Horse genetics
I thought I would put together a little collection of info on the current genetics in game. This is not all of the genes, and is not super in depth, but I hope it comes in handy for anyone who is curious about a certain gene. Or for people who are newer to the genetics side of the game. This does not include all genes, just enough to give a decent idea. Please let me know if anything needs to be clarified, or if something is not accurate, and I can fix it. an awesome guide that further explains these genetics with visuals is: https://www.horseworldonline.net/forum/ ... =13&t=2158
First I will give an overview of what Dominant and Recessive genetics are, since this will be foundational to understanding the rest:
Dominant traits: Typically shown as capital letters. For a dominant trait to be expressed, only ONE copy of the trait needs to be present!
Example One; a horse that has two dominant alleles (D/D) will express this specific trait. (For example, the Gray gene). This horse ONLY carries the dominant allele.
Example Two; a horse that has one dominant allele and recessive allele (D/d) will also express the dominant trait (but will NOT express the recessive trait!). This horse is considered a CARRIER for the RECESSIVE trait!!!!
Recessive Traits: Typically shown by lower case letters. In order for a recessive trait to be expressed, TWO copies of that allele MUST be present!
This means that there is only ONE example for recessive traits: d/d.
Side note: a D/D horse will NEVER produce a recessive expression! They may produce carriers, only if bred to another carrier or expressor. (D/d or d/d)
Statistically speaking, these pairs of genetics will yield these potential products (from the perspective of recessive traits):
D/D x D/D = 0% chance of expressing OR carrying the recessive counterpart.
D/d x D/D = 50% chance of CARRYING (D/d) the recessive trait.
D/d x D/d = 50% chance of CARRYING (D/d) the recessive trait, 25% chance of EXPRESSING (d/d) the recessive trait
D/d x d/d = 100% CARRIER (D/d) of the recessive trait with a 50% chance of ALSO being EXPRESSIVE (d/d) of the recessive trait
D/D x d/d = 100% CARRIER of the recessive trait. 0% expression.
d/d x d/d = This will (theoretically) ALWAYS result in recessive EXPRESSION (100% d/d)
with all that being said, these are some of the genes present in game! This will not be the most detailed guide, but will give a decent idea of how genes interact. I have included whether they are Dom or recessive, which AC horses are known to carry them, and which BASE COATS they affect! (Note: Base coats are chestnut and black. They are the only two base coats, every other gene ACTS ON these coats!)
BASE COATS:
Black: Dominant (To chestnut). Can be found in ALL current AC horses (This does not necessarily mean they will APPEAR black, as bays, dark bays, duns, grullos are the black base)
Chestnut: Recessive (To black). Can be found in Arabians, Belgians, Caspian, Forests, Turkmenes, Shetlands, Akhal-Tekes, and NABs.
Genes that ACT ON base coats:
Dun- Dominant gene. Acts on BOTH base coats. Results in duns, red duns, grullo's. Found in forests, tarpans, NABS, and przewalski's
Agouti: This gene ONLY affects the black base (Chestnuts CAN be carriers of one or two copies! But it will not alter the appearance of chestnut base coats) Technically, there are three agouti genes that result in bays, wild bays, or dark bays. All three are dominant over black, though bay is dominant over dark bay. This can be found in ALL AC horses.
Creme: Dominant trait. Affects both bases. Produces palominos, cremellos (double creme), buckskins, etc... Found in NABS, turkmenes, shetlands, and Akhal-Tekes.
Pearl- Recessive trait, affects both bases
Roan- Dominant trait, affects both bases. Found in NABS, and shestlands.
Gray- Dominant trait, affects both bases. Found in NABs, Arabians, Akhal-Tekes
Flaxen- Recessive trait, affects ONLY chestnut bases (black bases CAN be carriers of this trait, one or two copies). Causes lighter mane/tail color. Found in Arabians, Belgians, and NABS
Silver- Dominant, only visible on black bases. Can be found in NABS and Shetlands. Marked by a gray mane.
Tobiano- technically dominant, although sometimes tobiano coats act recessively (example: face-markings). Found in NABS and shetlands.
Sooty- Dominant, includes several genes that affect degree and location of expression. Found in Turkmenes, forests, and exmoors.
