I know what you are thinking, how could a plastic horse have a pedigree? Afterall if anyone is the horse's parents it is probably the person who made it in the factory! But many people spend hours of time carefully putting together realistic pedigrees for their model horses. They even put their own model horses up for stud and cover other model horse mares to produce foals! If you like research and have an interesting in breeding and bloodlines then this is an element of the hobby you should find very rewarding.
Finding Parents
If you want to have a go at starting pedigrees for your model horses then it is recommended you start with a relatively easy model, such as a 'plain' coloured Thoroughbred. Many Thoroughbred pedigrees can be viewed online and with a simple colour you should be able to start to put together a pedigree relatively easily.
Understanding Colour Genetics
The first thing you will need to understand to put pedigrees together for your model horses is colour genetics. You do not need to be an expert but you need to at least understand what is going on on a very basic level.
Introduction
If you have done science in school you probably already have a very basic understanding of genetics. Horse colour genetics are incredibly complex and we are always learning new things but below we will talk you through a really basic way to identify the colours and start your pedigrees.
The first thing to understand is how colour genes work. Genes come in pairs, one from your mother and one from your father. That means that a horse will have up to two copies of if they carry it. If a horse has one copy of the gene it is called 'heterozygous' if it has two copies then it is 'homozygous'.
Genes come in two types: dominant and recessive. A dominant gene only requires one copy of the gene for it to affect the colour of the horse (for example grey). A recessive gene requires two copies of the gene for it to affect the colour of the horse (for example flaxen). When we write down genetic make up we mark dominant genes as a capital letter (e.g. G) and recessive (or non-existent) genes as a small letter (e.g. g)
When a foal is born it will get 50% of its genetic material from its mother and 50% from its father. We can think of this in terms of a table shown on the right.
In the example shown on the right each parent is heterozygous (one copy) for the grey gene. When bred together we can see that there is a 25% chance of a homozygous (two copies) grey foal, a 50% chance of a heterozygous grey foal (one copy) and a 25% chance of a non-grey foal. In practical terms that means there is a 75% chance of a grey foal (so if we bred them four times, we should get three grey foals).
Chestnut/Bay/Black
When I used to teach basic horse colours to my riding students I would also tell them to think about horse colour as a cake. When we bake a cake we use the same basic ingredients and then add extra flavours and toppings to change it. A chestnut horse is that basic cake mix. All horses start off chestnut. What that means is that for a horse to be standard chestnut there must be no other modifier genes.
A chestnut foal would require either two chestnut parents, one chestnut and one heterozygous bay/black parent or two heterozygous bay/black parents. A homozygous bay/black parent will mean no chestnut foal.
To get a black horse you need at least one copy of the Extension (Ee) gene. This gene will turn the red hairs black and create a black horse.
To get a bay horse you first need a black base (at least one copy of the extension). You then need Agouti. There are several different forms of the agouti gene and these will cause the spread of black across the coat to vary. You need just one copy of one agouti on the extension to create a bay horse.
If you don't have the extension but you do have agouti then you will just have a chestnut but they could produce bay foals depending on who they are bred to.
Grey
In order to get a grey horse you need one copy of the grey (Gg) gene. Grey foals are born their base colour (e.g. chestnut) and will gradually grey out with age. The rate at which this happens will depend on the individual horse. Types of grey such as dapple or fleabitten are simply stages in the greying process.
Creams
The cream gene dilutes the base colour of the horse's coat. It acts differently depending on whether there is one or two copies of the gene and what the base colour is. A horse with two copies of the cream gene will be born with blue eyes. Below is a basic list:
Black + Cream = Smokey Black
Bay + Cream = Buckskin
Chestnut + Cream = Palomino
Black + Cream + Cream = Smokey Cream
Bay + Cream + Cream = Perlino
Chestnut + Cream + Cream = Cremello
So for example if you have a chestnut stallion and a palomino mare you have a 50% chance of a palomino foal. But if you have a palomino stallion and a palomino mare you have a 75% chance of a palomino and a 25% chance a cremello.
Dun
Dun acts on the base coat to give primitive markings including a dorsal stripe and leg barring. The shade of the dun will depend on the base coat. Just one copy of the gene is needed to modify the base colour. These shades often have other colours:
Black + Dun = Grulla
Bay + Dun = Dun
Chestnut + Dun = Red Dun
Pintos
Pintos are far more complicated than just one gene! On a very basic level the following genes modify the horse's coat colour to add patches of white amongst the colour:
Sabino
Overo
Tobiano
Splash
Unless a horse has had genetic testing it can sometimes be impossible to tell what genes are actually present. However, each pattern does have very distinctive features which you can learn to recognise. Like other genes you only need one copy to modify the coat.
