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Appaloosa genetics help please

I’m looking at getting a fewspot mare to outcross with my solid (non-grey) stallion.

The one I’ve seen ticks all the boxes but I’m not sure she’ll produce the spots I’d like.

She’s out of a varnish roan mare (so am I right in thinking Lp but no PATN genes??). I’m guessing I’m reducing my chances of a spotted pattern foal from her to a non Appy stallion? Her sire is a fewspot but I’ve not been able to find out if he’s covered solid mares, so he may or may not have any PATN genes?

I realise a potential foal will of course inherit one copy of Lp, but without a PATN gene it won’t actually have a spotted coat pattern?

 Also, she was born predominantly white, but with some colour around her face and ears. Could she be an extended snowcap rather than a fewspot. Her mother has produced one other foal, and that was definitely a snowcap.

So ideally do I really need to search for a fewspot that has been bred from two leopards, to have a good chance of leopard or blanket spot foal?

 

Thanks

 

Daylene Alford Thu, 02/12/2015 - 18:05

[quote] Also, she was born predominantly white, but with some colour around her face and ears. [/quote]  

That is common for few spots.  

 

[quote]So ideally do I really need to search for a fewspot that has been bred from two leopards, to have a good chance of leopard or blanket spot foal?[/quote]  

Ideally yes, but that still isn't a guarantee that you will get all leopard foals.  There is no test for PATN so if both parents have only one copy of PATN you still have only a 25% chance of any foal being homozygous for PATN.  You best bet would be to find foal with a long line of leopard or few spot horses on both sides.   As that gives you the highest chances of getting a foal with two PATN1 genes but it still doesn't guarantee it.    

If the parents each have a fair number of offspring and all the spotted foals from both parents are leopards, that would be a good indicator that the parents are homozygous for PATN1.

Hope that helps a bit

Daylene Alford Fri, 02/13/2015 - 08:31

Yes,  it might be possible for rare cases to have a PATN gene that is suppressed, however, just assuming they don't have it would be best for your purposes.