Genetics 101
How to read the code, errors, lethal foals
- How to Read Genetic Testing Results: A Complete Guide to Understanding Your Horse’s Color
- The Genetics of This Horse Is in Error: What Happened?
- Chimeras: Like Two Horses in One
- Lethal White: Why Did My Foal Not Survive? (under construction by Stormwood)
- What are Punnett Squares, Genes, Alleles, Loci ...?
- Hidden Genes
- Planning a Breeding: How to Use a Punnett Square
- Rare Genes: How & Where to Get Them
How to Read Genetic Testing Results: A Complete Guide to Understanding Your Horse’s Color
So you've gene tested your horse and gotten the results, but what do they mean? The color name — also called phenotype — makes sense, but what about that string of letters? That's your horse's genotype, the actual genetic code for the coat color of your horse, and here we're going to break it all down and explain how to read it.
This is one of the most complex genotypes that can be created in the game. If you’re just starting out, I’m sure it looks pretty confusing, but by the end of this tutorial, every part of it will make perfect sense. You may eventually find you get a quicker mental picture of the genetics of your horse by looking at the genotype rather than the phenotype. So let’s get started and break it all down.
The Base Coat
Extension & Agouti
All horses have these four letters in their genotypes and they are the base of every other possible horse color. So let's zoom in for a moment on these.
E represents Extension, which is responsible for giving your horse black pigment. All black horses have an uppercase E in their genotype, and only one uppercase E is required for your horse to have black pigment. If your horse has two lowercase e's, it will have no black pigment and its base coat will be entirely red pigment — most likely chestnut if no other genetic factors are at work. Since black pigment is darker than red, when it is present at all, it completely masks the red pigment "beneath."
Uppercase E gives your horse black pigment.
A represents Agouti, which restricts the amount of black pigment expressed on your horse's coat. Agouti works by removing black pigment from the base coat, showing the red beneath. An uppercase A removes some black pigment from your horse's body, making it a bay (red with black points). An upcoming game update to Agouti will make a second A remove even more black pigment than a single A. All bay horses have an uppercase A in their genotype. If the bay horse had two lowercase a's instead, it would be a black horse. Agouti has no effect on chestnut horses, since chestnut horses have no black pigment to be affected.
Uppercase A restricts the expression of black pigment, if present.
Horses with E, whether or not they have A, are known as “black based.” Horses that are e/e are known as “red based.” Almost all other genes will work by causing some modifying effect on red or black or both types of pigment. When a horse has both an uppercase and lowercase letter, it makes no difference to the phenotype which comes first. A/a will look the same as a/A. The only thing to keep in mind about the order that the first letter was inherited from the sire and the second was inherited from the dam.
If you see an A* in your horse's genotype, treat it as though it were A. It will soon be removed as part of an ongoing update to Agouti to make it better represent the most up-to-date scientific research on horse color genetics.
But what does it really mean for a letter to be uppercase or lowercase? A lowercase letter doesn't necessarily mean that your horse doesn't have the gene, it indicates allele dominance. So, before we go further into the rest of the letters in the genotype above, let’s take a moment to explain some basic genetics terms.
Dominant & Recessive Alleles: A Brief Explanation
Genes & Alleles
Each pair of letters in a horse’s genotype represents a gene and each letter within each pair represents an allele for that gene. An allele is a version of the gene, i.e. Extension is the gene and E and e are the two versions (alleles) it can come in. Some genes have more than two possible alleles, but only two can be carried by any individual horse, one inherited from the sire and one from the dam.
Dominant & Recessive
If the letter that represents an allele is uppercase, it means that the allele is dominant. If the letter is lowercase, it means that the allele is recessive. Dominant alleles will overpower recessive alleles and will show even if only one copy is present, i.e. E/e will still make a horse black, even though a lowercase e is present. This means that a horse can “carry for” a recessive allele without showing it, and must be gene tested before you can be sure that they have it. Recessive alleles require two copies to show because if a more dominant allele were present, it would overpower the recessive allele, i.e. chestnut horses must be e/e.
