That pesky "gray" gene.

[Firefall]

I was looking at a mare, very pretty and what I was looking for HOWEVER, she also is probably carrying the gray gene as she has it on both sides of her pedigree but because of her coloring its hard to tell if she is carrying it.

Since she would be a broodmare I was curious to see how many of you would NOT buy a mini due to it possibly turning gray?

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

I do simply because I'm not a huge fan of grays and gray tends to 'washout' appaloosa patterns.. However, I did see a gorgeous gray pinto mare the other day on a breeder's website that I would LOVE to have

 

[alongman]

Good conformation is key to me! I wouldn't let color be the deciding factor in an animal. Some of my best producing animals have the gray gene - if you don't want it exhibited, then read about genetic crossing and which animals you can cross without having it seen (remember though that the foals will result in being carriers..)

Here's Jazz (my most current pics) - he is a true gray. During his show days, he was almost black, but now, clearly isn't. I wouldn't trade him for ANYTHING!

 

[Irish Hills Farm]

Absolutely not. If there is a horse I truly want, and it is what I want for a show animal or breeding animal, color doesn't matter. I want conformation first, period.

I bought a Michigan Sharp As A Tack daughter earlier this year who is gray like her sire. I bought her because I feel she will be an awesome driving horse like her sire, her color made no difference in my decision to buy her.

 

[user 488]

That pesky "gray" gene., do YOU avoid it?

Avoid it? Never. I love it. And as the others have said, conformations should come first anyway although I do understand why pinto or app breeders would not want grey.

Me personally......some of my best, most successful show horses have all been grey. I would never let color be a deciding factor in the purchase of any horse.

 

[mininik]

I agree 100% with Carol.

 

[Minimor]

at one time I preferred to not have a grey, mostly because of melanoma. Now that I know more about it, however, I'm less worried about melanoma. I wouldn't want every horse in my herd to be grey, but some greys are okay--great even--I actually love the grey coloring. I'm not keen on the fleabitten ones, but the nice rich dappled grey, or the greys that have gone snow white....that snow white horse with the dark eyes & muzzle, I love it.

I have a grey broodmare and out of 4 foals she's given us two greys, both of which have been sold. The two fillies we've kept are silver black and black. At one point I actually thought the black was going to grey out, but I guess not--I think the white hairs she's got are just sabino, from her sire--and I'm actually a bit disappointed. We had bred the mare for '08 with our order in for a grey w/silver colt; that order is cancelled because the mare has come up open, darn it.

 

[Crabby-Chicken]

I disliked it,,, avoided it,,, until I happen to see the colt I just bought. His dam is a silver dapple pinto and his sire is Alliance Topsider Tribute,,, a BEAUTIFUL head and neck on a stallion. SO even though I have avoided it, it got me in the end on the right horse! I probably will be come a fan now! HeeHee, that is how it seems to work.

 

[Becky]

As a pinto breeder, I don't want grey in my herd as a grey horse will eventually turn white with age and a grey pinto will lose it's spots! I have owned some exceptional grey pinto horses, but no longer have them.

If you aren't breeding for 'patterns', then grey shouldn't be an issue! I love grey horses (coming from an Arab background), but they don't fit in with my pinto breeding herd.

Many grey horses are mistakenly registered as something they are not such as blue roan. If you are looking to add grey, be sure to look at the color of the parents. It takes one grey parent (or two!) to produce grey. It doesn't hide!

 

[targetsmom]

Well, I am a Pinto breeder too, and one of our small band of 4 broodmares is gray! To me, conformation and movement, along with temperament are key, and if the horse happens to be gray, that is OK. We aren't so much breeding for the pinto color as we are for horses that can be registered with PtHA, and they accept horses that will turn gray, as long as they have the required pink skin. I figure Blue Boy was gray and it didn't hurt him. Our mare is a daughter of Cross Country Call Me Awesome (a bay frame overo) out of a Blue Boy bred mare and we love her - gray and all. She also did well at the few Pinto shows we showed her in, earning an ROM in halter in 2 shows. Now if she happens to have a gorgeous black and white frame overo foal with the gray gene- hmmm, ask me again. She is homozygous for black and carries the silver gene in addition to the gray gene - and is LWO+ - so she does offer a lot of color possibilities.

