Do Stud Paints Always Produce Painted Foals? - Horse Forums - Horse Forum Topics & Answers - Horse Training & Trainers

*Terri_R* · 05-31-2007,

Basing this question purely on my own limited experience of breeding a palamino paint mare and a grey mare to a black and white paint stud....do paint studs always produce painted foals? Both of ours turned out to be paints but I didn't know if that was the norm or not. Just curious to know other's experience.

*P8ntCrazy* · 05-31-2007,

The answer to your question is No.
Is your stallion a Tobiano or overo?
What are the stallions parents coat patterns?
The Palomino Paint is she overo or Tobiano and what are her parents coat patterns?
THe Grey mare is she a paint or something else and is she solid and what are her parents?

These are all determining factors to what the foals coat pattern will be.

*anarch* · 05-31-2007,

Genetics definately play an important role in colour breeding. While we never bred paints, I am guessing that it follows the basic genetic rule that the two "colour" breeds shouldn't be bred together (breed a spotted horse to a solid horse) and, when this is done, the foal takes a gene from each parent, making it a 50/50 chance of getting colour. Of course, you can increase your chances by ensuring that the solid horse has at least one colour gene themselves and by breeding with horses (even solids) who have a history of producing (or siring) colour.

*P8ntCrazy* · 06-01-2007,

Anarch,
You are only partly correct about breeding color horses. When breeding paint horses you should not breed two Overo pattern horses together as you run the risk of getting a Lethal White foal (which is fatal). Breeding two Tobiano pattern horses together is safe and is how you get a true homozygous Tobiano which is desired. You can also breed a Tobiano and Overo together and that is safe. While you run a small risk breeding an Overo to a Solid whether it is a breeding stock paint or a solid quarter horse. These horses can carry what is called the minimal white gene, which can produce in some cases a lethal white foal. Paint horse genetics are quite complicated and are still not fully understood.

Terri,

A good place to check out information is to go to the APHA website. But not knowing much about the horses it sound like you will have a good chance of getting a painted baby most of the time from your palomino paint mare and a 50/50% chance of getting a painted baby off of your grey mare. Your grey mare throws here own mix into things as that she has a good chance of making the foal she has a grey, since greys are a dominant color. Hope this helps.

*catrynfox* · 07-19-2007,

Every time you breed a Paint (unless one is Homozygous for the Tobiano Gene) you take a risk of producing a breeding stock (solid) The best way to remember is:

Tobi to Tobi (both homo) = 100% homo tobi.
Tobi to Tobi (one homo) = 100% tobi - 50/50 chance of producing a Homozygous
Tobi to Tobi (neither homo) = 75% Tobi (25% chance of Homozygous) 25% Solid
Tobi to Solid (Tobi Homo) = 100% Tobi
Tobi to Solid (not homo) = 50% tobi / 50% solid

What I do is make two boxes for each parent, then place the genetic type in each box
example: Horse 1 Tobi (not Homo) first box:Tobi sec box: BS
Horse 2 Tobi first box:Tobi sec box: BS

then take box one 1st horse to box one 2nd horse= Tobi/Tobi = Tobi (homo)
then take box one 1st horse to box sec 2nd horse = Tobi/BS = Tobi
then take box sec 1st horse to box one 2nd horse= BS/Tobi = Tobi
then take box sec 1st horse to box sec 2nd horse = BS/BS = BS

So here you have the 75% Tobi with 25% chance of homo and 25% chance of BS.....of course this is a simplified version but it is the basics.