If you’re embarking on the journey of breeding horses, understanding color theory is paramount to achieving desired outcomes. This guide will demystify the concepts, focusing on how color values and tiers influence the potential offspring. For a visual aid, refer to the chart available at https://imgur.com/a/DaeiQ.
When referencing horses from the chart, we will use the format T[Tier]-[Letter]. For instance, the horse designated as ‘E’ in Tier 4, often called “the Hulk,” would be noted as T4-E. Each horse possesses three distinct colors, each with an assigned value, where lower tiers generally correspond to lower values. A “purebred” horse, in this context, is defined as a horse with a value greater than 1 in only one of its color categories. Several horses exemplify this, including T1-A, T4-B, T4-I, T5-J, T5-K, T5-L, T6-A, T7-A, T7-B, T7-C, T8-C, and T8-E.
Combining Color Values for Breeding
The core of breeding strategy lies in combining the color values of two parent horses. These combined values offer insight into the potential colors and their strengths in the resulting foal, especially after the parent horses have reached their appropriate levels.
Let’s consider an example using two horses from Tier 5: T5-C and T5-D. T5-C has a Red value of 4, a White value of 1, and a Black value of 1. T5-D has a Red value of 3, a White value of 0, and a Black value of 2. When these values are combined, we get a total Red value of 7, a White value of 1, and a Black value of 3. This can be concisely represented as 7/1/3.
Foal Color Determination
During the foaling process, a color channel is randomly selected: Red, White, or Black. Subsequently, a number is chosen between 1 and the maximum combined value for that selected channel. In our example (7/1/3), this means the foal could inherit a number between 1 and 7 if Red is chosen, a value of 1 if White is chosen, or a number between 1 and 3 if Black is chosen.
Matching Desired Horse Values
A crucial rule in horse breeding is that the resulting foal’s color value must match or exceed at least one of the parent horses’ color channel values. Therefore, the expected outcomes from breeding T5-C and T5-D are:
- If Red is chosen: Any horse with a Red value between 1 and 7.
- If White is chosen: Any horse with a White value of 1.
- If Black is chosen: Any horse with a Black value between 1 and 3.
It’s important to remember that only one color channel is selected per roll. This selective process opens up a wide array of potential horses. Crucially, the dominant color of the parents does not dictate the dominant color of the foal; as long as one of the three color values is matched, a successful outcome is possible.
The Advantage of Purebred Horses
Purebred horses are highly valued due to their color value configuration. Consider a purebred White horse: at Tier 4, its values are 0/4/0; at Tier 5, 0/5/0; at Tier 7, 0/7/0; and at Tier 8, 0/8/0. Notice that the value directly corresponds to the tier number, and the other two color channels remain at 0.
The significant benefit of these “0” values is that they effectively cause that color channel to be skipped during the foaling roll. This directs the selection process to the color channel that has a value greater than 1, thereby increasing the probability of acquiring the next purebred horse in the sequence. For instance, aiming for a Tier 7 White purebred horse would be more achievable by breeding two Tier 5 White purebred horses. However, it’s still possible to foal a horse with a White value of 1 that might be dominant in another color, such as T5-H.
Mastering these color theory principles can significantly enhance your success in horse breeding endeavors. Good luck!
