HGG Community Forums

You have to have contrast for DFP1 to show. You need a clear difference in color between the body and the legs for anything to show up. It is not ND1 but how heavily diluted this horse is causing the issue.

DFP1/2 can show up with nD1, but it mostly washes it out because of the counter shading on the top of the horses back. Most examples in search you can barely tell it's there. DFP horses need at least 1 copy of Dun, so with nD1 you run the risk of your foal inheriting genes that cause it not to express.

In your horses case, you have nD1, Cream, and Silver working against you.

So this is what I have learned about DFP1/2 (through expensive trial and error). DFP prefers solid dun colors like Bay Dun, Red Dun, and Grulla. It doesn't like other dilution genes such as Cream, Champagne, Silver, and Pearl. The idea being that is since it dilutes pigment, there is less pigment there to be modified. But some times you'll get lucky and get a loud Buckskin Dun or a really loud but light Bay Dun. In general, DFP1 expresses really softly in game. The more expressive ones appear to be outliers rather than the norm. But you can always refresh their images.

Sooty + will mask DFP1, but P+ will not. Sooty + moves pigment around to give the appearence of faded out dapples. So DFP1 gets distorted.

Roan and LP will also mask over DFP1, but LP does it at a slower rate. Which is why I've bred so many Evergreens into my lines. Since Evergreens are HOM for Recessive Varnish, and wont varnish out as loudly or as quickly as the standard appy in game.

Having HOM Sooty and DP genes is a plus, and will change the expression of DFP1/2, but this doesn't really apply to Grullas (black duns). The best expressions I've found in my program are on Liver Duns and Bay Duns.

So I've been getting rid of Sooty+, Roan, Silver, Champagne, and Cream/Pearl from my lines. Cost me a small fortune in real cash, so learn a lesson from me and save your pennies.

Very helpful information @CheshireFarms! I always wondered why some of my DFP1 was not showing!