Rocky Mountain Horse

Splashed white is a variable white spotting pattern characterized by a broad blaze, extended white markings on the legs, variable white spotting on the belly, and often one or both blue eyes. Eight mutations in two different genes have been shown to cause the splashed white pattern.

The silver dilution dilutes black/brown pigment to lighten the manes and tails of black and bay horses to a flaxen or silver gray. The silver dilution is also associated with an inherited ocular syndrome known as Multiple Congenital Ocular Anomalies (MCOA).

Classic Roan is a white patterning coat color trait characterized by intermixed white and pigmented hairs in the body while the head, lower legs, mane, and tail remain colored.

The extension gene, or red factor, determines whether a horse will have a chestnut base coat color or a black or bay base coat color.

Dominant white is a variable white spotting pattern caused by many different mutations in the KIT gene. The VGL tests for the five most common mutations known as W5, W10, W13, W20, and W22. Homozygosity for W5, W10, W13 or W22 is thought to be non-viable.

Cream is a dilution that causes the palomino, buckskin, smoky black, cremello, perlino, and smoky cream coat colors.

The agouti gene controls the distribution of black pigment, and determines whether a horse will have a bay or black base coat color.

Ocular squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a condition characterized by tumors of the limbus (junction of the cornea and sclera), third eyelid, and/or upper and lower eyelids.