Silver

Silver results in the decreased storage of the black pigment “eumelanin” in hair, so that horses with black and bay base colors will show a dilution. Horses with a Chestnut base color may be carriers for the Silver mutation but do not develop the diluted coat color themselves. Horses with only one copy of the variant (n/Z) will show the same phenotype as horses with two copies of the variant (Z/Z). However, an eye problem associated with Silver in some breeds is incomplete autosomal dominant: horses with two copies arebe at higher risk of developing “Multiple Congenital Ocular Abnormalities (MCOA)”.