Homozygous & Heterozygous
In other words, recessive alleles must be homozygous to show on your horse’s coat. A horse that has two of the same allele for a particular gene is homozygous (sometimes abbreviated hom) for that gene. If the two alleles are different, the horse is heterozygous (sometimes abbreviated het) for that gene. A and E are both dominant, so will show in the heterozygous state. The alleles a and e are both recessive, so will show only in the homozygous state. This is also important because some genes will express differently when they are heterozygous. This is called incomplete dominance and will be explained further down.
The Genes
Below is a complete list of genes and their alleles (beyond Extension and Agouti) that can be found on regular created horses. Not all of these genes will change the horse's color name if that coat color doesn't have a specific name, but they can still create varied and unique looks.
Pigment Modifiers
These are genes that modify the pigments of the base coats we've already mentioned. They can restrict, dilute, or darken existing pigments. Some only affect red pigment, some only affect black pigment, and some will affect both. Some genes will only show on the horse's coat when certain other genes are present. We'll get into all of this as we break it down and talk about each gene.
Agouti Promoter
When A is present on black-based horses, agouti promoter restricts the expression of black pigment even further, turning bay horses into "wild bay." It is dominant and will show even if only one copy is present. Two copies does not result in further black pigment restriction. Wild bay is still called “bay” by color name on your horse’s page.
Dilution Genes
Cream
Alleles: cream, pearl, (plus two non-creatable)
Cream (Cr) and pearl (Prl) both dilute red pigment significantly and black pigment slightly. One Cr has some effect and two Cr's have more effect. This is known as incomplete dominance, which is a third level of dominance that causes two copies of the allele to have even more effect than one. Unlike purely dominant or recessive alleles, this makes all three possible genotypes — both homozygous states and the heterozygous state — have different phenotypes. The effect is so dramatic with the cream gene that these three states also each have their own color names.
As you can see, cream can be quite overwhelming when homozygous, so much so that it can be almost impossible to tell the difference between chestnut, bay, and black horses when they also carry two copies of cream. They look almost white, but actually it is just red and black pigments that are extremely diluted. (Actual white horses are covered in the White Markings section. link*) The next allele of the cream gene, pearl, is much more subtle and almost unnoticeable in the heterozygous state, but in the homozygous state, it creates a rich and metallic diluted effect.
Cream and pearl can also create different effects when mixed. Horses that are heterozygous for both cream and pearl will have slightly darker coats than the homozygous cream horses but slightly lighter than the homozygous pearl horses with also a slight metallic effect.
Dun
Alleles: dun, non-dun 1, non-dun 2, (plus one non-createable)
Dun (D) is the most dominant allele of the dun gene and dilutes the pigment of the base coat on the body, leaving the legs, mane, and tail, and often primitive leg and dorsal stripes darker (the dark areas are actually the original color). All horses with a D allele will show as dun, regardless of the base coat. Chestnuts will become red duns, bays become bay duns, and black duns have a special name — grullo. Dun is a fully dominant allele, so two D’s have no more effect than one.
Non-dun 2 is the most common non-dun allele and is shown in the genome as a dash (-) which is often used to denote the non-carrier allele of a gene. All the previous example horses on this page have been homozygous for non-dun 2. Non-dun 1 (nd1) is another non-dun allele that, like dun, also lightens the body of the coat, leaving the topline darker, but is much more subtle and doesn’t result in primitive markings. It’s also incomplete dominant, so two copies can have more effect than one, though this is not always the case as the extent of its expression can be highly varied.
Champagne
Alleles: champagne
Champagne (Ch) is a dominant allele that lightens the entire base coat to a muted shade with a metallic sheen and can also lighten the eye color. It lightens both red and black pigment, is fully dominant, and requires only one copy to show. Two copies has no more effect than one copy.
You may notice a forth “base coat” included in the image above — brown (*link to update on what makes a bay horse brown). This is just a dark bay that has darker red tones from carrying darkening genes (as we’ll get into below), but among the champagnes it has a special name to set it apart from other bays with champagne like amber champagnes. Sable champagnes can also have “reverse dapples” like the classic champagne pictured above. Reverse dapples are one of the natural variations that a horse’s coat can have. Not all classic and sable champagnes have reverse dapples, but rerolling your horse’s portrait can get them to show. (*link to page on phenotype variations and how/why to reroll portraits.)
