I’m going to Ancestry test AND color test sire and dam of this unplanned pregnancy. I actually know more about the ancestry of the Mustang stallion *now gelded than i do of the mare i got from the rescue place. As he and his parents were both photographed and documented by wild horse photographers many times.
Anyhow… Does anyone have a recommendation for one testing university over the other?
I wouldn’t waste my money on the breed testing, the results really don’t tell you anything accurately. For colour testing, I’d go with UCD.
Absolutely, I got back some whacky results from Texas on my grade pony mare who appears to be some combo of QH, pony breed (there are some Welsh breeders all around the area) and maybe something PRE (there are also several smaller PREs that end up at a local “decent” auction that look very much like her enough that I double take at pictures), and I got back gaited breeds.
By “ancestry” testing, do you mean possible parentage? Assuming you mean breed testing, definitely don’t waste your money, it’s 100% unreliable in horses.
Either one is fine for color testing
well… not really. I’d like to have an inkling into both of their breed backgrounds.
The sire is a Mustang. And is kinda warmblood/thoroughbred cross looking, with a long neck.
The dam is at least 1/2 curly, maybe more. She has the body structure of the American Curlies (thick, short neck huge shoulder, short back) but is taller (leggier) than most of them are.
So i guess i’m trying to get a mental preview. Something i can run with and daydream about.
And color… that is absolutely a big question. She is a palomino, he is black, or sooty black?
Breed testing for horses isn’t reliable, so anything you get back is just for grins and giggles, it doesn’t mean anything.
Sooty isn’t testable. Black is black and can vary in shade, so if you want to know if he’s black vs dark brown, that’s valid.
If you know she’s palomino, what would you want out of color testing?
Ok…so, pardon my ignorance please…
But i’m not exactly sure WHAT the mare is. All i do know about her is her dam was a palomino. She is a very light, dappled, with gray skin about her muzzle and eyes, with gray hooves.
He could be anything…black? brown? sooty black? his mane tints red. (his dam was chestnut) His coat bleaches toward a red tint but is black on non-sun hitting areas (belly etc). Face is black…except for inside of his ears…which are tawny.
i want to daydream basically. Like…what is the probability of foal being a buckskin? or a Palomino? or a black?? Or a chestnut… (i only have one chestnut, and another would be nice!)
And …well… will the ancestry test not tell me anything reliable? Like… what will foal’s neck be like (sire or dam). What kind of shoulder and hip will it have? The only thing i really know is what’s right in front of me in the sire and dam. And i can’t help myself from ‘frankensteining’ a foal out of them LOL
Sooty isn’t testable? I thought that was from a cream gene in with the black…
You’re thinking of smoky black. 
No advice on which labs, best of luck.
Ancestry testing will tell you nothing reliable about the horses ancestry at this point in time.
And even if you were cross breeding two horses of known ancestry you can’t predict neck, hip, or talent. Like what will a Quarab or Azteca or Appendix QH or Percheron TB turn out like? Total jackpot. Even within breeds, the most focused breeders out there are in racing and they can’t even reliably create a winning horse out of winning parents.
pictures of him and her?
Yes, color testing both will let you know what colors are possible, and the chance of each
no that’s not how that works Breed testing is to try to see what breed they are, which is unreliable at best. You can’t test for conformation genetics. The best you can do is look at the sire and dam, and at THEIR sires and dams, and as far back as you can, to get a general idea.
Nope. Sooty is its own, untestable thing. It’s what turns flaxen manes darker, it’s what makes some palominos darken especially manes and tails, etc
Cream on black = smoky black, and is visually indistinguishable from regular black.
ahh…ok smoky black! That’s what i think he is. So, if he does carry the cream gene, and she obviously does, than i could get another palomino, right?
(my fav horse color)
Pix:
why is that? they don’t look any different from a regular black horse.
If she is palomino, she carries cream, and that automatically gives you an option of palomino UNLESS he is homozygous for black (EE)
If he’s EE, and since she’s ee (because palomino is eeCrcr) then you’d always get E (from him) and e (from her) which means 100% chance of a black- or bay-based foal. No red base, therefore no palomino.
Her cream gives you a 50/50 shot at a dilute foal - buckskin, palomino, or smoky black
If he’s smoky black, then his cream means you have a 50% chance at a single cream, 25% chance of double cream (perlino, cremello, smoky cream) and 25% chance of no cream.
she does appear palomino, a very light one.
I thought smoky blacks tend to appear dark bay/brown, not black, at least the few I’ve known. This horse has a true black dad and palomino mom, and DNA tested as smoky black. He looks brown in both his summer and winter coat.
No. Cream does not have any affect (or is it effect?) on black, or buckskins wouldn’t have black points/legs, they would have brown points/legs. There are smoky blacks that are darker black than no cream blacks. Just different shades. Dark bay/brown have brown/red muzzles, though sometimes the shade is so dark it’s hard to see.
That’s what a lot of people think, but it’s just not true 1 copy of cream doesn’t dilute black - look at all the buckskins with dark black points
There is a spectrum of shades of black, from the deepest bluest black, to a dark gray look or even something like a deep mahogany
Which of these are smoky black, vs black, or if they’re they same which are they?
I’ll add the source and the answers after there’s been a chance to vote
i’d say the foal is the blackest, but we all know foal color is pretty much bogus!..
so… #3
Here is my horse that is the sire…a couple months further along into summer coat. Very red tinge. And …like i mentioned before, the inside of his ears are buff/tawny colored, (and i think?? that is a discriminating thing?)
Interesting about there being no test for sooty. I have thought my palomino was “sooty” but I guess I cant know for sure!
#3 for what? when you say he’s the blackest, as you saying he’s black, and the others are smoky black?
Actually, foals of that age - dried off, haven’t started sun-fading - show pretty good color representation, even if it’s not their final adult shade
bleaching
not limited to smoky blacks at all
You can SEE sooty, there’s just no test for it And yes, she does look to be sooty, and don’t be surprised if her body and/or mane/tail gets darker with age. Sooty tends to be progressive, sometimes quickly, sometimes more slowly
i don’t know about sooty, (obviously) but i do know your meeno is GORGEOUS!
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