Lately I’ve been updating the images in the colors section and giving the section a bit of an overhaul. It’s a big job but quite the lovely one.
Modifiers
There are a variety of color modifying genes which can affect base colors as well as each other. They can be further affected by dilutions and white patterns. Today I want to share a little about the bay modifier and the colors that it displays.
Bay Modifier
Bay horses have a black base coat that is affected by the Agouti gene which restricts black hairs to points and top line. Bay is one of the most common horse colors and found among most breeds.
Bay Shades
Bay shades vary largely and are named different things in different places. However there are 5 different category of bay colors including; dark or mahogany bay with a deep red-brown coat; blood bay with a blood-red almost purple coat; copper bay with a bright orange-red coat; standard bay with a deep red coat and light or golden bay with a light red to golden yellow coat.
Bay horses always have a black mane and tail and can have black (or white) leg markings.
Wildtype Bay
Wildtypes are true bays with a deep red coat color, black mane and tail and their only markings are black socks that extend up to the fetlock. This is often associated with animals who carry the pangare gene.
Learn More About Color
Be sure to visit the new and improved color section for more information about bay horses and stay tuned, next week we’ll take a look at the seal bay or brown modifier.