Homozygous means, Heavenly Paints

Homozygous Is.......

According to: COMPTON'S INTERACTIVE ENCYCLOPEDIA

Homozygous IS:

"A plant or animal having two identical alleles at a single locus on a chromosome and hence, breeding true type for the particular character involved: PUREBRED

What does it mean in "Horse" terms?

A horse that it is tested homozygous should be genetically impossible to produce a solid or overo foal, regardless of the horse he/she is bred to.

Horses that test "Homozygous" for Tobiano

One homozygous Tobiano parent should guarantee that a foal will have a Tobiano coat pattern.

Two homozygous parents should guarantee that the foal will have the Tobiano coat pattern AND test homozygous forTobiano gene.

Homozygous for black gene

Breeding to a horse that is Homozygous for the Black gene means that it is genetically impossible to produce a 'red' foal (sorrel, chestnut, red roan, red dun). In most cases, the resulting foal will be black and is often bay, grulla/grullo, or silver dun.

Color and Coat Patterns

Each Paint Horse has a particular combination of white and any color of the equine spectrum: black, bay, brown, chestut, dun, grullo, sorrel, palomino, buckskin, gray or roan.

Although Paints come in a variety of colors with different markings, there are only three specific coat patterns: Overo, Tobiano and Tovero.

These colors, markings and patterns, combined with stock-type, conformation, athletic ability and agreeable disposition, make the American Paint Horse an investment in quality.

Overo (pronounced: OH VAIR' OH)

The white usually will not cross the back of the horse between its withers and its tail.

Generally, at least one and often all four legs are dark.

Generally, the white is irregular, and rather scattered or splashy.

Head markings are distinct, often bald-faced, apron faced or bonnet-faced.

An overo may be either predominantly dark or white.

The tail is usually one color.

Tobiano (pronounced: TOW BE YAH' NO)

The dark color usually covers one or both flanks. Generally, all four legs are white at least below the hocks and knees.

Generally, the spots are regular and distinct as ovals or round patterns that go downover the neck and chest, giving the appearance of a shield.

Head markings are like those of a solid colored horse: solid, or a blaze, strip, star or a snip.

A tobiano may either be predominantly dark or white.