Palomino is a coat color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a single allele of a dilution gene called the cream gene working on a red (chestnut) base coat. However, most color breed registries that record palomino horses were founded before equine coat color genetics were understood as well as they are today, and hence the standard definition of a palomino is based on the coat color visible to the eye, not the underlying presence of the dilution gene. More...

11/25/08
JC Registration applications are due soon. I see that there is a new category this year. Palomino.
On another note, I am reminded that we have to take photos now of the “night eyes” or chestnuts on the forelimbs on any foal that is grey or solid colored with no markings.
That brings up another story. I have now won two bets about whether or not a particular foal is grey / roan. The way it works is that grey is dominant and therefore one or the other parent has to be grey. Even if the foal has a lot of white hair in its coat, it cannot be grey if it doesn’t have a grey parent. By the way, I haven’t managed to collect on either bet. Yet.

11/24/08
A new day is dawning. Sometimes it’s hard to find a bright spot or positive thought with the economy in upheaval and the Thoroughbred market the worst it has ever been, but the sunrise this morning was beautiful and I am reminded of how lucky I am to live here.  We have a wealth of good people in our industry who are working hard to make positive changes so I am hopeful that soon we will see a new dawning and that once again the days will be good.

Updated: 8/21/2010