Community Forum
Breeding for white markings
Forum rules
Each breed may have only one topic. The first post in the topic is to be informative. It should help explain the breed, and breeding goals; advice on how to select mares and stallions; and links to ideal Stallions available for breeding.
Keeping a directory of breeders working on the same goal is also helpful.
All new threads must be approved.
Each breed may have only one topic. The first post in the topic is to be informative. It should help explain the breed, and breeding goals; advice on how to select mares and stallions; and links to ideal Stallions available for breeding.
Keeping a directory of breeders working on the same goal is also helpful.
All new threads must be approved.
-
DustyBrooke
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Jan 30, 2024 3:52 pm
- Visit My Farm
Breeding for white markings
I’m a sucker for white markings, especially face markings however only on of the breeds I breed has them show up. I’m curious if there’s anyway to introduce white markings into another breed and consistently get markings. Any tips are greatly appreciated!
-
JaycenUwU
- Posts: 163
- Joined: Fri Aug 09, 2019 12:56 pm
- Location: England
- Visit My Farm
Re: Breeding for white markings
I really struggled with this, I actually started a new dressage line just for this, I found crossing in way too hard, so I started from scratch and made a new line of shires, I've actually got a breeding log too, I started off with forest horses, then occasionally crossed them back in, then I had just shires for a while, then I'd cross a couple forests in, or nabs, then after a couple gens they should all carry the face marking gene, although for me this didn't physically appear until like 5+ gens later, and now, after 200 years, they're pretty common!! I've even had blazes pop up regularly now! I'm happy for you to take a look through my lines! Especially the ones singled out on my log post
-
DustyBrooke
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Jan 30, 2024 3:52 pm
- Visit My Farm
Re: Breeding for white markings
Thank you for the helpful reply! I’ll take a look and take note of how you got face markings.
-
Cypress Creek Test
- Posts: 135
- Joined: Thu Dec 21, 2023 6:29 pm
- Visit My Farm
Re: Breeding for white markings
A little late but here's my 2 cents-
Turkmenes, tarpans, forest horses and belgians all can have face & leg markings without body tobiano. Arabs and Przewalskis (caspians maybe?) have genes that actively suppress any tobiano expression; this means that to breed markings into those you'll need to go out a few generations, until you are able to get rid of the tobiano expression gene. Shetland ponies and NABs have body tobiano. If you just want face/leg markings I would avoid them.
this is all talking solely about AC horses of course; established lines and other breeds are sort of a mixed bag.
to breed markings into an established line, I'd do as follows:
breed a few gen 1 horses (face marking x no marking). these will likely not have any markings
breed those together, only keeping foals that have face markings. these are your gen 2s (50%/50%)
breed your gen 2s back to your main line again. you'll produce another batch of markingless foals
breed those together, again only keeping face markings. these will be gen 3 (75%/25%)
and so on and so forth. I'm fairly certain face markings are recessive so once you get them in your line, they may take a while to show up, but once they do they should stick around.
Turkmenes, tarpans, forest horses and belgians all can have face & leg markings without body tobiano. Arabs and Przewalskis (caspians maybe?) have genes that actively suppress any tobiano expression; this means that to breed markings into those you'll need to go out a few generations, until you are able to get rid of the tobiano expression gene. Shetland ponies and NABs have body tobiano. If you just want face/leg markings I would avoid them.
this is all talking solely about AC horses of course; established lines and other breeds are sort of a mixed bag.
to breed markings into an established line, I'd do as follows:
breed a few gen 1 horses (face marking x no marking). these will likely not have any markings
breed those together, only keeping foals that have face markings. these are your gen 2s (50%/50%)
breed your gen 2s back to your main line again. you'll produce another batch of markingless foals
breed those together, again only keeping face markings. these will be gen 3 (75%/25%)
and so on and so forth. I'm fairly certain face markings are recessive so once you get them in your line, they may take a while to show up, but once they do they should stick around.