Sooty Dapples- Dominant, but relies on the presence of the sooty gene to be visible. Also incudes other genes that affect degree of expression. Found in turkmenes and exmoors.
LP gene- dominant (kind of, bit I will not go into detail on this), Has some other genes that will create markings such as Blanket appaloosas, or leopard appaloosas. Vasnish is a trait linked with the LP gene. LP gene is NECESSARY for all "appaloosa" coats. Found in Shetlands.
Champagne- dominant gene, affects both base coats. Found in NABS
and my favorite for last:
Mealy (also, more formally known as pangrae)- Dominant trait that affects BOTH bases. The degree and range of the expression is affected by some other factors. Found in forests, exmoores, Belgians.
Genes affecting Manes and other hair growth:
Feathering- Recessive (partial). There are different degrees of feathering affected by how many copies of the allele is present as well as some other factors. If the horse has one copy of the allele, SOME feathering may be noticed but it will be not be super noticeable in comparison to horses with two copies. Found in Belgians, Tarpans, and Forests.
Fluffy Manes- recessive (to normal mane). Found in Shetlands, Forests, Tarpans.
Mohawk Manes- Recessive. Found in przewalski horses.
Plume- Recessive trait. Found primarily in przewalksi, belgians, and caspians
Extra: Face markings-
This was mentioned vaguely earlier, but face markings are a part of the Tobiano gene. They act recessively to no face-marking though. The type of face-marking is both slightly random and affected by genetics. Found most often in Belgians, Forests, NABS, Shetlands, Turkmenes,
Tips for adding a specific recessive trait to your line. (This is the way that I personally go about this, though there are many ways this can be done!)
1. Find a horse that expresses the recessive trait you want, either in the AC or market. Its important that the horse EXPRESSES this gene for the best result. This will give you a 100% chance of breeding CARRIERS for this gene once bred with your stock. (note: It does not HAVE to be the same breed as you are trying to breed). Breed this horse to your stock, ensuring you get at least one mare and one stallion .
2. Keep breeding the carrier horses that you preciously bred, and eventually you should get a horse that expresses (d/d) the desired gene. This horse may not be 100% purebred, but this can be fixed in step three.
3. (optional) using the product from step two, repeat the process until you have a purebred, or the desired product.
Recessive traits may be harder to obtain initially, BUT they are easier to maintain once fully established, (since they can't "hide" another variation of that gene from you). Recessive traits can sometimes show up randomly, and so, with that being said, can be much more difficult to fully remove from your line if unwanted.
Dominant traits are easier to obtain, but sometimes get unintentionally choked out by recessive traits, and are not as "self-reviving" as recessive traits may be. While some dominant traits may be easy to breed into your lines, SOME more complex traits, such as sooty dapples, can prove to be quite a challenge do to the number of extra genes that affect expression.
Keep in mind that not all of this 100% guaranteed all of the time, due to several underlying factors that affect some of these genetics!
First I will give an overview of what Dominant and Recessive genetics are, since this will be foundational to understanding the rest:
Dominant traits: Typically shown as capital letters. For a dominant trait to be expressed, only ONE copy of the trait needs to be present!
Example One; a horse that has two dominant alleles (D/D) will express this specific trait. (For example, the Gray gene). This horse ONLY carries the dominant allele.
Example Two; a horse that has one dominant allele and recessive allele (D/d) will also express the dominant trait (but will NOT express the recessive trait!). This horse is considered a CARRIER for the RECESSIVE trait!!!!
Recessive Traits: Typically shown by lower case letters. In order for a recessive trait to be expressed, TWO copies of that allele MUST be present!
This means that there is only ONE example for recessive traits: d/d.
Side note: a D/D horse will NEVER produce a recessive expression! They may produce carriers, only if bred to another carrier or expressor. (D/d or d/d)
Statistically speaking, these pairs of genetics will yield these potential products (from the perspective of recessive traits):
D/D x D/D = 0% chance of expressing OR carrying the recessive counterpart.
D/d x D/D = 50% chance of CARRYING (D/d) the recessive trait.
