Preface

    I stood up to ask a question at Dr. Cecilia Pinedo's lecture on Dunn Horse Color at UC Davis Horse Day Symposium in 2001. I asked whether there are any known genetic markers for the popular color combination called "liver/flaxen" in the Morgan breed.  Professor  Pinedo answered that if I can identify a population of registered Morgans who are this color,  my question might be answered.  Thus was born this project!  Many "thank you's" are due to the Morgan owners who eagerly supplied us with the photos and supporting data we needed for all the horses used in this study, as well as those horses submitted, but not used for various reasons. This study could not have been done without the information highway (internet) which is now available to most of the Morgan owners who participated. Much appreciation also has to be acknowledged to all the UC Davis staff who squeezed the needs of this study into their already over-worked schedules.  Last but not least, THANK YOU to my husband (Stanley Sokolow) who helped me "push the buttons" on my computer in order to  expedite this study's  methods and procedures described below.

The Project

    The goal of the project is to discover the way that aspects of horse color in Morgan chestnut horses are inherited.   To provide objective data, we are accumulating photos of registered Morgans with chestnut body color, both with and without the flaxen trait in their manes or tails.    Since the DNA for all Morgans registered since the 1980's is stored at the University of California in Davis, the photos and DNA can be used together to research this matter.   To obtain the photos, we have been obtaining the cooperation of Morgan owners, who have sent us photos and who are now adding descriptive information about these horses.   If you wish to participate, contact sonya@thesokolows.com .

    The photos of horses in the study are being collected in albums on the web service called Flickr located at www.flickr.com.   They are available for viewing only by invitation.   If you would like to participate and view the horses, or add your own horses to the project, contact sonya@thesokolows.com .   Instructions and frequently-asked questions (FAQ) are on the links below.