Sensitive Redheads: Can Equine Genetic Testing Offer Insider Information?

Are the assumptions around a horse’s coat color and his behavior based in fact? Maybe! Genetics – including those that affect coat color - can influence behavior in horses, reports The Horse.

While most coat color stereotypes are not evidence-based, there are some correlations that can be drawn from anecdotal evidence. The idea that chestnut horses are flightier than horses with other coat colors may be related to the biomechanical pathways associated with both pigmentation and pain sensation. Scientific studies in other species have shown that people and animals who have the MC1R gene, which causes red hair, feel pain more intensely and also receive less pain relief from medication. Chestnut horses could be reacting to pain they feel more intensely.

The behaviors may also be related to coat-color-related genetic disorders that are uncomfortable, like grey horses which suffer from melanomas or Appaloosas experiencing uveitis.

Genetic testing may be a valuable tool to help determine which horses may be more reactive and can assist in the planning of management strategies to mitigate unwanted behaviors. The testing could offer insight to answer questions like who should train the horse, what type of training should be done, and the training duration. While not a guarantee, genetic testing could offer additional insight to set the horse up for success.

Read more at The Horse.