Tested Pony: Misty's Red Dawn

Today's featured pony may look like a relatively plain chestnut with a bit of white, but her genetics are much more interesting! This is Misty's Red Dawn, a great great great granddaughter of Misty. Her dam is Misty family from the Misty II line. Her sire Tuffer Than Leather also sired Baybe who lived on Assateague. Dawn is representing the Chincoteague Pony at Kentucky Horse Park’s breeds barn this year. Go see her perform if you can!

Dawn tested as SW1/n which means she has one copy of splashed white 1. It's common for ponies with only one copy to not visually be a pinto. SW1 is the same pinto pattern that Surfer Dude and Surfer's Riptide appear to have, although untested. I wasn't too surprised she had it with the way her blaze is crooked. Funky looking white markings are often a subtle indicator. Ponies that appear to be splashed white are found on both sides of her dam's family. Dawn has brown eyes, but her dam has a blue eye and a half brother has two. Those types of blue eyes are a common characteristic of splashed white. Dawn's sire doesn't appear to have splashed white, just based on looks and offspring.

She's e/e because all chestnuts are. Dawn's a great example of chestnut being recessive. Her sire is a brown tobiano and her dam is a black tobiano.

Dawn tested as A/a which means she carries agouti. Agouti tells black on a pony to be restricted to the points, aka a bay. But since she doesn't have any black then agouti doesn't have anything to do. Her having it does mean she could have a bay foal, if the sire provides the black pigment.

Interestingly Dawn had some primitive markings as a foal. But as an adult she doesn't and she also tested as not having any, nd2/nd2. She's my usual go to example of foal coat only primitive markings.