D/d x D/d = 50% chance of CARRYING (D/d) the recessive trait, 25% chance of EXPRESSING (d/d) the recessive trait
D/d x d/d = 100% CARRIER (D/d) of the recessive trait with a 50% chance of ALSO being EXPRESSIVE (d/d) of the recessive trait
D/D x d/d = 100% CARRIER of the recessive trait. 0% expression.
d/d x d/d = This will (theoretically) ALWAYS result in recessive EXPRESSION (100% d/d)
with all that being said, these are some of the genes present in game! This will not be the most detailed guide, but will give a decent idea of how genes interact. I have included whether they are Dom or recessive, which AC horses are known to carry them, and which BASE COATS they affect! (Note: Base coats are chestnut and black. They are the only two base coats, every other gene ACTS ON these coats!)
BASE COATS:
Black: Dominant (To chestnut). Can be found in ALL current AC horses (This does not necessarily mean they will APPEAR black, as bays, dark bays, duns, grullos are the black base)
Chestnut: Recessive (To black). Can be found in Arabians, Belgians, Caspian, Forests, Turkmenes, Shetlands, Akhal-Tekes, and NABs.
Genes that ACT ON base coats:
Dun- Dominant gene. Acts on BOTH base coats. Results in duns, red duns, grullo's. Found in forests, tarpans, NABS, and przewalski's
Agouti: This gene ONLY affects the black base (Chestnuts CAN be carriers of one or two copies! But it will not alter the appearance of chestnut base coats) Technically, there are three agouti genes that result in bays, wild bays, or dark bays. All three are dominant over black, though bay is dominant over dark bay. This can be found in ALL AC horses.
Creme: Dominant trait. Affects both bases. Produces palominos, cremellos (double creme), buckskins, etc... Found in NABS, turkmenes, shetlands, and Akhal-Tekes.
Pearl- Recessive trait, affects both bases
Roan- Dominant trait, affects both bases. Found in NABS, and shestlands.
Gray- Dominant trait, affects both bases. Found in NABs, Arabians, Akhal-Tekes
Flaxen- Recessive trait, affects ONLY chestnut bases (black bases CAN be carriers of this trait, one or two copies). Causes lighter mane/tail color. Found in Arabians, Belgians, and NABS
Silver- Dominant, only visible on black bases. Can be found in NABS and Shetlands. Marked by a gray mane.
Tobiano- technically dominant, although sometimes tobiano coats act recessively (example: face-markings). Found in NABS and shetlands.
Sooty- Dominant, includes several genes that affect degree and location of expression. Found in Turkmenes, forests, and exmoors.
Sooty Dapples- Dominant, but relies on the presence of the sooty gene to be visible. Also incudes other genes that affect degree of expression. Found in turkmenes and exmoors.
LP gene- dominant (kind of, bit I will not go into detail on this), Has some other genes that will create markings such as Blanket appaloosas, or leopard appaloosas. Vasnish is a trait linked with the LP gene. LP gene is NECESSARY for all "appaloosa" coats. Found in Shetlands.
Champagne- dominant gene, affects both base coats. Found in NABS
and my favorite for last:
Mealy (also, more formally known as pangrae)- Dominant trait that affects BOTH bases. The degree and range of the expression is affected by some other factors. Found in forests, exmoores, Belgians.
Genes affecting Manes and other hair growth:
Feathering- Recessive (partial). There are different degrees of feathering affected by how many copies of the allele is present as well as some other factors. If the horse has one copy of the allele, SOME feathering may be noticed but it will be not be super noticeable in comparison to horses with two copies. Found in Belgians, Tarpans, and Forests.
Fluffy Manes- recessive (to normal mane). Found in Shetlands, Forests, Tarpans.
Mohawk Manes- Recessive. Found in przewalski horses.
Plume- Recessive trait. Found primarily in przewalksi, belgians, and caspians
Extra: Face markings-
This was mentioned vaguely earlier, but face markings are a part of the Tobiano gene. They act recessively to no face-marking though. The type of face-marking is both slightly random and affected by genetics. Found most often in Belgians, Forests, NABS, Shetlands, Turkmenes,
Tips for adding a specific recessive trait to your line. (This is the way that I personally go about this, though there are many ways this can be done!)
1. Find a horse that expresses the recessive trait you want, either in the AC or market. Its important that the horse EXPRESSES this gene for the best result. This will give you a 100% chance of breeding CARRIERS for this gene once bred with your stock. (note: It does not HAVE to be the same breed as you are trying to breed). Breed this horse to your stock, ensuring you get at least one mare and one stallion .