Silver
Alleles: silver
Silver (Z) is a dilution gene that only affects black pigment, turning it into a lightened, silvery color. It is fully dominant, so it requires only one copy to show and two copies has no more effect than one copy. It has no effect on red pigment, so red-based horses will not show the gene but can still carry it and pass it on to offspring. Silver blacks can sometimes display a unique type of dapples unrelated to other forms of dappling.
Flaxen
Alleles: flaxen
Flaxen (f) is another dilution gene but unlike silver, it only affects red pigment and only on the mane and tail. It’s also a recessive allele, so it requires two copies to show. When homozygous and on red-based horses, it lightens the mane and tail to a flaxen color ranging in shade anywhere from a slightly lighter red to a yellowish hue to an almost white.
Pangare
Alleles: non-carrier, pangare, (plus one non-createable) (Fact-check what the non-carrier p pangare allele is called.)
The pangare allele (P) lightens red pigment in particular areas of the coat, namely the flank, muzzle, and sometimes the legs. It is dominant, requiring only one copy to show. The effect can be very subtle and usually shows better on horses with darker coats. (To see a pangare allele with a more dramatic effect and that can also lighten black pigment, take a look at pangare plus *link.)
Gray
Alleles: gray
Gray lightens all coat colors over time until the horse is completely white or “grayed out.” It doesn’t affect different colors differently. It is a dominant allele so it requires only one copy to show, but two copies of gray will lighten the coat twice as fast as one copy. A horse that’s homozygous for gray might be completely white by age 8. However, a new update has allowed a horse’s color name to include the full phenotype rather than just “gray,” so you will be able to see what color a completely grayed out horse is without having to look at their genotype.
Darkening Genes
Sooty
Alleles: sooty, (plus one non-creatable)
Sooty is a dominant allele that darkens both red and black pigment, though it’s much more noticeable on red pigment. Two copies has slightly more effect than one.
Dense Pheomelanin
Alleles: dense pheomelanin
Another darkening gene is dense pheomelanin (DP) which only affects red pigment (pheomelanin). It’s a dominant allele and will show with only one copy present but the effect is even stronger with two. It has no effect on black pigment.
As you can see, DP darkens chestnuts similarly to sooty, though not as much, but the bay becomes a rich red. This is sometimes called "cherry bay." Even more phenotypes and new color names become possible when we start to combine both sooty and dense pheomelanin for some extra dark horses.
Sooty & DP in Combination
Sooty and dense pheomelanin can work together to create some super dark horse colors that you cannot get any other way. Sooty can also result in dappling, especially when combined with dense pheomelanin.
These colors can also be achieved with different combinations of “darkening genes” as long as they total a certain number of alleles. For example, a liver chestnut just needs three darkening alleles and can be heterozygous for Sty and homozygous for DP or homozygous for Sty and heterozygous for DP. An extra dark liver chestnut, sometimes called a “black chestnut” needs four darkening alleles, in other words, it needs to be homozygous for both Sty and DP. (link to guide with chart*)
Gray
Alleles: gray
I can already hear you saying, “Wait, didn’t you say that gray was a dilution gene?” Yes, that is true. Over time gray does lighten the coat until it becomes entirely white, but before this lightening progresses, gray also causes a form of “darkening” called hyperpigmentation, which can even darken black horses to an ultra jet black color.
Darkening & Dilution Genes in Combination
Now that we’ve looked at what these dilution and darkening genes look like on their own, let’s see what happens when they’re combined. There are lots of phenotypes that can only be achieved with both types of pigment modifiers working together.
Let’s explore just a few more random combinations here. A more extensive list for each major combination is coming soon. (Example of stacking colors and effect on phenotype name, i.e. Silver Classic Cream Champagne Dun isn’t called Silver Smoky Grullo Champagne.)
