Re: Paint and pinto coloring

[Lynette Helgeson <helgeson@lansford.ndak.net>]

Dbeverly4@aol.com wrote:
> 
> As an owner of some breeding stock registered Paint horses I would have to
> differ with this opinion.  Breeding stock Paint horses can produce color
> without the benefit of another Paint horse.  It is in the genes.
> 
> Sylvia

OK, what exactly is in the "genes." If a horse has a dominant overo gene
they will show it in some way. A dominant gene will show on the horse,
whereas is the gene does not show it is considered recessive. And a
horse that is carrying a recessive overo or tobiano gene can not in any
way throw that gene and turn it in to a dominant gene that is going to
show on their offspring. There has to be at least one parent that has
the dominant gene in order for there to be a paint foal. Sometimes the
parent will have the dominate overo gene and it will be hard to find
evidence that that parent carries the dominant gene, but it has to be
dominant. So most breeding stock paints are carrying the recessive overo
gene and they will never produce a paint foal without being bred to a
paint. 

You can breed two tobianos together and come up with a solid and still
register it as a breeding stock paint/pinto. And there is no way that
horse will ever produce a paint/pinto by itself. But it can be
registered as such. Which just goes to prove that the registries are
doing that to make extra money and it makes me angry, because people are
buying these registered breeding stock paint/pintos thinking that they
could throw color when there is no way that is going to happen. The
registries are leading people to believe that, breeders are getting more
money for these solid non producing color breeders, and the horse people
are the ones being mislead. I breed pintos to an solid Arab stallion and
I have a solid filly out of that cross that could be registered as a
breeding stock pinto. But I will not register her that way and when I am
asked by potential buyers, which I have been asked, if she will throw
color because of her background I always tell them no, she will not
contribute the color gene. If I had lied and told them that she is
registered as a breeding stock pinto, so therefore she could produce
color then I would have had her sold by now. But, I will not mislead
people into thinking that she will throw color in order to make some
extra money off of her or get her sold. I do not believe in being
dishonest in order to make an extra buck. 

Ok, all right, I am getting off of my soapbox. I don't climb up there
very often, but this situation with the registries is just not right.

Lynette