2. Keep breeding the carrier horses that you preciously bred, and eventually you should get a horse that expresses (d/d) the desired gene. This horse may not be 100% purebred, but this can be fixed in step three.
3. (optional) using the product from step two, repeat the process until you have a purebred, or the desired product.
Recessive traits may be harder to obtain initially, BUT they are easier to maintain once fully established, (since they can't "hide" another variation of that gene from you). Recessive traits can sometimes show up randomly, and so, with that being said, can be much more difficult to fully remove from your line if unwanted.
Dominant traits are easier to obtain, but sometimes get unintentionally choked out by recessive traits, and are not as "self-reviving" as recessive traits may be. While some dominant traits may be easy to breed into your lines, SOME more complex traits, such as sooty dapples, can prove to be quite a challenge do to the number of extra genes that affect expression.
Keep in mind that not all of this 100% guaranteed all of the time, due to several underlying factors that affect some of these genetics!
Re: Horse genetics
Bump. Great post. I always use the link at the top
Re: Horse genetics
I love this post! It's great!Rose90067 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2024 11:24 pm I thought I would put together a little collection of info on the current genetics in game. This is not all of the genes, and is not super in depth, but I hope it comes in handy for anyone who is curious about a certain gene. Or for people who are newer to the genetics side of the game. This does not include all genes, just enough to give a decent idea. Please let me know if anything needs to be clarified, or if something is not accurate, and I can fix it. an awesome guide that further explains these genetics with visuals is: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2158
First I will give an overview of what Dominant and Recessive genetics are, since this will be foundational to understanding the rest:
Dominant traits: Typically shown as capital letters. For a dominant trait to be expressed, only ONE copy of the trait needs to be present!
Example One; a horse that has two dominant alleles (D/D) will express this specific trait. (For example, the Gray gene). This horse ONLY carries the dominant allele.
Example Two; a horse that has one dominant allele and recessive allele (D/d) will also express the dominant trait (but will NOT express the recessive trait!). This horse is considered a CARRIER for the RECESSIVE trait!!!!
Recessive Traits: Typically shown by lower case letters. In order for a recessive trait to be expressed, TWO copies of that allele MUST be present!
This means that there is only ONE example for recessive traits: d/d.
Side note: a D/D horse will NEVER produce a recessive expression! They may produce carriers, only if bred to another carrier or expressor. (D/d or d/d)
Statistically speaking, these pairs of genetics will yield these potential products (from the perspective of recessive traits):
D/D x D/D = 0% chance of expressing OR carrying the recessive counterpart.
D/d x D/D = 50% chance of CARRYING (D/d) the recessive trait.
D/d x D/d = 50% chance of CARRYING (D/d) the recessive trait, 25% chance of EXPRESSING (d/d) the recessive trait
D/d x d/d = 100% CARRIER (D/d) of the recessive trait with a 50% chance of ALSO being EXPRESSIVE (d/d) of the recessive trait
D/D x d/d = 100% CARRIER of the recessive trait. 0% expression.
d/d x d/d = This will (theoretically) ALWAYS result in recessive EXPRESSION (100% d/d)
with all that being said, these are some of the genes present in game! This will not be the most detailed guide, but will give a decent idea of how genes interact. I have included whether they are Dom or recessive, which AC horses are known to carry them, and which BASE COATS they affect! (Note: Base coats are chestnut and black. They are the only two base coats, every other gene ACTS ON these coats!)
BASE COATS:
Black: Dominant (To chestnut). Can be found in ALL current AC horses (This does not necessarily mean they will APPEAR black, as bays, dark bays, duns, grullos are the black base)
Chestnut: Recessive (To black). Can be found in Arabians, Belgians, Caspian, Forests, Turkmenes, Shetlands, Akhal-Tekes, and NABs.
Genes that ACT ON base coats:
Dun- Dominant gene. Acts on BOTH base coats. Results in duns, red duns, grullo's. Found in forests, tarpans, NABS, and przewalski's
Agouti: This gene ONLY affects the black base (Chestnuts CAN be carriers of one or two copies! But it will not alter the appearance of chestnut base coats) Technically, there are three agouti genes that result in bays, wild bays, or dark bays. All three are dominant over black, though bay is dominant over dark bay. This can be found in ALL AC horses.
