What color will my foal be?

My pony mare is due pretty soon, and I'm trying to guess what color the foal will be. I have no idea on the parent's genetics. The sire is sorrel with dapples and also has a flaxen mane and tail. The dam is a bay roan, but I do know that her dam was a sorrel paint. Any ideas? I was thinking being a sorrel then later shedding to a red roan..?

Pictures might help. What you describe, might not really be the correct colours of the horses in question.

Lizzie

I would upload some, my phone won't let me though :(
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No worries. Try to add some when you can. Since you are breeding, I presume that the horses involved are a breed and registered. Any pics of them already on the net?

Lizzie

Not registered, the sire was a rescue pony and the dam is supposedly a full Shetland, her previous owner was not the most reliable though. Anyways, they pull carts and we wanted a team of mother and foal.
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Hmm. Too bad. You'll have to wait a very long time before the foal can be put to harness and according to size, they might not even be suitable for a team in the end. Shetland and Shetland crosses, (often with Minis) have many colours in them and their background.

Too bad she was bred. There are SO many really nice Shetland and Shetland crosses around right now and at very reasonable prices or sometimes, free. Many are already trained to the cart and which you could be using with the mare immediately.

Lizzie

Yes, I would rather the sire have better bloodlines and such, we wanted to raise a foal and we could not find any local Shetland stallions. Oh well, to late now! Lol but the foal will have a forever home here and will be loved, that's all that matters to me. In the end they may not be a good driving team, if not, we might invest in one that will though. Who knows..
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OK. I understand your thinking, but it is a little bit scewed. First of all, Shetlands come in many different types across the world. What type is yours? You should know that, having set yourself up as a breeder.

Is your mare Modern or Classic? As I hope you know, the Classic is further broken down into Foundation. All are different. Very different. Now you add some kind of rescue pony into the mix. Not a very good idea but the deed is done. What kind of pony is the rescue? Is he a Shetland or some type thereof?

For what it's worth, 'teams' are usually horses of an identical height and more often than not, identical colours. If you don't know the true background of these two horses, the height and even colours, could be very different and not able to be used as a team. Colour differences would be ok I suppose, but height, probably not.

I am not a proponent of breeding rescue horses of unknown background anyway. Irresponsible breedings, are just why we have thousands of ponies and horses going to slaughter each month, in the most dreadful circumstances.

I know you say you will keep the baby for ever, but things happen. Life changes. Just look at the enormous numbers of horses given away, starving to death and sent to auction. Many of these, were bred by people who thought they would keep that baby for ever.

I know it's too late for your mare, and do truly hope the baby will have a forever home with you, but the likelihood (as with millions of others) is unfortunately slim.

Regardless, I hope you have an uneventful birth and the baby is all you had hoped for. Have the sire and dam been DNA'd as to colour? This will give you a better idea, as to what they might produce.

Lizzie

I get what your saying, I really do. I am responsible for all
Of this, and it's fine with me, I accept the responsibilities. So far I have rescued 3 horses. I have a rescued 2 year old paint right now, not papered, but has the biggest heart and will I have ever seen. He truly amazes me every day. I'm not big on registration, because personally I think all horses have the same capabilities. Purebreds are going to slaughter houses these days, we can try to help it, but in reality unless we get useless breeders to stop taking to auction there's nothing we can do. I will NEVER take any of my horses to auction, ever. If circumstances get rough, I'll resort to other options.
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Going PURELY by what you've written, here's my uneducated breakdown of possible colours:

Sire can only pass on the red gene.
Dam can pass on the roan gene, bay gene, brown gene the red gene.
Foal possibility is sorrel, bay, brown, red roan or bay roan.