Leopard Patterns - Information and open discussion

[Totina]

I have finally been able to test my theory about the pattern genes being co-dominant and I think I have pretty much confirmed it to be true.

I bred a few of my near leopard horses to studs from before the leopard complex was implemented in the game, to make sure that the offsprings would have only one copy of any pattern genes they inherited. I then bred these horses to each other and it really does seem like some (if not most) alleles of the pattern genes are co-dominant to various degrees.

Mare	Stallion

They produced a colt with more white than both of them:



Also, I think that some pattern genes (genes that code for different areas of the horse) have some alleles that are recessive as well.
I have been trying to add white to the right front leg in my leopard lines like this stallion:



Breeding any of my mares that don't have that much white in the same area (or any parents that have it either) always end up with a foal that has less or just as much white as the mare, not even slightly closer to what that stallion has. I think this must be because the stallion only has a recessive variant of the pattern gene that is connected to the right front leg.

I have noticed a similar pattern with recessive/co-dominance for the right hind leg as well. Perhaps some areas on the horse have recessive alleles, some have co-dominant alleles (where they are located can be seen on the horses that I bred with pre-Leopard complex horses in the game).

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[Silverine]

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Very interesting! Would it be possible for you to put that stallion up for stud? I'd like to breed him to one or two of my snowcaps and see what happens with that leg.

[Totina]

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Very interesting! Would it be possible for you to put that stallion up for stud? I'd like to breed him to one or two of my snowcaps and see what happens with that leg.

Sure! He is now up for stud.

[Totina]

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Very interesting! Would it be possible for you to put that stallion up for stud? I'd like to breed him to one or two of my snowcaps and see what happens with that leg.

Just to let you know, this gene I am working with is the ability to show white on that right front leg with a single copy of the LP switch gene. That area always turns out white in my snowcap/fewspot horses, so it does look like there are genes that can only express themselves if the horse is homozygous for the LP switch gene as well.

[Silverine]

Sure! He is now up for stud. Just to let you know, this gene I am working with is the ability to show white on that right front leg with a single copy of the LP switch gene. That area always turns out white in my snowcap/fewspot horses, so it does look like there are genes that can only express themselves if the horse is homozygous for the LP switch gene as well.

Thanks! And I figured as much. But I wanted to use my snowcap so that I know the baby'll have at least one Lp. The hope is that your boy won't throw his Lp. XD

[Totina]

Thanks! And I figured as much. But I wanted to use my snowcap so that I know the baby'll have at least one Lp. The hope is that your boy won't throw his Lp. XD

Good, I hope you can find out if I am right about it being a recessive allele or not. Will be very interesting to see the results.

[Silverine]

Good, I hope you can find out if I am right about it being a recessive allele or not. Will be very interesting to see the results.

What I've seen with my horses so far seems to point to it being recessive. What might actually be a more viable project is using your boy to get a foal, then breeding that foal to horses from the AC to find out exactly where that recessive gene comes from.

[Silverine]

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Oh! Or a better idea - breed AC mares to your boy. No guarantee of spots, but a quicker way than breeding and aging foals. XD

[Totina]

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Oh! Or a better idea - breed AC mares to your boy. No guarantee of spots, but a quicker way than breeding and aging foals. XD

I plan on getting a mare with the same markings, which I then can use to try out some AC stallions. I will eventually move the stallion to my second farm and keep him up for stud if you want to try it a few times as well. Right now he is too valuable to age out so until I have a better stallion he will be available.

[Silverine]

I plan on getting a mare with the same markings, which I then can use to try out some AC stallions. I will eventually move the stallion to my second farm and keep him up for stud if you want to try it a few times as well. Right now he is too valuable to age out so until I have a better stallion he will be available.

Sounds good. What I may do is try him with the AC mares I adopt for my AC project. Let them have their babies from my boy and then see what happens if they give me a spotty baby from your boy.