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She is heterozygous Dense Phenomelanin (DP) very pretty :)

Yes, DP is a hidden gene. It does not show up in the color /gene test. However, it does change the name of stysty palomino's into chocolate palomino's and of stysty chestnuts into liver chestnuts. That way you know for sure that your horse has DP!

DP is a darkening gene just like sty is. However, DP only affects red pigment (so you won't see it on black horses but you will see it on red based horses (ee) and on bays/browns as they have red pigment too).

DP is quite uncommon, so that's why the other sootys you have don't look like her.

Here is the genetics guide page with more info about it and some examples:
http://www.huntandjump.com/geneticsguide/?page_id=135

This is a topic about how DP works in general (with examples on chestnuts):
https://www.huntandjump.com/forum/discussion/comment/79172

I'd recommend reading this topic first, as it explains 'how' DP works, the other topics I'm about to post are about other colors but it is useful to understand the basics first.



Here are two topics specially about chocolate palomino's:
https://www.huntandjump.com/forum/discussion/comment/103755#Comment_103755
https://www.huntandjump.com/forum/discussion/comment/95604#Comment_95604

And this is a topic about DP on bays and browns:
https://www.huntandjump.com/forum/discussion/comment/102994#Comment_102994


This is another interesting topic about spotting DP (and seeing if a horse is homo or hetero DP):
https://www.huntandjump.com/forum/discussion/comment/96909#Comment_96909