Other Combinations That Affect Color Name
White Markings
Kit
Alleles: roan, tobiano, white 1, white 2, sabino 1, white 20, (plus five non-creatable)
Kit is actually not a gene, but a locus where many genes are located. It doesn’t really matter when it comes to understanding what these markings look like, but just keep in mind that any one horse can only carry two Kit alleles, one inherited from the sire and the other from the dam. Here’s a rundown on all the createable Kit markings.
Splash
Rabicano
Appaloosa
PATNs 1 & 2
Varnish
Snowflake
Halo Varnish
Frame (*link to lethal white page)
Tiger Eye & Other Eye Color Effects
You may have noticed the eye color of some of the example horses changes with the coat color. (about which genes do that, cream, champagne, splash) There’s also another gene called “tiger eye” with two alleles, TE1 and TE2, that lighten the eye color only. Both are dominant alleles and will show with only one copy present, but the effect is stronger when homozygous or when the two alleles are mixed. Tiger eye horses may have hazel, orange, or blue eyes depending on the coat color and how many copies of tiger eye are present.
(Image of eye color examples)
Additional Info
White Factor & Chrome
Chimerism Detected?
(Fact-check term usage on this) You may have noticed that not all genes have a set of two letters in our example genotype. This is because if your horse doesn’t have a dominant allele for a particular gene, there will be a dash (-) in place of a letter. If there’s a dash in place of both letters, the test results for that gene will be excluded from the genome by default, since the horse doesn’t carry the gene at all. If you want to see the genes your horse doesn’t carry, you can check the “show all” checkbox to see all possible testable genes, as shown in below.
As you can see, there are a lot of genes in the game! Most of them are real, documented genes, some are hypothetical genes not yet proven scientifically to exist, and some are purely fantasy genes that exist only on HuntAndJump.com, just for fun. There are also some "hidden" genes that you won't find represented in genetic testing results, but still play a role in your horse's phenotype. These aren’t the same as the genes hidden by the “show all” check box. The truly hidden genes cannot be tested at all, though you might be able to develop an eye for spotting them in your horse’s portrait.
Non-Creatable Genes
So far, we’ve talked about genes that can be found in regular creates, but you may also see other genes on horses owned by other players. These have either been genetically edited onto the horse, inherited from an ancestor that had the gene edited on, or are the result of a special herd helper that gives the horse the gene. If you’re just starting out with horses you’ve created yourself, you most likely won’t have any of these genes in your herd. Although, you can buy horses with these genes from other players to add to your herd. Here’s a list of non-createable genes:
Satin
Chocolate
Pangare+
Sooty+
Nexus
Intro to fantasy.
Fantasy & Closed Genes
In addition to the genes above, there are also other non-createable genes that can only be obtained through purchase of a gene license. You can’t buy horses with these genes unless you have the license or the horse has been spayed or gelded so it can’t be bred. These genes (just like Nexus) are denoted by purple, orange, and glowing letters. Check out the fantasy gene and the closed gene pages to learn more. (links*)
The Genetics of This Horse Is in Error: What Happened?
About the create a horse page not loading fully and failing to generate genetics for a newly created horse. This is a glitch and these horses should not be bred. They will be automatically spayed or gelded as soon as their pages are opened. Not the same as the "Error: Unknown Anomaly" genetic testing results returned when testing homozygous axiom horses.
Chimeras: Like Two Horses in One
(working title) What is a chimera? Why do they happen? How to get them in the game. Herd helpers that create chimera horses. The chance of randomly creating a chimera on the create a horse page? How to breed for them, the chances of a chimera and non-chimera throwing another chimera. The chance of two chimeras throwing another chimera. The differences to remember when adding genes to a chimera in the GMT lab vs. the RGS. Merging two horses to create a chimera in the GMT lab. Mention brindle! We still have Brindle Breakout herd helpers. (Difference between DFP horses called brindle and actual chimeras? Give a mention to the old type of chimera vs. the new? Mention the brindle breeder club.)
Lethal White: Why Did My Foal Not Survive? (under construction by Stormwood)
Hunt and Jump utilizes real life genetics, which is one of the coolest parts of the game!
