LWO/Frame Overo
Frame Overo is a highly desirable white pattern gene, all frame overo horses alive, carry a single inherited copy of the Frame overo gene, this causes pigment loss hence white markings on certain areas of the horse making them visually highly desirable specimens. However, this gene is also linked to a fatal condition known as Lethal White Overo syndrome whereby a foal is born almost pure white in appearance, and dies within it's first few days of life. Correct breeding can avoid this occurrence.
Lethal White Overo syndrome occurs when a horse inherits two copies of the Frame Overo gene, one from both parents. Whereas (mentioned above) horses with just one copy of the gene will live normally and exhibit the desirable pattern, a horse with two copies will suffer intestinal abnormalities, and die within the first 72 hours of living after its first meals are not properly digested.
Frame Overo horses which carry just a single copy of the gene, will pass one copy of it to their foals approximately 50% of the time when bred. Therefore when breeding an Overo horse to a solid non-overo horse, the foal can only inherit one copy. However, if two Overo horses are bred together they could potentially BOTH pass the Overo gene to the foal, meaning it inherits two copies. Horses which inherit two copies of Frame Overo will suffer the Lethal White condition. Therefore, proper mating must be carried out to ensure that two Frame Overo horses do not breed, cutting out the risk of the foal inheriting 2 copies of the gene.
nO - Overo positive horse with desirable 'frame' markings. Courtesy of Spanish Mustangs
Homozygous Overo foal, born in Lethal White condition.
Results designations
OO: Homozygous Overo: A Lethal White foal which carries two copies of the Frame Overo gene would test as Homozygous for Frame Overo. No living Frame Overo horse more than a week old will test as being Homozygous, it applies only to horses in the Lethal White condition.
nO: Heterozygous: Horse carries just a single copy of Frame Overo, therefore exhibits the desirable Frame Overo markings. Since Frame Overo is a dominant gene, the coat pattern should be present (depending on the absence of other modifying genes) Can pass the gene to foals.
nn: Negative: Non-Overo or 'solid' horse.
Pricing: £20.00 per test (inclusive of tax, certification included free of charge)
Turnaround time: 7 business days.
Results: Phoned, faxed or e-mailed. Testing certificate dispatched after conclusion of test.
