The Glacier Project

[ohmt]

Relaying this message from Robin Cole:

The first baby steps are underway for The Glacier Project with the establishment of a FB Group. In the near future, I will launch our web site and in July, with the help of a graphics artist, we will start work on a free informational brochure which I hope AMHA and AMHR will allow me to make available at the Fall shows. The Glacier Project is named after the LWO ++ colt I recently lost in May, and the goal will be to bring awareness of the importance of testing for the LWO gene, even in our solid breeding horses. While certain other patterning may be discussed, this site will be specifically geared towards questions and information regarding the frame overo pattern. Beautiful to look at and highly desirable, but the only color pattern that can be deadly. Hope some of you will join and help us spread the word about the importance of LWO testing!!!

The Glacier Project page is up. Just starting with some informational postings, but would like to see photos to help people better understand "frame" and how it can be deceiving!!! Website is under construction and am happy to have PM's with any suggestions as to content which might be particularly helpful. Will need photos from owners (with permission to use) of different types of horses exhibiting both visual frame and horses tested to be frame, but not visually so.

Please post pictures of your LWO+ and LWO- tested horses (along with other patterns tested for) with other information you would like kept with the pictures. I will make sure everything gets to Robin. If you don't want the picture used, make sure you let me know. I am not sure if I'm allowed to post any links to the equine color and pattern genetics group I have on fb, but if you are on facebook, you are more than welcome to post your pictures there or look up the glacier project or send Robin or myself a pm/email.

Thanks to all in advance!

 

[Becky]

Where is this on Facebook? I can't find it.

 

[ohmt]

Not sure, Becky. I had it up on my facebook just a moment ago and now I can not find it. Robin just got it up and running though and her website is a work in progress so maybe she's just doing work on it. Will post the link when I get to it

 

[LittleBittyBritches]

I have a Perlino pinto mare that appears not to be frame, but tested positive. where do I post her picture, on here?

 

[targetsmom]

I already saw this on FB and will for sure help in any way I can. We know someone who had the very heartbreaking experience of a totally unexpected lethal white foal. I can share pics of our LWO+ gray mare and the LWO- stallion we have bred her to. Should the pics go on the Glacier Project page or on the Equine Color and Pattern page? I may have already posted them on the latter.

 

[ohmt]

I can did up your pictures from the equine color and pattern page

I have a Perlino pinto mare that appears not to be frame, but tested positive. where do I post her picture, on here?

Go ahead and post the pictures here. Make sure you put down any ownership information you'd like kept with it and the horse's name, pedigree info if you have it, etc. Thank you!

 

[ohmt]

Ok, here's the link!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/191616400965250/

 

[LittleBittyBritches]

Ok, here are some pics of "Snowball." She is 4yr old here. Her reg. name is Brames Smooth Melody. She is a Perlino that appears "solid" but tests positive for LWO. She is one of Little Bitty Britches mares. She had her first foal this year, and we will be testing him as well.

 

[Robin_C]

Thank you, gals. Yes, the FB page is up for The Glacier Project. Glacier is the name of the colt I lost last month to lethal white foal syndrome. He brought to my attention the need to encourage breeders to test their stallions, if nothing else, for LWO status, and then their mares if they discover a stallion they are considering to be LWO+. Many people think that LWO+ status only occurs in visual frames, or horses easily identified as frame overos by looking at them, but this is far from the truth. As noted above, solid-colored horses are equally capable of carrying the LWO gene. My plan for The Glacier Project is to start with an interactive FB page where pictures and information can be readily shared. WIthin the next few weeks, will launch TheGlacierProject.org web site which will include additional information, links to testing labs, etc., as well as memorial pages to foals lost to this syndrome. Finally, a graphics artist and I will be working on a free informational brochure which I hope AMHA and AMHR will allow me to make available at the Fall championship shows. The key to saving foals in the future lies in education....that and a simple $25 test that might save someone else the heartache of losing a foal they have waited 11 months to meet.