Lethal white is well known in frame overo horses, the lethal white overo syndrome (LWO) is the result of a mutation in the endothelin receptor B (ENDRB) gene. One copy of this particular gene will not negatively impact the offspring, but should a foal inherit a copy from each parent, they will ultimately die. In real life, not all horses that carry this lethal white gene display the typical frame markings and it is recommended that breeding animals are tested for this gene on a color panel.
If both the sire and dam have the LWO gene, there is a 25% chance that their foal would have two copies of this gene, resulting in an all white foal presenting abdominal pain and colic. These foals will die.
In Hunt and Jump, the frame gene, O, is found in the "White Markings" section of your Genetic Testing results. It is good practice not to breed two horses that both have a copy of frame- there is a 25% chance the foal will die.
*There is an exception to the rule: Should you create a horse using the Freaky Friday Herd Helper, you will have a living horse with O/O in the Genetic Testing results.
(include punnett square)
Lethal white overo is not the only form of lethal white. It is suspected that other dominant white genes can be lethal when combined. Generally speaking, dominant white genes are found on the KIT locus. (elaborate on this)
Interactions between white genes and white factor.
(include risk chart)
The 'White Factor Risks' chart
What are Punnett Squares, Genes, Alleles, Loci ...?
Genetics basics
You’re finally getting good at Hunt & Jump, and ready to get serious about breeding beautiful colored foals! You know that some genes, when mixed together, cause a ‘heavy burden of white’ and the foal will not survive. They’ve shown you all the charts: (insert colors chart, numbers chart, Punnett square) You’ve paid for gene testing and have the results in front of you, and you don’t have a CLUE what you’re looking at!
Gene Testing Results
Ee aa CC dD gg ff SS pp zZ chCh KitrKitto SpSps LLlpECA3P+ECA3P+ rbRb OlwO WF: Minimal
Genes and Alleles - It takes two.
Each of those letters and numbers in the list above are genes. Genes live on chromosomes, chromosomes group together to tell bodies how to make other bodies.
Genetics means it’s about genes. But we have to dig even deeper to figure out how things get passed along from mother and father to their offspring.
To make a gene you need 2 alleles, (pronounced Ah-lee-els)
Every horse requires a set of 2 alleles to produce a specific color gene.
EX: Ee aa CC dD
The horse gets one allele from its father, and one from its mother.
(Usually the fathers’ allele is listed first.)
In the above example dad gave the kid an E allele and mom gave the kid an e allele.
Both mom AND dad each gave the kid one a allele, and one C allele.
Dad gave the kid one d allele, and mom gave the kid one D allele.
Two alleles make one gene.
Thing to Remember #1.
When there are 2 of the same size letters, that means the horse is Homozygous for that color. Either aa or CC. Homozygous means they are the same. Very often people shorten the word Homozygous to Hom, or Homo.
When there is one Upper case letter and one lower case letter that means the horse is Heterozygous for that color. Either Ee or dD. Heterozygous means they are different. Very often people shorten the word Heterozygous to Het, or Hetero.
Dominant and Recessive – Who’s the Boss?
EX: Ee aa CC dD
Alleles can be either dominant or recessive.
A dominant allele takes precedence over a recessive allele.
In our example snippet the upper case E is dominant and the lower case e is recessive.
Both a’s are recessive
Both C’s are dominant
The d is recessive and the D is dominant
The way this all works out is a bit tricky.
A dominant trait is what you will actually be able to see on the horse (or in our situation, on the horses picture)
If a dominant trait is paired up with a recessive trait then the dominant trait is the “boss” and the dominant trait is the one that will be visible.
Recessive traits only show up if there are TWO recessives.
So in this case, because E is dominant, whatever E tells the gene to do, is what is going to happen. The aa gene is taking the day off.
Thing to Remember #2
There are 2 kinds of genes.
Back to Basics -
There are only 3 basic colors of horses. Chestnut, Black, and Bay (called Agouti in the “better” scientific circles)
Every other color is some kind of mix and match of different variations of different genes and how they get along with those three colors.
Lets shorten our snippet a little further to: Ee aa
Chestnut and Black are controlled by the E gene.
Bay/Agouti is controlled by the a gene.
