McCalls Horse World

[Pam]

We have a loud overo 3 yr. old stallion that has two blue eyes. Is there
any documentation that breeding a mare even with just one blue eye
will increase the possiblity of have a lethal white? Or is it mandatory to
have the genetic testing done to positively know? We have only began
breeding paints the past couple of years, so we have lots to learn about lethal white.

[lynda]

Lethal white is most likely related to the frame gene. One lethal white gene is not lethal. The horse has to have 2 lethal white genes.

There is a test to see if a horse is a carrier of the lethal white gene. If you bred 2 horses each with a lethal white gene together, you have a 25% chance of producing a foal with 2 lethal white goal = which would be dead or dying.

As I understand it, the blue eye is associated with all paint genes both tobiano and overo. I do not know of any evidence where it is highly correlated with the frame gene. So I don't think it is a good indicator of a carrier of the lethal white.

Perhaps someone with more information will contribute to this question and I will keep an eye (no pun intented) out for more information.