Modifiers
Color Modifiers
Modifiers alter the appearance of the base coat but do not dilute it.
Flaxen (F)
Flaxen is a recessive modifier that lightens the mane and tail of chestnut horses. Depending on expression, flaxen can range from a slightly lighter mane and tail to a nearly white mane and tail.
Inheritance
| Genotype | Result |
|---|---|
| F/F | Flaxen |
| F/f | Carrier |
| f/f | Non-Flaxen |
Because flaxen is recessive, a horse must inherit a flaxen allele from both parents in order to visually express it.
Expression
Flaxen only affects chestnut horses. Bay and black horses may carry flaxen but will not visually express it.
Flaxen Chestnut Flaxen Liver Chestnut Flaxen Red Chestnut
Silver (Z)
Silver is a dominant modifier that affects black pigment. It lightens the mane and tail while having no effect on red pigment.
Inheritance
| Genotype | Result |
|---|---|
| Z/Z | Silver |
| Z/z | Silver |
| z/z | Non-Silver |
Only one copy of silver is required for expression.
Expression
Chestnut horses may carry silver but will not visually express it because they do not produce black pigment.
Silver Bay Silver Black
Sooty
Sooty adds dark hairs throughout the coat and can darken the topline, shoulders, and body.
Examples:
- Palomino → Sooty Palomino
- Buckskin → Sooty Buckskin
- Bay → Dark Bay
In EquestriCraft, sooty is treated as a modifier and can appear with most coat colours.
Progressive Modifiers
These genes affect how a horse changes over time.
Gray (G)
Gray causes a horse to gradually lose pigment as it ages.
A gray horse is born its original colour and slowly lightens over time.
Examples:
- Bay → Gray
- Black → Gray
- Chestnut → Gray
- Palomino → Gray
A gray horse still genetically remains its original colour underneath the graying process.
In EquestriCraft
Gray progresses through multiple visual stages:
- Foal Coat
- Early Gray
- Dapple Gray
- Advanced Gray
- Fleabitten/White Gray
The exact progression may vary from horse to horse.