All about Punnet Squares. What, why, and limitations
Hidden Genes
Did you know there are genetics at play in your horses that won't show up in genetic testing results? Read this section to learn what they are and how to spot them.
Varnish
LP Promoter
PATN2
Planning a Breeding: How to Use a Punnett Square
If you've been following along with this wiki, at this point you should have a basic understanding of genetics and what each gene does. As HAJ is a game where you play how you want, now you can figure out what you want to breed for. But wait! Maybe it's a very specific genetic combination that can only have a few possible outcomes. If that's the case, punnett squares are your best friend.
In this example, the genetic combination(s) for Brown will be shown. The punnett squares shown have been made in Excel and are really easy to make.
Shown below is a punnett square made for 2 of the important genes to create a Brown color. Each gene you want to specifically breed for, you will need its own punnett square.
Gene 1 (the E, or black gene) from both the mare and stallion has its own; and Gene 2 (the A, or agouti gene) has another. As the subsection on punnett squares showed you, a copy of the letter from each gene from each parent will go into one of the squares.
Agouti and the Black genes will ALWAYS have 2 copies as they are the building blocks of horse colors.
In this example, the 4 boxes on Gene 1 will look like this, starting from the top left to top right, then bottom left to bottom right: EE, Ee, EE, Ee.
In the punnett square for Gene 2, the 4 boxes will look like this: aA, aa, AA, Aa.
As you may have noticed, aA and Aa are exactly the same, just in reversed order. They both read as Aa, as the A is more dominant than a. When you create your own punnett squares for your own breeding goals, enter your horse's genes exactly as they are to avoid any confusion.
Gene Sequencing
What these 8 boxes show you are the possibilities of a foal's genotype (or the letters seen in your horse's Genetic Testing Results section) for each gene. With this example, there are 32 possible outcomes (8 boxes x 4 traits).
The game has recently updated its agouti gene to only have 2 alleles - A and a, which for some, makes breeding for Brown horses much easier. These 2 genes are not the only ones necessary for breeding Browns, so all possible outcomes have been shown in the picture below.
Going back to the example above, your 2 genes are:
EE Ee EE Ee
Aa aa AA Aa
Comparing these to the list above, these genes will have a really good chance of producing a Brown foal, depending on the genes for the Sooty (Sty), and DP (Dense Pheomelanin) genes. A punnett square to check for all 4 genes will look something like this:
From here, you can now fully utilize a punnett square for your breeding goals, to see how good of a chance you have at breeding exactly what you want. This picture shows the absolute best possible genes for successfully continuing a Brown horse project
Heterozygous Genes
In the case of heterozygous genes (or genes with 1 copy), such as Sooty or Dense Pheomelanin (DP), the punnett square will look slightly different. There won't be 4 sets of letters in each box.
Sooty and Dense Pheomelanin only need 1 copy to show.
In the picture above, the stallion has only 1 copy of the DP gene, whereas the mare has 2 copies. As you can see, in the 2 left boxes, there are 2 copies of the DP gene, but only 1 copy in the right boxes. The resulting foal will still show DP in their genetic results, but will only have a 50% chance of having 1 or 2 copies.
But Wait! What If Both Horses Are Heterozygous For The Gene?
If both parents have only 1 copy of your desired gene, again, the punnett square will look different. This time, only 3 of the 4 boxes will be filled out, as shown below.
In this case, you will only have a 25% chance of getting a homozygous (or both copies) gene, a 50% chance of getting a heterozygous gene, and now a 25% chance that the gene won't pass on!
In breeding terms, this does not give you very good chances on the foal - yes, you have a 75% chance the foal will have DP, but 50% of that is 1 copy and becomes another slim chance for a future foal. Your best bet when it comes to breeding for your desired traits/genes, is to have at least 1 homozygous parent breeding. Both parents being homozygous is your best bet!
And that is how you plan a breeding! Just remember to create a punnett square for each gene you want to breed for! ^_^
Rare Genes: How & Where to Get Them
Below is a chart of all rare genes as well as some terms to help you understand how and where you can get them.
