Base coat with a reddish body, mane and tail, with no black pigment.
Typical Genetic Formula
e/e
Possible Genotype Variations
e/e A/A
e/e A/a
e/e a/a
The Genetic Basis
For a horse to be born Chestnut, it must receive the following combination from its parents:
- To have the red base (Chestnut), this animal necessarily inherited a recessive (e) allele from the sire and another from the dam. Both parents carried the red factor.
Understanding the Alleles
The horse Chestnut has a specific combination of alleles. Below, we explain each genetic component that forms this coat:
- e/e (Red Factor): The animal has a fundamentally red base (Chestnut), due to the total absence of black pigment.
- A/ (Agouti): The Agouti gene, when active (with E present), restricts black pigment to the extremities. Carried with no visual effect in e/e animals.
- a/a (Non-Agouti): Allows black to spread over the entire body when combined with E. In e/e animals it is invisible but still passed on.