Spots
In order to get a spotted (appaloosa) horse you need at least two genes. First of all you need the Lp or Appaloosa base. A horse with just the Lp gene (one or two copies) will be varnish roan.
In order to get the characteristic spots you need either the Pattern 1 or Pattern 2 genes.
Pattern 1 is responsible for the leopard spot and few spot colours. The colour will depend not only on the number of copies of the Patn1 gene but will also depend on the number of copies of the Lp genes.
Pattern 2 is responsible for the blanket spot and snowcap patterns. Like Patn1 the colour depends not only the number of copies of the Pattern gene but also the number of copies of the Lp genes.
Other Colours
As I'm sure you are aware there are numerous other colours we haven't mentioned! Below are some of the genes and how they affect the coat:
Champagne - creates a diluted coat with hazel eyes and mottled skin
Flaxen - flaxen is a recessive gene, it creates the lighter coloured flaxen mane and tail on chestnuts
Silver Dapple - silver dapple dilutes black to give a silvery mane and tail
Sooty - this mixes darker coloured hairs into the coat and mane, it shows up more on lighter colours (such as palomino)
Rabicano - rabicano adds white hairs to the horse's belly, they often look like stripes around the stifle
Kit Gene: Roan - The Kit gene comes in three forms, roan, white and sabino. It is the KIT roan that is responsible for the mixing of white hairs across the coat to produce a roan pattern.
Kit Gene: White - This causes the horse to be white from birth with pink skin and dark eyes.
Let's take a look at the horse below:
This is a grulla American Quarter Horse gelding called CRS Air Slash. So what is his genetic make up?
Well first off we know he must have at least one copy of the dun gene. We also know that in order to get grulla we need a black base and for that we will need at least one copy of the extension.
So we need at least one parent that has the dun gene and at least one parent that has the extension. Parents could have other genes as long as they only had one copy. The reality is that the parents could be, therefore, a variety of different colours. But we can of course go for some more simple crosses. A grulla mixed with a black for example would be a simple and easy cross and obviously two grullas would be a great mix!
If you are interested in learning more about colour genetics then check out the Equine Tapestry blog, website and books: equinetapestry.com/
The above is a VERY brief introduction and we have somewhat glossed over a lot of issues. We recommend doing lots of research for a more accurate explanation of colour.
Finding Your Stallion
You should now have a vague idea of the colour of stallion you are after, or at least a list of possible colours. We are going to continue to use the example of Pidgeotto (CRS Air Slash) above to help us on our search!
The brilliant thing about the internet is that it has made finding stallions incredibly easy. A quick google and you can find a stallion at stud with full pedigree online.
Start by doing a very simple google such as 'grulla AQH stallion for stud'.
Now start to narrow down your search, look at the horse's colour, their bloodlines, how long they have been standing at stud (when was your horse born, if he was born 2 years ago was the stallion available then?) Try to create a bit of a shortlist of possible candidates.
You could also look at using model horse stallions, there are several different websites and associations that are devoted to this. Stallions will usually stand at stud over a certain period, in order to use a stallion you will need to contact the model's owner and ask their permission to breed to your mare.
Finding Your Mare
Finding mares can be harder than finding stallions. There are several reasons for this. First of all a mare can only produce one foal per year meaning that for realism purposes each mare can only have one per year. Real horse mares are often also not listed online, or if they are their pedigree is missing. They are not advertised in the same way stallions are and so it can often be tougher to find the right one.
That is why it is a good idea to have a shortlist of stallions. When you have found your perfect mare you need to check they are compatible. First of all do the colour genetics work? Secondly check their pedigrees, will there be inbreeding? And finally is she actually available to have your foal in the correct year?
Some model horse mare owners offer their mares to have foals each year, a friend may offer you the first foal from their mare or someone may offer up their may in a model horse magazine or website.
If you are struggling to find a mare or stallion why not ask around to see if anyone has anything suitable? You could ask on model horse Facebook groups or online forums. Stallion or mare owners may allow you to use them or be able to suggest a real horse to be used.
The Birth
The level of realism here is entirely up to you. Some people may actually want the model horses to meet to have their foal but the vast majority of breedings are very much virtual. The mare and stallion will never meet.