Randomly Createable: Genes that are randomly createable can appear on regular create horses as well as horses created using herd helpers, so you might see them even if the herd helper you used does not guarantee them. Some createable genes will appear fairly commonly while others are extremely rare, and some are only randomly createable on the second strand of chimeric horses. (All of the genes that are available for 1 GMT in the lab can appear randomly on the second strand of a chimera.)
Available with Herd Helpers: Some genes can't appear randomly but are still createable by using specific herd helpers that guarantee them. These genes can only appear on foundations by using specific herd helpers or by editing them on, either in the gene mod lab or through the Random Gene Sale (RGS).
Gene Mod Lab: The gene mod lab offers many rare genes which can be purchased using GMTs (gene modification tokens) which can be purchased with game cash. The lab has a variety of genes including those that are createable, non-createable, fantasy, non-fantasy, open, and license only.
Purchase Only: Genes that are available for real money purchase only (also called RGS or Random Gene Sale genes) are not available all the time, but on the 1st and 15th of every month, different randomly selected genes will become available on the Buy Rare Genes page where they will be available for two weeks. Some genes are not in the random rotation and will only be available certain months of the year, as listed below. Note: Some genes that are usually available for real money purchase only will very rarely be available in the gene mod lab for a limited time during special events, so be sure to watch for your favorites and pick them up while you can. Buying a licensed gene in the lab will always give you a copy of the license, so this is a great time to purchase licenses with game cash.
Open or License Only: If you don't want to wait for rare genes to be available, you can look to buy horses or breedings with these genes from other players. Horses with open genes can be purchased from other players without restriction, though some open fantasy genes are restricted from the public sales list and can only be purchased privately or through the auction. Horses with genes that require a license can be purchased from other players if you first purchase the license, which are available all the time even if the gene itself isn't currently available to purchase.
Fantasy or Non-Fantasy: Fantasy genes are genes found only on HuntAndJump.com and do not appear in horses in real life. Some of them mimic genes or patterns found in other animals while others are completely made up and just for fun. Fantasy genes will bar horses from entering all breeders clubs except the fantasy clubs for their genes. Not all fantasy genes are purchase only or license only, so you can have fun with fantasy even if you don't want to spend real money. Non-fantasy genes are either hypothetical or based on scientifically sound and up-to-date horse genetics research and closely follow what you would see in real life.
|
Gene (Abbreviation in the genome) |
Randomly Createable |
Available with Herd Helpers |
Available in the Gene Mod Lab or Purchase Only |
Open or License Only | Fantasy or Non-Fantasy |
| Dense Pheomelanin (DP) |
Yes, fairly common |
Yes |
Purchase and GMTs | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Pearl (Prl) |
No, except on chimeras |
Yes |
Purchase and GMTs | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Snowdrop (Sno) |
No |
Yes, special event only |
Purchase only |
Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Sunshine (Sun) |
No |
Yes, special event only | Purchase only |
Open | Non-fantasy |
| Sooty Plus (S+) |
No |
Yes |
Purchase and GMTs | Open | Non-fantasy |
| Satin (sa) |
No |
Yes, special event only |
Purchase and GMTs | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Chocolate (b) |
No |
No |
Purchase and GMTs | Open, but restricted from public sales |
Fantasy |
| Mushroom (mu) |
No |
No |
Purchase and GMTs |
License only |
Non-fantasy |
| Chinchilla (chn) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Platinum (plt) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Pangare Plus (+) |
No |
Yes, special event only |
Purchase only |
Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Gray Reduction (gr) |
No |
Yes, special event only |
Purchase and GMTs | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Sabino 1 (SB1) |
No, except on chimeras |
Yes |
Purchase and GMTs |
Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Sabino 2 (SB2) |
No |
Yes, special event only |
Purchase and GMTs | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| White 3 (W3) |
No |
No |
Purchase and GMTs | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| White 8 (W8) |
No |
No |
Purchase and GMTs | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| White 10 (W10) |
No |
No |
Purchase and GMTs | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Kit M (M) |
No |
Yes, special event only |
Purchase and GMTs | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Kit Promoter (KP) |
No |
No |
Purchase and GMTs | Open | Non-fantasy |
| Kit Promoter 2 (KP2) |
No |
No |
Purchase and GMTs | Open | Non-fantasy |
| Splash White 3 (SW3) |
No |
No |
Purchase and GMTs | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Splash M (SWM) |
No |
No |
Purchase and GMTs | License only |
Non-fantasy |
| Belton Spotting aka Pigment Density Regulator (Bl) |
Yes, very rare |
Yes, special event only |
Purchase and GMTs | Open | Non-fantasy |
| Tiger Eye 1 (TE1) |
Yes, rare |
Yes |
Purchase and GMTs | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Tiger Eye 2 (TE2) |
Yes, rare |
No |
Purchase and GMTs | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Appaloosa Spot Regulator 1 (ASR1) |
No |
Yes, special event only |
Purchase only | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Halo Varnish (H) |
Yes, fairly common |
Yes, special event only |
