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Not sure if this will be very helpful but I love the way Sooty+ interacts with DP.


This is one of my 2nd Gen studs that’s Hz DP and het S+, that way even Homozygous DP carriers aren’t just black when they have more than one Sooty gene.

Cherry Drop Rank Specials are also Wild Bay, which is what combines with DP to show that bright red. Other bays and browns can carry DP and it will affect their color, but it takes an experienced eye to see it, which mine is not.

Here is a son of one of my Cherry Drop stallions who is heterozygous for Ssty and DP. He looks dark enough to be homozygous Ssty because of the DP.


Rodolphus

DP is a darkening gene. Only chestnuts and palominos receive the "liver" or "chocolate" names when a certain level of darkening genes are present. In order for a chestnut or a palomino to receive the "liver" or "chocolate" in their name, they must have 3 of the darkening genes in any combination. Darkening genes include Sooty - Sty, Sooty+ - S+, and DP. I believe the only horses that physically cannot show DP is black horses, since DP affects the red pigment, and black horses obviously lack any red. All of the other colors - chestnut, palomino, dun, red dun, bay, brown, etc., can exhibit DP. I'd say detection is depending on a horse's particular combination of darkening genes. A homozygous DP horse will look similar/identical to a homozygous Sooty horse without any DP. A heterozygous DP and Sooty horse will also look the same as a homozygous DP or homozygous Sooty horse. The combinations are vast, and can often be tricky to spot, but colors other than "liver" and "chocolate" can show DP.

Bays and Browns can definitely be visible DP, it's just harder to pick. Especially with the het Ssty horses, I find it easier to see on the SstySsty horses as the bays and browns can't be that dark without DP, so I don't have to work it out so much LOL! The wild bays can be easier to see too as they go a bright red rather than darker