A mares gestation period is 11 months. So the date of conception will be around 11 months prior to the date of birth. What date of birth you choose for your horse is up to you but you need to bare in mind what year the mare is available to have foals. We have already touched on 'birthdates' above and how you work these is very much a personal choice. Many people like to choose the date they got the model as the birthdate, others may choose the year the model was produced and some may simply choose something that is suited to their breeding. Personally I like to choose something that makes sense, for adult horses their birthdate will be 3/4 years prior to when I bought them, whilst with foals it will be something appropriate to that foal (e.g. yearling or weanling).
Once they are bred make sure to tell model horse parents about the foal, giving them the foal's name and sending them a photograph. You may want to keep the parents informed of any foals your horse has and any show results they win.
Important note - some real horse owners do not like the use of real horses for model horse pedigrees (which is understandable). You may want to be aware of this if advertising your models online with pedigrees or you could contact the owners and politely explain the hobby and ask their permission to use their horse's name.
Well first off we know he must have at least one copy of the dun gene. We also know that in order to get grulla we need a black base and for that we will need at least one copy of the extension.
So we need at least one parent that has the dun gene and at least one parent that has the extension. Parents could have other genes as long as they only had one copy. The reality is that the parents could be, therefore, a variety of different colours. But we can of course go for some more simple crosses. A grulla mixed with a black for example would be a simple and easy cross and obviously two grullas would be a great mix!
If you are interested in learning more about colour genetics then check out the Equine Tapestry blog, website and books: equinetapestry.com/
The above is a VERY brief introduction and we have somewhat glossed over a lot of issues. We recommend doing lots of research for a more accurate explanation of colour.
Finding Your Stallion
You should now have a vague idea of the colour of stallion you are after, or at least a list of possible colours. We are going to continue to use the example of Pidgeotto (CRS Air Slash) above to help us on our search!
The brilliant thing about the internet is that it has made finding stallions incredibly easy. A quick google and you can find a stallion at stud with full pedigree online.
Start by doing a very simple google such as 'grulla AQH stallion for stud'.
Now start to narrow down your search, look at the horse's colour, their bloodlines, how long they have been standing at stud (when was your horse born, if he was born 2 years ago was the stallion available then?) Try to create a bit of a shortlist of possible candidates.
You could also look at using model horse stallions, there are several different websites and associations that are devoted to this. Stallions will usually stand at stud over a certain period, in order to use a stallion you will need to contact the model's owner and ask their permission to breed to your mare.
Finding Your Mare
Finding mares can be harder than finding stallions. There are several reasons for this. First of all a mare can only produce one foal per year meaning that for realism purposes each mare can only have one per year. Real horse mares are often also not listed online, or if they are their pedigree is missing. They are not advertised in the same way stallions are and so it can often be tougher to find the right one.
That is why it is a good idea to have a shortlist of stallions. When you have found your perfect mare you need to check they are compatible. First of all do the colour genetics work? Secondly check their pedigrees, will there be inbreeding? And finally is she actually available to have your foal in the correct year?
Some model horse mare owners offer their mares to have foals each year, a friend may offer you the first foal from their mare or someone may offer up their may in a model horse magazine or website.
If you are struggling to find a mare or stallion why not ask around to see if anyone has anything suitable? You could ask on model horse Facebook groups or online forums. Stallion or mare owners may allow you to use them or be able to suggest a real horse to be used.
The Birth
The level of realism here is entirely up to you. Some people may actually want the model horses to meet to have their foal but the vast majority of breedings are very much virtual. The mare and stallion will never meet.
A mares gestation period is 11 months. So the date of conception will be around 11 months prior to the date of birth. What date of birth you choose for your horse is up to you but you need to bare in mind what year the mare is available to have foals. We have already touched on 'birthdates' above and how you work these is very much a personal choice. Many people like to choose the date they got the model as the birthdate, others may choose the year the model was produced and some may simply choose something that is suited to their breeding. Personally I like to choose something that makes sense, for adult horses their birthdate will be 3/4 years prior to when I bought them, whilst with foals it will be something appropriate to that foal (e.g. yearling or weanling).
Once they are bred make sure to tell model horse parents about the foal, giving them the foal's name and sending them a photograph. You may want to keep the parents informed of any foals your horse has and any show results they win.
Important note - some real horse owners do not like the use of real horses for model horse pedigrees (which is understandable). You may want to be aware of this if advertising your models online with pedigrees or you could contact the owners and politely explain the hobby and ask their permission to use their horse's name.
Breeding Your Models
Annie with her first foal CRS Little Prince
If you have spent time carefully making pedigrees for your model horses you may want to start breeding them yourself. The first thing to think about is whether they are old enough to breed. You will need to wait until they are 3 or 4 years old before you breed them (this may vary from breed society to breed society so check their rules carefully).
