Variations

What are Variations?  What do they do?

Variations are essentially a modifier for genes themselves.   This means that in order to see a variation for a gene, the gene itself needs to be available so the variation can then modify and change the gene.   A good way to remember the difference between a gene and a variation is this:  Genes determine WHAT your horse has, Variations determine HOW they look.   Just because your horse has a variation listed doesn't mean they have the gene needed to modify it.   

For a visual example of variations we can check out the Arabian Photos below.  On the left we have an Arabian with KIT 1 (related to Sabino) Variant 1 and Dapple Variant 2, and on the right we have an Arabian with KIT 1 (related to Sabino) Variant 4 and Dapple Variant 1.   So lets start with what is visible - the KIT gene.  In this case the KIT gene in question is Sabino.   The horse on the left has the basic Sabino while the horse on the right displays another version of Sabino that visually looks different.   This is because both horses, despite being Sa1n, have different variants related to the gene.   So they 1) have the gene needed and 2) have modifiers to effect how it looks.   Now lets move to the dapples.   Well Rose they have dapple variants listed so why are they not visible?   That is because neither of these horses have the dapple gene.   Therefore the variations they have have nothing to modify.  So they 1) do NOT have the gene needed and 2) can't use the variations to modify anything.    If dapples were visible the horse on the left would be a regular dapple (darker dapples) and the one on the right would be a reverse dapple (lighter dapples).   

Some Additional Variation Facts

• To find what genes or variants your horse has get them gene tested at the vet.

• When breeding 2 horses each parent has a chance to pass their variation(s) on to their foals, but there is also a small chance to get a mutated variant (non-parent variation).

• Why does KIT have 2 variants listed?   Unlike other genes that have a dedicated spot on the gene string, the KIT section can pertain to multiple types of genes like Tobiano, Sabino, Roan, and the many W# genes.   Because of this KIT has 2 variations listed to allow for these different genes to be modified if 2 of them are available vs 2 of them sharing the same variation.

• Which KIT variant takes priority?   If your horse has 2 different KIT genes then KIT 1 is tied to the first half, and KIT 2 is tied to the second half.   For example a Sa1To horse with KIT 1 V.3 and KIT 2 V.5 would show a Sabino Variant 3 and Tobiano Variant 5.   However if your horse is Sa1Sa1 for example it will default to whatever is in the KIT 1 spot (so in this case the Variant 3).

• Why do different horses show different variant lists?  This is because not all breeds have all genes, so the variant list is tailored to what the breed would actually have available.   This also goes for crossbreeds, where the game uses the parent breeds to determine the variant list.   Graded horses will additionally have variants listed related to any genes they have had graded in to them that is actively carried.

• What about non listed variants?  Horses like Friesians for example will still carry variants for genes like KIT, Lp, etc but because the breed doesn't naturally have those genes they are not listed and remain hidden information.

• How many variants are there for genes?  Not all genes have the same amount of variations (example Roan has 3 variations, but Sabino has 10), but as it stands currently in the game the most variations available for a gene is 10.    1-6 can be found everywhere from design lab, foundation store, to wild horses, but 7-10 (when available) can only be found through wild horses (and their descendants).

  • • W20 is a fun exception gene.   In most breeds with W20, it only has 1 variation, but in Clydesdales W20 has 2 variations 

    • Exceptions for 1-6 in design lab:  Dapples are not a gene option, Skewed Dun and Skewed Roan cannot be selected