HGG Community Forums

WindwardFarm · May 8, 2017 12:59 PM

I've been learning about DP recently and I think I understand how the gene works for the most part. However, I'm still having some trouble identifying DP in non-red based horses.

I have this bay foundation mare that I accidentally spayed the other day before I really knew about DP. I'm almost positive that she has DP but I don't know if she has one copy or two. Is it worth it to use a token to unalter her? I'm assuming no, but I don't know how hard it is to get foundation DP mares.

WF Cricket

I'm unsure about whether this bay roan appy foundation mare has DP. She is StySty but I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out if she is dark enough to have DP as well.

WF Galaxy

I also have some questions about identifying DP in gray horses (assuming they can carry DP). I have two foundation mares from the gray splash tobiano herd helper that are both bay underneath the gray. One is significantly darker than the other. The darker one is StySty and the lighter one is not but I don't know if the darker one has DP as well since there's such a big color difference between the two.

Here is the darker mare (StySty and also carries silver).

WF Frozen

And here is the lighter mare.

WF Icicle

Cheers · May 8, 2017 1:53 PM

DP can be hard for even experienced players to spot sometimes--you just have to work on getting your eye in and the best way to do that is to use the horse search A LOT and search horses you know carry at least one copy of DP (so say, the offspring of Freaky Friday horses since all Freakies are DP DP, so all their offspring are at least heterozygous for it). I'm putting a link to the offspring of my first foundation black chestnut below because he had a lot of bay and dun babies as well as lots of red based kids...it can be helpful to see. One of his daughters is from a Freaky Friday mare so she's double DP double sooty and bay (the mare was black) and drop dead gorgeous.

http://hj2.huntandjump.com/adv_search.php?&sire=304981&runsearch=1

Not sure that link worked...will try it when I post this.

As for de-spaying your mare, if you spayed her for a reason I'd leave her snipped. DP isn't super uncommon in random creates, so you will be able to get others.

I don't think your appy mare has DP just from looking at her.

I have no idea if it's even possible to tell DP on grays, as it's not a color I have ever bred for. I seem to remember that gray is still going through an overhaul by Ammit and that the colors you see are sort of place holders rather than the true lifelike progression from steel to dappled to cloudy to white that she hopes to eventually put into the game.

That said, Frozen is double sooty while Icicle has no sooty, so that may be your difference right there...I just really am not qualified to speak about gray in the game because I haven't paid any attention to it!

Good luck on your quest to spot more DP carriers! Outside of the red based horses, its easiest to pick in wild bays and bright regular bays (bay with no sooty) because it turns them into blood bays. You know you're getting really good when you can spot it in Champagnes....something I can occasionally spot if I'm looking at a lot of the same color of Champagnes in a row,

KerredansCorral · May 8, 2017 2:43 PM

It's hard to tell DP with gray, because the gray gene makes the color of the horse seem darker. More like it's "pushing out" all of the color at an intensified state, til it goes gray.

Winterstarts2017 · May 20, 2017 8:28 PM

I don't want to sound dumb, but what does DP mean?

Cheers · May 20, 2017 8:35 PM

Dense Pheomelanin. This is a hidden gene (meaning it doesn't show up in the genetic testing results) that deepens the red pigment on horses with red/golden colored coats. It's what makes a chestnut into a liver chestnut or a palomino into a chocolate palomino. It also makes certain colors of bay into blood/red bays.

Cheers · May 20, 2017 8:36 PM

And you don't sound dumb! Please don't hesitate to ask questions!

ConfluenceFarms · May 20, 2017 9:24 PM

Here's a list of some of the abbreviations we use, Winter: http://hj2.huntandjump.com/forum/discussion/19903/abbreviations-list#Item_7

Bourbon · May 22, 2017 7:00 AM

Your top mare might have a single copy of DP, but I don't think she's hom at all. It actually occurs quite a bit in creates, so you'll probably get another in future :) I tend to creep around the auction and owner #13 looking out for any horses that might be a carrier for DP.

Gray and DP is just a pain in the butt since it masks it all too well! I have a lot of DP in my lines stemming from Cheer's hom DP stallion. You can have an inkling if they carry DP or not by the colour as a foal and their parents, but it's still hard to spot in Gray (and I'm useless at spotting it in champagne!).

I've just spent a few minutes going through my herd and pulled out a lot of DP carriers so you can compare horses you have, mainly red based but there's those pesky grays who are comfirmed!

DP Gray

III Bread n Liver

IV Party

No Sooty Bay

I Ghosty McGoo

Sty Bay

II Aussie

Sty Sty Bay

II Shadow Rosehip

II Alma

III Sun King

DP Sty Sty Bay

II Coffee King

III Open Tides

DP DP Sty Sty Bay

IV Dark Side

III Missed Out Yo

IV Bird Spot

DP Sty Sty Cream (buckskin)