You could then look at getting them accredited with the relevant model horse hobby registry. Yes there are real breed registries for model horses! Have a search online, through forums and on Facebook to find one for your breed and ask to join. You can then register your mare and stallion with them.
You are now ready to breed your model horse. The first thing to do is to find an appropriate partner, this could be real or a model. You may want to offer your horse up to others and see if they have something you would like to breed with or you could breed them with your other model horses. You could, of course, choose a suitable real horse to use.
Remember with mares they can only have one foal a year and will need a year off occasionally (particularly with Thoroughbreds who need to recycle due to the 1st of December birthdate). With stallions the number of mares they can cover will depend upon the breed allows AI or not. Obviously a stallion which uses AI could cover a much larger number of mares than one that is being bred through natural covering. It is worth noting at this point that some breed standards do allow embryo transfer, this allows a mare to have several foals without physically having to give birth to them. Headley Britannia is a good example of how this is used in practice. If you have a sport horse model or similar you may want to think about this for your mares, you will of course need mothers for the transferred foals so make sure to invest in some Belgium Draught models!
You may also want to be selective about how many times you breed your horse in total. If you want to show your model you may want to do this before retiring them to stud. Just like real horses a model with a good show record will be more desirable than one without.
Make sure to keep a record of the names and parentage of your horse's foals. If their owners provide you with more information you could add this to your records as well and use it as part of the advertising for your model.
You could then look at getting them accredited with the relevant model horse hobby registry. Yes there are real breed registries for model horses! Have a search online, through forums and on Facebook to find one for your breed and ask to join. You can then register your mare and stallion with them.
You are now ready to breed your model horse. The first thing to do is to find an appropriate partner, this could be real or a model. You may want to offer your horse up to others and see if they have something you would like to breed with or you could breed them with your other model horses. You could, of course, choose a suitable real horse to use.
Remember with mares they can only have one foal a year and will need a year off occasionally (particularly with Thoroughbreds who need to recycle due to the 1st of December birthdate). With stallions the number of mares they can cover will depend upon the breed allows AI or not. Obviously a stallion which uses AI could cover a much larger number of mares than one that is being bred through natural covering. It is worth noting at this point that some breed standards do allow embryo transfer, this allows a mare to have several foals without physically having to give birth to them. Headley Britannia is a good example of how this is used in practice. If you have a sport horse model or similar you may want to think about this for your mares, you will of course need mothers for the transferred foals so make sure to invest in some Belgium Draught models!
You may also want to be selective about how many times you breed your horse in total. If you want to show your model you may want to do this before retiring them to stud. Just like real horses a model with a good show record will be more desirable than one without.
Make sure to keep a record of the names and parentage of your horse's foals. If their owners provide you with more information you could add this to your records as well and use it as part of the advertising for your model.
Creating a Pedigree Table
You can create a pedigree table either virtually using a computer or on a printed table. You could even look at buying really pretty printed tables which you can fill in with pen. These can be kept with your horse's show records and passed onto new owners when the horse sells. These are more expensive than creating them on your computer but they are very attractive and a nice thing to have for your favourite models.
If you would rather just create a simple digital table then check out our tutorial here.
Remember that a pedigree table works sideways starting with the parents, then grandparents, then great grandparents and so on. The sire is listed above the dam. You should make sure to note any real horses with (r) and also mark any inbreeding (which you should try to avoid).
As well as the horse's names your table should also note colour genetics for the more immediate family. This can be done using simple codes such as:
CRS Air Slash
(EE, Dd)
For the parents you may also want to note the stud:
CRS Air Slash
Chestnut Ridge Model Horses
(EE, Dd)
Or you could just put the horse's colour & breed:
CRS Air Slash
Grulla AQH
For partbred horses it is important to note the breeding. This can be done in code e.g. AQH or through writing the whole breed e.g. American Quarter Horse.
If you would rather just create a simple digital table then check out our tutorial here.
Remember that a pedigree table works sideways starting with the parents, then grandparents, then great grandparents and so on. The sire is listed above the dam. You should make sure to note any real horses with (r) and also mark any inbreeding (which you should try to avoid).
As well as the horse's names your table should also note colour genetics for the more immediate family. This can be done using simple codes such as:
CRS Air Slash
(EE, Dd)
For the parents you may also want to note the stud:
CRS Air Slash
Chestnut Ridge Model Horses
(EE, Dd)
Or you could just put the horse's colour & breed:
CRS Air Slash
Grulla AQH
For partbred horses it is important to note the breeding. This can be done in code e.g. AQH or through writing the whole breed e.g. American Quarter Horse.