Merikle Waters Paints & Quarters

We have provided some helpful links for those

 of you who want to learn about frame overo

 (lethal white overo LWO)

Millenium Miracle & Tristans Millenium both carry

 frame overo (LWO), which is also largely

responsible for their beautiful coat

patterns. 

If they were crossed with another

 carrier of the frame overo  gene, there would

be a 25% chance they would produce a lethal

white foal (which unfortunately always results in

euthanasia).

With Millenium Miracles color rate, as well as his

 large amount of frame patterned progeny, if

you were to choose to cross a frame overo

mare, your odds of getting a lethal white is more

 like a 75% risk.

 We do not reccomend you take the risk with 

any AQHA, APHA or JC mare, solid or otherwise.

Testing to be sure of your mares frame overo

 status is cheap easy insurance.

It is important to know that this is NOT a disease

 or defect.

It is a color gene that produces

 color when in heterozgous form (one copy).

Only if Sire and Dam both have the gene, and

 BOTH pass on the gene does it result in a

 Lethal White Foal. Due to frame overo having

 varying pattern expressions, a "solid", a visually

tobiano horse or a 'tovero' can carry frame as

 well. We reccomend testing on all quarter horse

 mares, breeding stock paints along with regular

 registry mares. The frame pattern is also in

 thoroughbred lineage, and while less common

 can be a risk as well.

We feel that it is an individual choice and want to

 provide you with the best information available.

 Please visit the following links and if you have

 further questions or concerns, contact us

 anytime!

Frame overo hides well within the tobiano

pattern, often going unnoticed even after

 registration with APHA. It is good to keep in

 mind how many horses are registered as the

 wrong pattern. This leaves potential for

"tobiano" horses, despite a pedigree full of

tobiano horses, the potential of carrying frame

 overo as well.

• http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ceh/HR20-3lethal.html

• http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/~lvmillon/overo.htm

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• http://www.doubledilute.com/lethalwhite.html

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• http://www.apha.com/breed/lethalwhites02.html 

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• Test your mare!

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• Animal Genetics

Examples of frame overo at work.

Some with the combination of other genes.