Creme: Dominant trait. Affects both bases. Produces palominos, cremellos (double creme), buckskins, etc... Found in NABS, turkmenes, shetlands, and Akhal-Tekes.
Pearl- Recessive trait, affects both bases
Roan- Dominant trait, affects both bases. Found in NABS, and shestlands.
Gray- Dominant trait, affects both bases. Found in NABs, Arabians, Akhal-Tekes
Flaxen- Recessive trait, affects ONLY chestnut bases (black bases CAN be carriers of this trait, one or two copies). Causes lighter mane/tail color. Found in Arabians, Belgians, and NABS
Silver- Dominant, only visible on black bases. Can be found in NABS and Shetlands. Marked by a gray mane.
Tobiano- technically dominant, although sometimes tobiano coats act recessively (example: face-markings). Found in NABS and shetlands.
Sooty- Dominant, includes several genes that affect degree and location of expression. Found in Turkmenes, forests, and exmoors.
Sooty Dapples- Dominant, but relies on the presence of the sooty gene to be visible. Also incudes other genes that affect degree of expression. Found in turkmenes and exmoors.
LP gene- dominant (kind of, bit I will not go into detail on this), Has some other genes that will create markings such as Blanket appaloosas, or leopard appaloosas. Vasnish is a trait linked with the LP gene. LP gene is NECESSARY for all "appaloosa" coats. Found in Shetlands.
Champagne- dominant gene, affects both base coats. Found in NABS
and my favorite for last:
Mealy (also, more formally known as pangrae)- Dominant trait that affects BOTH bases. The degree and range of the expression is affected by some other factors. Found in forests, exmoores, Belgians.
Genes affecting Manes and other hair growth:
Feathering- Recessive (partial). There are different degrees of feathering affected by how many copies of the allele is present as well as some other factors. If the horse has one copy of the allele, SOME feathering may be noticed but it will be not be super noticeable in comparison to horses with two copies. Found in Belgians, Tarpans, and Forests.
Fluffy Manes- recessive (to normal mane). Found in Shetlands, Forests, Tarpans.
Mohawk Manes- Recessive. Found in przewalski horses.
Plume- Recessive trait. Found primarily in przewalksi, belgians, and caspians
Extra: Face markings-
This was mentioned vaguely earlier, but face markings are a part of the Tobiano gene. They act recessively to no face-marking though. The type of face-marking is both slightly random and affected by genetics. Found most often in Belgians, Forests, NABS, Shetlands, Turkmenes,
Tips for adding a specific recessive trait to your line. (This is the way that I personally go about this, though there are many ways this can be done!)
1. Find a horse that expresses the recessive trait you want, either in the AC or market. Its important that the horse EXPRESSES this gene for the best result. This will give you a 100% chance of breeding CARRIERS for this gene once bred with your stock. (note: It does not HAVE to be the same breed as you are trying to breed). Breed this horse to your stock, ensuring you get at least one mare and one stallion .
2. Keep breeding the carrier horses that you preciously bred, and eventually you should get a horse that expresses (d/d) the desired gene. This horse may not be 100% purebred, but this can be fixed in step three.
3. (optional) using the product from step two, repeat the process until you have a purebred, or the desired product.
Recessive traits may be harder to obtain initially, BUT they are easier to maintain once fully established, (since they can't "hide" another variation of that gene from you). Recessive traits can sometimes show up randomly, and so, with that being said, can be much more difficult to fully remove from your line if unwanted.
Dominant traits are easier to obtain, but sometimes get unintentionally choked out by recessive traits, and are not as "self-reviving" as recessive traits may be. While some dominant traits may be easy to breed into your lines, SOME more complex traits, such as sooty dapples, can prove to be quite a challenge do to the number of extra genes that affect expression.
Keep in mind that not all of this 100% guaranteed all of the time, due to several underlying factors that affect some of these genetics!
Also, about fluffy manes, I once had an andalusian mare with one, so other breeds can have it, no?
Re: Horse genetics
The fluffy manes can be bred onto any breed, those are just the adoption center breeds that can naturally carry the genes for that!PinkSoul_Horses wrote: ↑Wed Jul 23, 2025 1:58 pm
I love this post! It's great!
Also, about fluffy manes, I once had an andalusian mare with one, so other breeds can have it, no?