Purchase and GMTs | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Snowflake Varnish (snow) |
Yes, rare |
Yes |
Purchase and GMTs | Open | Non-fantasy |
| Gulastra Plume (gp) |
No |
Yes, special event only |
Purchase and GMTs | Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Non-Dun 1 (nd1) |
Yes, fairly common |
Yes |
Purchase and GMTs |
Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Onyx (ONX) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Dun Factor Promoter One (DFP1) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
Open |
Non-fantasy |
| Dun Factor Promoter Two (DFP2) |
No |
No |
Purchase only | License only | Non-fantasy |
| Axiom Nexus (X) |
No |
Yes, special event only |
Purchase only |
Open, but restricted from public sales |
Fantasy |
| Axiom Blue (B) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Axiom Green (G) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Axiom Red (R) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Axiom Wrong Warp (W) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Rainbow Riot Watercolor (WT) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Rainbow Riot Nacre (NAC) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Rainbow Riot Plaid (PLD) |
No |
No |
Discontinued |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Rainbow Riot Thunderstruck (TNDR) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Rainbow Riot Paintbrush Cool (PBC) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Rainbow Riot Paintbrush Warm (PBW) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Rainbow Riot Paintbrush Prism (PBP) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Rainbow Riot 2 Ink Spot (ISP) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Rainbow Riot 2 Toner (TNR) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Rainbow Riot 2 Void (VOID) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Tobiano Modifier Shatterglass (TMSG) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Tobiano Modifier Jewel Box (TMJB) |
No |
No |
Purchase only |
License only |
Non-fantasy |
| HMGA2 Height Regulator (A, under HMGA2 Height Regulator not Bay(Agouti)) |
No, except on chimeras | No |
Purchase and GMTs |
Open |
Non-fantasy (but can exclude horses from showing and entering era breeders clubs if under 12 hands.) |
| Phantom Bird Tracks (BRT) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (January and October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Critter Tracks (CRT) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (January and October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Heart (HRT) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (February and October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Lace (LACE) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (February and October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Shamrock (SHM) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (March and October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Muddy Puddles (PDL) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (April and October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Bouquet (BOU) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (May and October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Roses (ROS) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (May and October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Diamond Sparkle (DMSP) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (June and October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Jellyfish (JLYF) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (July and October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Star Runes (STR) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (August and October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Sun Runes (SNR) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (August and October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Apple Picking (APL) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (September and October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Bats (BTS) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Cobweb (WEB) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Ghosts (GHO) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Pumpkins (PMK) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Skulls (SKU) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Spiders (SPI) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Will-O-Wisp (WSP) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Phantom Autumn (ATMN) |
No |
No |
Purchase only (November and October) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 1 (each of the ices is abbreviated as its number) |
No |
Yes, special event only |
Purchase only (December) |
Open, but restricted from public sales |
Fantasy |
| Ice 2 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 3 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 4 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 5 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
Open, but restricted from public sales |
Fantasy |
| Ice 6 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 7 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 8 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
Open, but restricted from public sales |
Fantasy |
| Ice 9 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 10 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 11 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 12 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 13 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 14 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 15 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 16 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 17 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 18 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 19 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |
| Ice 20 |
No |
No |
Purchase only (December) |
License only |
Fantasy |