The photo gallery of LWO+ horses on the FB page and ultimately the web site will be utilized to help familiarize folks with the "many faces" of frame overo patterning, or in the case of solid-colored horses that are LWO+, the NON-patterning individuals. If the gallery convinces just one more person to test their breeding stock regardless of whether they "think" a horse could be an LWO carrier, then it will have performed its function!

Thanks again for getting the word out about The Glacier Project !

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Robin, I'm so sorry for your loss. And I wanted to say kudos to you for being willing to use your heartbreaking experience to increase the awareness of this issue. As most of you know I do not breed for pintos, but I am in support of EVERYONE knowing as much as possible about this. When it only takes a few dollars to ensure this doesn't happen, it sure seems like a wise investment to me. As a breeder, I feel a responsibility to help avoid as many heartbreaks as possible - dwarfism and LWO. When I owned Spirit, now owned by Kaelin (Mock2Farms on LB), I stood him to outside mares. Phenotypically he is a solid perlino, but since we can rarely say for sure what our horses are (since they their pedigrees are often full of misidentified colors/patterns) and since I would potentially be breeding him to pinto mares, I had him tested. Some people questioned why would I spend the money when he was so obviously not LWO, and I just said because it was for my peace of mind. Yes, he came back LWO negative, but to me it was worth the $25.

Again, kudos to you. I hope that many people check out your site and also contribute to it. I feel like foals will be saved because of the effort.

 

[targetsmom]

I need to add Max's photo to that FB site. He was also LWO+ and not a typical "frame" pinto.

I plan to be a presence (not sure of details now) at the MA Equine Affaire in November and would be happy to see that brochures are displayed. I usually work the New England Pinto booth and the Miniature Horse booth in the Breed pavilion and may have a stall in "C" Barn.

 

[Becky]

I agree with Parmela. Education is the key and NO horse is immune to the possibility of LWO, even solid horses. Appaloosas too! I think it should be mandatory that every breeding stallion is tested. If a stallion tests positive, then all mares to be bred to him must be tested.

I love frame overos, but you must be educated to breed them. And you have to be educated about them if you are not breeding them as well.

I've been testing my breeding stallions for years. As a pinto breeder, I've been well aware of LWO and started testing as soon as the test became available. I've used two different LWO stallions. Both minimally marked. One had a bald face and blue eyes only. The other had a partial blue eye, star and snip. Solid body. Both sired loud frame overos.

My current breeding stallions are LWO negative. I've even tested a solid black yearling colt I plan to use for breeding. Not a white hair on him. No face white, no blue eyes, no color whatsoever. But, he does have Rowdy way back in his pedigree, so you just never know. He tested negative, but I certainly wanted to know before I started using him for breeding.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

This is our LWO+ tested stallion Six Gems Mini Ridge Radical Rowdy. He is by NFCs Rowdy's Desperado, a Rowdy son.

Doesn't really look LWO+, does he?

 

[ROWIRA]

Positive for LWO and positive for Tobiano.

Positive for LWO.

 

[mini horse mania]

I joined and some you would never guess are lwo are!!..its a great learning tool.i am thoroughly enjoying the info.

 

[Robin_C]

Thank you, ladies, for sharing your wonderful examples of LWO+ horses that do not exhibit the classic "frame overo" coat patterning. From the many, many photos that have been shared and reviewed on tested horses, it is beginning to become clear that horses that are LWO + and exhibiting the classic frame pattern visually are in the minority. There seem to be many, many more horses that have "hidden" LWO factor but appear visually as solids, tobianos, slash or combinations of color patterns that are anything BUT frame overo! This situation is the main reason for launching The Glacier Project -- to bring awareness to the need for testing. So glad that so many of our fine breeders are already on board with that concept, and I hope The Glacier Project encourages many more to do the same! Once the brochures are available, I will be happy to share them with anyone who has a venue to distribute them!