Colour Genetics

[Wally]

As you know I have Shetlands, the only trouble is the bigger ones, that I look out for, over 40 inches, seem to come in black. (very slimming Moddom, goes with everything, I know) But boring!

I have some extremely well bred black mares, all over 40 inches and a Skewbald about 40 inches.

What I'd ideally like is a line of Shetlands, over 40 inches but with interesting colours, black is so samey!

Looking back in the pedigrees there is nothing but black , both sides, not even a grey or Chestnut anywhere. They are in foal to a black stallion. The Skewbald is in foal to our bright bay fellow.

How would you go about introducing some colour somwhere? Just so we stand a chance of getting something other than ruddy black!

I never did understand genetics. :no: :no:

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Get yourself a dilute stallion!!!

Or a Dun- all the so called "Cream Duns" are Red Dun and will throw Blue Dun, Bay Dun- all sorts of Dun.

General advice??

Don't get a Roan stallion, not in the first instance.

A TESTED Homozygous "pinto" (in Shelties it will be Tobiano and probably Splash- no Sabino) will definitely help you get some pattern.

Where to go??

Are the Smiths still around??

Can't remember the prefix.

Their ponies were a bit smaller but it is not hard to breed height up.

Dougal and the Cox's have a lot to answer to- I had a two hour argument with Dougal when he was trying to ban the miniatures and the Cremellos- he claimed ALL Shetlands should be Black as it was the true basic colour- I did ask him when he had last been to the Islands and if he had ever seen the pictures in the turn of the (last) century stud books- very fine boned, "pinto", pretty, pretty ponies, tall and long necked- quite similar to Americans, in fact.

Funnily enough they were bred at Penniwells, which is literally a stones throw from where I now live!!

 

[Wally]

Get yourself a dilute stallion!!!

Or a Dun- all the so called "Cream Duns" are Red Dun and will throw Blue Dun, Bay Dun- all sorts of Dun.

General advice??

Don't get a Roan stallion, not in the first instance.

A TESTED Homozygous "pinto" (in Shelties it will be Tobiano and probably Splash- no Sabino) will definitely help you get some pattern.

Where to go??

Are the Smiths still around??

Can't remember the prefix.

Their ponies were a bit smaller but it is not hard to breed height up.

Dougal and the Cox's have a lot to answer to- I had a two hour argument with Dougal when he was trying to ban the miniatures and the Cremellos- he claimed ALL Shetlands should be Black as it was the true basic colour- I did ask him when he had last been to the Islands and if he had ever seen the pictures in the turn of the (last) century stud books- very fine boned, "pinto", pretty, pretty ponies, tall and long necked- quite similar to Americans, in fact.

Funnily enough they were bred at Penniwells, which is literally a stones throw from where I now live!!

Do you mean Eva Smith? Berry Stud? Charlie the Pieblad in the driving pic is by a Berry Stallion.

Funny you should mention a Dun, I have a bay dun colt who I had to fight over at the sales, he might me the answer, By HRE Zetland, His mother was Dun his dad was Piebald. If he makes the grade he might do. He should have the height.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Yes, that's it but I meant Liz- well, it's Liz I used to know anyway.

 

[Wally]

I know for a fact that there were Icelandics bred into the Shetland before the stud book got going in the Islands.

many a crofter on the West side had an Icelandic for ploughing and often the two got mixed up resulting in a large X bred pony suitable for lots of jobs. Then the stud book was forme and that was the end of hybrid vigour.

Big blacks are stunning, but I do like a silver dun, bay dun, piebald or Palomino, roans and.....well anything other than black. But as they say a good horse is never a bad colour.

Big blacks are by far the minority in the Islands, There are far more colours here than big blacks.