The Genetics Of White Horses

The white horse has been an icon for dignity, purity and good guys across various human cultures all over the world but only now has an international team been able to identify the mutation that causes this fascinating trait. Their analysis shows that white horses carry an identical mutation that can be traced back to a common ancestor that lived thousands of years ago. The study is interesting for medical research since this mutation also enhance the risk for melanoma. The great majority of white horses carry the dominant mutation 'Greying with age.' A Grey horse is born colored (black, brown or chestnut) but the greying process starts already during its first year and they are normally completely white by six to eight years of age, though the skin remains pigmented. Thus, the process resembles greying in humans but the process is ultrafast in these horses. The research presented now demonstrates that all Grey horses carry exactly the same mutation which must have been inherited from a common ancestor that lived thousands of years ago. Read More...

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