest of the coat into them. If you look at a tobiano grey for example. Flebites will _only_ be on the previously colored areas and not on the white pattern.


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