Click here and select Tobiano game to try out gene combinations!
In Tobiano you can breed your horses to improve your lines and earn money. To breed you need a mare and a stallion. Both horses need to have been cared for and vaccinated. Go to Stables > Breeding and select the horses you want to breed. The inbreeding percentage can be seen at the bottom of the screen. If the horses are too closely related the breeding will not take. Breeding costs 1 energy.
Pregnancy
If covering is successful, the mare will be pregnant for 11 months, or 7 real-life days. In the last third of pregnancy the foal will start to grow rapidly and the mare will show a big belly. Her nutrition needs will also increase, particularly protein which is needed to build foals! In Tobiano, pregnancy does not progress if you do not care for your horse. On day 7 when you care for your mare, a tiny foal will appear <3.
Genetics
In Tobiano horses have genes that control their temperament, colors, conformation and performance. Some color genes will be evident just from looking at the horse, but others have to be tested for at the vet clinic. Your horse will then display a string of characters like this: EEaAggCczzddttsspprrFfLl. Here is an overview of color genes in the game:
Color genes
Extension – (EE, Ee) controls whether or not the horse can have black pigments in the coat. Horses with the extension gene can black or bay base coat. Horses that do not have a copy of the extension gene (ee) will be chestnut base.
The picture shows a black horse
Agouti – (AA, Aa) controls whether if the horse shows the agouti pattern. This gene gives the hairs black bands (given that the horse can produce black pigment, see Extension). The black bands intensify around the mane, legs, eartips and back of the horse giving a bay coloration. Horses without agouti (aa) show up as black if paired with active extension, or chestnut if there is no extension gene.
The picture shows a darker dappled bay
Grey – (GG, Gg) A foal with at least one copy of the grey gene can be born with any base coat and the hairs gradually turn white over time. Some horses develop dapples and some get the “fleabitten” look. The final color usually sets in around 13 years
The picture shows grey on a bay base
Single Cream (Cc) – a horse with one copy of the cream gene is born with a lighter coat. The base of chestnut gives palomino, bay gives buckskin, and black gives smoky black. Horses without cream show a normal base coat.
The picture shows a palomino
Double cream (CC) – a horse with two copies of the cream gene is born with a very light coat. The base of chestnut gives cremello, bay gives perlino, and black gives smoky black
The picture shows a perlino
Silver (ZZ, Zz) – the silver gene gives a light mane and tail, and sometimes dapples in the coat. However, the gene only affects black pigments and therefore does not show up on a chestnut horse. Some chestnuts have light manes but this is not due to the silver gene.
The picture shows a black horse with the silver gene
Dun – (DD, Dd) horses with the dun gene are born with a lighter body coat and a primitive markings. These include a characteristic dorsal stripe, zebra stripes, and two-tone mane and tail. (Note, irl dun is more complex but here it has been simplified)
The picture shows a dun with a bay base
Tobiano – (TT, Tt) tobiano is a white spotting pattern that gives varying degrees of white in the coat. Characteristics of tobiano are that the spots appear in large splotches with relatively clean-cut edges. There is usually at least a spot on each flank, the front of the chest, and either side of the face.
The picture shows a tobiano pattern on a chestnut base
Sabino – (SS, Ss) sabino gives a light face and legs, with ragged spots of white and sometimes roaning across the body. Like tobiano, sabino can occur in more or less “coverage”. Two copies of the gene give max sabino, a very light phenotype. (Note, irl sabino and tobiano are more interlinked, in this game they act as totally different genes)
The picture shows Sabino on a bay base
Leopard – (PP, Pp) leopard gives a phenotype with small spots and some roaning. The skin around the eyes and muzzle appear spotted also. (Note: irl leopard is just one pattern among many in the appaloosa breed. The genetics are more complex but in Tobiano it’s a bit more simplified. The letter P is used because L was taken)
The picture shows a leopard pattern on a bay base
Roan – (RR, Rr) this gene gives the horse white hairs mixed in with the main coat, concentrated mainly on the body. The white hairs can be sparse or very dense, giving an almost white look but with mormal colored face and legs.
The picture shows roan on a chestnut base
Face and legs (FF, Ff, LL, Ll) whether or not the horse has white markings on the face and legs is determined by these genes. The number of active genes does not affect how much white is shown (note: irl we are unsure how much leg and facial markings are affected by genes)
The picture shows a chestnut with four stockings and a blaze
