# What colors can my bay mare throw?



## petitepyromaniac (Oct 12, 2010)

I'm clueless when it comes to color genetics!

As I understand it, because Bonita is bay (her parents are too), she can only have bay, black, and buckskin foals. Is that true? And what about grays?

I'm thinking about breeding her sometime in the next few years, and I'd really like a palomino or chestnut, but I'm not sure if that's possible regardless of which stud I use...

And I KNOW color doesn't matter, it's all about temperament, conformation, and athletic ability... but a color I prefer would be icing on the cake 

Anyway, if someone is capable of answering this, I salute you! And thanks!


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Depending on her genes and what she is bred to, she can have just about any color.

Black, bay, chestnut and then of course all the modifiers, i.e. cream and others.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

Color Calculator

With that website, you can make different matches and colour possibilities.


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## Quixotic (May 22, 2009)

If she's heterozygous for Extension, then it would be possible for her to have a chestnut foal.
If she's homozygous for Extension & Agouti, she can only have bay foals (or buckskin, dun, bay roan, etc just depending on if the stallion carries any modifiers).
If she's heterozygous for Agouti, then a black foal would be possible.
The foal will only have a chance at being grey if you breed her to a grey stallion.

You can get her tested for both Extension (red factor) & Agouti for $40 at UC Davis just by sending in a hair sample. Horse Tests

If she ends up heterozygous for Extension, your best bet would be to pair her with a chestnut, palomino, or cremello in order to try to get your chestnut or palomino baby.


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## petitepyromaniac (Oct 12, 2010)

Very informative! Thank you!

I've been playing on the color caculator a lot now  Although, it would certainly help to know what she's heterozygous or homozygous for... I'll send in a hair sample when I get closer to breeding!


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