What is Homozygous?
Homozygous is the term used for a horse that is guaranteed by genetic means to produce a certain color or marking. For example a black homozygous Tobiano horse is guaranteed to produce Tobiano marked foals even if bred to a solid horse not carrying paint, but it would not be guaranteed to throw black. If a horse is homozygous for a color such as black then it is guaranteed to throw black offspring even when bred to red horses. In a way the double creme horses such as cremello, perlino, and smokey black are homozygous. Because they have two creme genes all their offspring are guaranteed to inherit one cream gene and be either palomino, or buckskin depending on the other genes involved. Thus the value of a double cream horse in breeding for those colors is invaluable.