 

[lvponies]

I love pintos! Having a horse with a grey gene in my herd could wash out all the pretty pinto colors, so, yes, I avoid any horses carrying the grey gene. Conformation before color, but I can find horses without the grey gene that have decent conformation.

 

[Contessa]

This is my yearling filly Contessa, in her long blue winter jammies. She is a grey and I realize she will change colors but that didn't stop me from buying her because she was just too perfect. I hope she keeps her dark points but if not-oh well. She has 1 and 1/2 blue eyes. I plan to to breed her to my black/white pinto stud when she turns 3 and I really don't care if she throws the grey or not. This one is a keeper whatever the color! She has Sweetwater and Egyptian King bloodlines. I have 6 minis and she is my favorite. Tammy

 

[miniaddiction]

NO way! Which I guess was already obvious because I own one! I think grey is a lovely colour and I especially like a nice dark 'n' dappley one like my girl is.

Waaaay too much emphasis is placed on colour when breeding minis I believe.

Katie has only produced one foal to date which was a very dark bay pinto, I'll never know if she would have greyed out or not but I dont think she would have. Not all greys pass on the grey gene, but why would you want to avoid it anyway?

 

[Dona]

The "gray gene"....or any other color for that matter....has absolutely nothing to do with conformation. OH!

There are just as many "colored" horses (pintos & appys) with great conformation as there are "grays" (or any solid color). So, since I breed specifically for Frame Overo & Tovero patterns....yes, I avoid the gray gene!

Sure, I've seen some incredibly beautiful grays, but why would I want to introduce that gene into a "pattern based" program, when there are just as many non-grays with great conformation to choose from? And please remember....most of us who breed for specific colors or patterns DO consider conformation FIRST! The patterns are the icing on the cake!

 

[CrescentMinis]

My "white" gray part Arenosa mare is my favorite. I just love her dark muzzle and black eyeliner and hooves. Half of her foals have grayed, as one might expect, but she is producing some beautiful babies and I can't wait to have one from her in 2009. Have a gorgeous 100% Arenosa black and white pinto stallion picked out for her this spring.

 

[Boinky]

WHOA wait a minute.. maybe i'm mistaken but i did notice one other person mentioned this as well.. you HAVE to have ONE grey parent to have a grey offspring. Grey is not a "color" gene that is a 'carrier" gene it's a completely different gene that turns pigment white. there is no such thing as a "carrier" of the grey gene that doesn't express it. If you get a horse that has one or both grey parents but isn't grey.. you will never have to worry about it showing up again UNLESS that foal is a grey because that offspring does not carry that particular gene. Grey doesn't just show up 2,3, or 4 generations out from colored (non grey) parents.

To answer your question i am not a huge grey fan but if it's a horse i like or has the charachteristics i like ABSOLUTELY will overlook grey. I have a grey stallion for that reason. The only issue with grey if you don't particularly like greys..is your better off to have a grey MARE than a stallion since that mare will only produce one foal a year..lol it's not likely to overrun your herd in grey horses unlike if you had a herd stallion that was grey and a huge percentage of his offspring ended up grey.

 

[Contessa]

Sorry about the no pic of my grey-guess I did something wrong. I'll try once more...

 

[MyBarakah]

Well..... I wish people wouldn't look at the color so much.......but in the minis..... they do. I "had" a really nice grey stallion but sold him this fall to a show home. I got 2 nice foals out of him in '07. I have a dark charcol grey weanling filly that I have put on the market, and this filly's NICE and going to do realy well in the show pen! But I know people have a hard time looking past the grey! I will have 2 more foals coming in '08 out of the grey stallion I sold. But I know they will be REALLY nice show quality. For having a grey gene in the breeding program...... If it's a out standing mare..... I wouldn't care if she's grey or not. But don't think I would want it for a stallion. My stallion is extremly dominant in his genes. And for showing. I think grey is one of the most gorgeous colors to see out in the show pen! I LOVE the dappled grey color or a dark grey......

 

[Contessa]

I finally got the pic to work. Notice her face is already turning grey. I say go for it especially if it is a mare. Tammy

 

[Boinky]

I agree.. a grey in the show ring is stunning! i think a big reason for that is because most people don't like grey's..so there aren't that many..when they are groomed up they stand out and are so sharp looking. I think it just depends on what you like and want.. i can certainly overlook color for a nice horse any day of the week!