Equine Coat Color Encyclopedia

A dark bay horse has reddish or brown highlights on its muzzle, flank, or eyes, and its body is technically a very deep brown, whereas a true black horse is completely black without any brown highlights (except for sun-bleaching).

Yes. If both bay parents carry the recessive red allele (Ee) and the Agouti allele, they have a 25% chance of passing on 'ee', which results in a chestnut coat.

This is known as sun-bleaching. UV rays break down the melanin pigments in the hair, causing it to take on a rusty, brown tint. Providing a UV-sheet or shade can prevent this.

No, most black foals are born a mousy gray or dun-like color. They shed out their foal coat to reveal their true, coal-black adult coat.

No. Since chestnut is homozygous recessive (ee), two chestnuts can only pass on the 'e' allele. Therefore, breeding two chestnuts together will yield a chestnut foal 100% of the time.

A flaxen chestnut has a typical reddish-brown body but a light golden or blonde mane and tail. This is caused by a genetic modifier that acts on the red pigment in the hair.

Yes. True white horses are born white and have pink skin. Gray horses are born dark (black, bay, etc.) and progressively turn white over several years, but always retain dark charcoal-colored skin.

Over 75% of gray horses over the age of 15 develop dermal melanomas. This is directly linked to the rapid pigment-producing metabolic pathways that occur during the progressive graying of the hair follicles.

Yes, but it is not guaranteed. Breeding two Palominos (ee nCr) has only a 50% chance of yielding a Palomino, a 25% chance of a chestnut (ee nn), and a 25% chance of a double-dilute Cremello (ee CrCr).

Breeding a chestnut (ee nn) to a double-dilute Cremello (ee CrCr) will result in a Palomino foal 100% of the time, as the foal must inherit one cream allele and one non-cream allele.

No. Buckskins are diluted by the Cream gene and do not have primitive markings. Duns are diluted by the Dun gene and always have a dark dorsal stripe, leg bars, and shoulder shadows.

Yes. If a buckskin has the genotype Ee Aa nCr, it carries the red 'e' gene, which means it can produce chestnut or palomino foals if bred to the right partner.

Classic Dun (on a bay base, often called Bay Dun), Red Dun (on a chestnut base, reddish stripes), and Grulla (on a black base, slate gray body with dark gray/black stripes).

Yes. The dorsal stripe is the absolute hallmark of the Dun gene. If a horse has no dorsal stripe, it is likely a buckskin or palomino, not a true dun.

Unlike grays, roan horses are born roan and do not get lighter as they grow older. However, their coats can change seasonal shade, often looking lighter in the winter.

When a roan horse gets a scratch or cut, the hair grows back in the solid base color rather than white, leaving a dark mark known as a 'corn mark'.

No. There is no such thing as a true albino horse. Cremellos have blue eyes and cream hair, and their genetics are fully mapped. They are simply double-dilute chestnuts.

Yes. Because they have pink skin with very little protective melanin, they are highly susceptible to sunburn on their muzzles, eyelids, and white patches.

A Cremello has an evenly cream-colored mane and tail, whereas a Perlino has noticeably darker, light-orange or rusty-brown points on its mane, tail, and legs.

Yes. Since a Perlino has two copies of the Cream gene (CrCr), it will always pass on at least one copy of Cream to every single offspring, ensuring a dilute foal.

No. Pinto refers to any horse with spotted white patches regardless of breed. Paint is a specific breed registered with the American Paint Horse Association (APHA), limited to horses with Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred bloodlines.

Breeding two Frame Overo (O) horses carries a 25% risk of producing an all-white foal that lacks a functioning digestive tract (Lethal White Foal Syndrome). These foals cannot survive.

Horses that are homozygous for the Lp gene (LpLp) suffer from Congenital Stationary Night Blindness (CSNB), which means they cannot see in low-light or dark settings from birth.

Varnish roan Appaloosas are born dark and slowly develop white spots and a lighter coat as they age, leaving dark areas only over bony prominences like the knees and hips.