A little bit about DNA

One thing Easy will need before he can race is a DNA test to prove his parentage. On Paint horses we also sometimes have DNA tests done to determine what other genetic traits they possess. Some DNA tests that can be run rule out negative traits; others rule in positive traits. We recently had a bunch of DNA tests run on Bodhi (Sacred Wardance), since we may keep him for a stallion. We got some great results! He tested negative for the Frame Overo gene (also commonly referred to as the Overo Lethal White Syndrome gene). His sire, Sacred Indian, does carry that gene, so there was a 50/50 chance Bodhi would inherit it. It is not a negative trait in itself, in fact it represents a very popular paint spotting pattern, the Frame Overo pattern. We have two other horses, both mares, who do carry this gene, and it is a very nice spotting pattern. But if a foal receives two copies of this gene, one from each parent, there is a Syndrome called Overo Lethal White which that foal will have, and these foals are not viable. So, long story short, Bodhi doesn't carry that gene and can therefore be bred to ANY mare, and never have to worry about producing a Lethal White foal. Yay!

The other good DNA news on Bodhi is that he carries two copies of the Tobiano gene. This means he is homozygous for that gene. In fact, they can't really test for the gene itself, but there are increasingly sophisticated tests available for "markers" for tobiano. So when UCDavis says he tested positive, they only say it is highly likely that he is homozygous for tobiano. Therefore, since the Tobiano pattern is a dominant gene (always expressed, never hidden), all of Bodhi's foals will have the Tobiano white pattern; none of them will ever be solid colored. Again, yay!

The other tests we had done were a bit more obscure, but for completeness, I'll mention them here. He carries both Red and Black genes, so can throw red, black, and any combinations of those colors. And he is homozygous for the agouti gene, which means any genetically black offspring of his will actually be Bay in color (the agouti gene restricts black coloration to the "points": ears, legs, tail and mane). And he does not carry the Sabino 1 gene (another overo spotting pattern). But since he has blue eyes, he almost certainly carries SOME overo spotting gene, but now we know it is not Sabino 1 or Frame. It may be Sabino 2 or Splash, but there aren't any tests for those yet.