GLOSSARY OF TERMS
COLOR GENOTYPE DISCUSSION Introduction
Possible Color Genotypes/Black & Black-to-Grey
Possible Color Genotypes/Bay & Bay-to-Grey
Possible Color Genotypes/Chestnut & Chestnut-to-Grey
Glossary of Terms Conclusion Return to HOME
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Agouti--the particular genes/alleles that restrict the black hairs of a
horse to only the points and thus producing the bay color
AHA--see Arabian Horse Association
allele--one of a gene pair contributed by one parent that presents an
"option" that helps determine the trait an offspring will possess
Arabian Horse Association--the organization in the United States that
records and supervises the registration of purebred and part-
bred Arabian horses
base color--the color a horse would be without the influence of the
dominant (G) silvering allele(s) for grey
dappled--a ring-shaped appearance similar to what water drops cause
when splattered onto colors that are not waterproof where the
center is slightly lighter in color than the "outside" of the ring--
these areas are small and overlapping, a stage of a grey horse
as more of its hair is silvered
Data Source--a resource available on the internet as a subscription
service available through AHA that has records on all purebred
and partbred Arabians ever registered in the United States
DNA--the genetic code of the chromosomes that determines all of the
characteristics possessed by an individual
dominant trait--a trait (in this case--color) that is visible
Extension--the particular genes/alleles that produce black hairs
fading--a condition where the horse's coat is bleached out by the salts in
a horse's sweat
flea-bitten--the appearance created by specks or small patches of colored
hair in the coat of a grey horse
foal coat--the long, fuzzy, thick hair a foal has when born that helps
protect it from the elements
full-sibs (short for full-siblings)--offspring having the same sire and
dam
genes--a pair of alleles (one from each parent) for the same trait that
together determine what a trait will be
genotype--the particular pattern of genes/alleles that appear in pairs
which go together to produce a specific trait
get--offspring, progeny
half-sibs (short for half-siblings)--offspring having the same dam but
having different sires
heterozygous--the alleles for a particular trait are different (i.e. one
allele is dominant and the other allele is recessive)
homozygous--the alleles for a particular trait are the same (i.e. both
alleles are dominant or both alleles are recessive)
locus (s.)/locus (pl.)--the location on a chromosome where the genes
for a particular trait can be found
offspring--get, progeny
points--the mane/tail, ears, knees/hocks, and lower legs of a horse that
have black hair while the rest of the horse's hair is "reddish" in
color
progeny--get, offspring
recessive trait--a trait (in this case--color) that is NOT visible if a
dominant allele causes it to be masked/hidden
roan-like phase--a time when white hairs are gradually appearing
throughout the coat of a grey horse and replacing hairs with
color, but not leaving patches of the colored hair--usually
follows the dappling phase--with the head of the horse greying
faster than the body
roan/roaning--white hairs in a colored coat, the head retains most of
color as the white hairs are interspersed with the colored hairs
and is easily visible, the head gets these hairs more slowly and
in a smaller amount making the head appear darker than the
body
silvering--the process of hair losing colored pigment--this is similar to
people getting gray hair as they age
tail-female--following the dam's line through the dams, the lower line of
the pedigree
tail-male--following the sire's line through the sires, the upper line of the
pedigree
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