Mystery Solved November 2018
OnI love seeing all the ideas that come in for our mystery coloured horses! This time most of you went the same way as me and thought it might be some sort of splashed white gene. It’s not! This stallion is Coralvale…
Fragile Foal (WFFS or FFS) update
OnThis year has seen FFS or fragile foal syndrome get a lot of attention in the Warmblood community around the world. However as we learn more about this disorder it’s become clear that FFS is not just in Warmbloods. There are many…
Mystery solved June 2018
OnThis one is a common question: buckskin or not? This filly’s coat varies from season to season. We’ve tested her for agouti, red/black, cream and dun/d1 (nd1) to find out. Responses on this one were roughly equal for buckskin vs. not buckskin….
Mystery Solved! May 2018
OnWe have an answer! Zeus is actually chestnut, not taffy (silver) at all. He also has two copies of d1 (nd1). Overall, we tested Zeus for agouti, red/black, silver, cream, dun/d1 and W20. The agouti and red/black tests were to find out…
Fragile foal syndrome: what we know (May 2018)
OnWhat is fragile foal syndrome? Fragile foal syndrome (FFS) is a severe inherited disorder that has been found in a number of horse breeds. It is most commonly found in Warmbloods and is often known as Warmblood fragile foal syndrome. Foals with…
Mystery Horse May 2018
OnZeus (a very handsome fellow!) is a brumby passively culled from the herds in the Kosciuszko National Park. He’s our next horse in the mystery colour program. What colour do you think he is? What colour genes should we test him for?…
Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome
OnWe are nearly ready to offer testing for Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome. WFFS is a bit like HERDA, but in Warmbloods: it is a defect in the skin means that it is weak and easily torn. Skin on the legs is most…
Connemara Hoof Wall Separation Disease: we need just ONE sample from a carrier!
OnConnemara Hoof Wall Separation Disease is an inherited disorder where affected ponies have their hoof wall easily break away from the underlying tissue. In severe cases they end up walking on their soles. It’s an autosomal recessive disease, meaning that it can…
SB1 + W20 horses: Case study three
OnWe have one last example of a SB1 + W20 horse to share. This is Zips Stormy Showdown, a Paint horse colt. Zips Stormy Showdown is a chestnut with both sabino 1 and W20, but no other known pattern genes. Just like…
Research project: horse blood groups
OnOur big research project this year is to find the genes responsible for the horse blood groups. Horse blood group systems are more complex than the common human blood group system ABO and Rh. Their blood group systems are called A, C,…