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  Discussion on Black stallion, palomino mare
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Member:
Jerre

Posted on Monday, Apr 24, 2006 - 10:52 pm:

I watched a Nature special last night about wild horses in Montana. The photographer followed the life of a palomino foal. The photography was spectacular, and the insight into wild-horse life was awe-inspiring.

But, my question is: the foal was born to a palomino mare in a band with a black stallion. There were also roans, grullas and duns in his band. Is this genetically possible?

Jerre
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 25, 2006 - 7:52 am:

Yes, as black is a dominant color the stallion may (apparently does) also have a non-black gene that he passes on 1/2 the time. Also some of the colors above are probable dilutions of the black color gene. The name of this program is "White Cloud ..." and there is an excellent companion book that goes along with the program and it is one of the most entertaining studies on how horses behave in the wild that I have seen.
DrO
Member:
Jerre

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 25, 2006 - 10:34 am:

I was impressed with how good looking the horses were. And very much enjoyed watching the intricacies of their relationships. It was not quite as romanticized as some documentaries, and, sad as it was, I was glad she included the part where the rival stallion killed the crippled foal. It was interesting that he did not approach the baby until the foal's own band had investigated and wandered off.

But my favorite parts were the dramatic chases between the stallions. Really stunning.

Jerre
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