Horse Basics Category

Define Your Horse’s Leg Markings

Almost all horses have leg markings of some sort, from a tiny spot of white to whole white legs. Here are the general definitions of each marking, which are a bit more definitive than markings on the face because they are based on leg anatomy.

Coronet

Horse Colors – Unexplained Markings and Patterns

Unexplained Markings and Patterns

While some of the rarer markings are the result of various white patterns (especially pinto), there are also plenty of unexplained markings and patterns. Some of which have had geneticists scratching their heads for years.

Horse Color White Patterns – Roan

Roan Shades

Roaning can affect any base color and creates a huge rainbow of amazing colors that range in variety from pink to blue. A foal may be born their base color and show the pattern upon first shedding, but the pattern remains consistent from year to year.

Horse Color Dilutes – Champagne Gene

Champagne Characteristics

There are a few characteristics exclusive to animals affected by champagne, which makes it one of the dilutions that can be visually identified with a reasonable degree of accuracy. It is one of the few dilution genes that affect the skin as well, making it a dusty pink color. They can also have faint dorsal stripes, but dark like a true dun. Otherwise the champagne coat is very uniform in color, with no obvious counter shading.

Metallic Sheen

Freckles

Light Eyes

Champagne Shades

The champagne gene affects the bases, along with some of the modifiers and dilutions to varying degrees. Any animal affected by the gene can carry a metallic sheen and reverse dappling in their coat.

Learn More About the Champagne Dilution

Be sure to check out a guest post with a more complex look at the champagne gene: Equine Champagne Gene

Horse Color White Patterns – Paint and Pinto

Types of Pinto

Pinto white patterns have an affect on any base, modifier or dilution and come in perhaps the widest variety of colors & patterns.

Horse Color Dilutes – Silver Gene

Silver Basics

Although it only affects dark pigments, silver is rather dramatic and it gives simple black a little sparkle. While it does have an effect on bays, it creates the most notable change on black and brown animals, changing their coloring entirely.

Black Base

Bay Base

Brown Base

Silver Modified and Diluted

Silver can pair nicely with several of the modifiers and dilutions, adding its glamour to some of the decidedly less glamorous colors.

Mealy Modifier

Dun Dilution

White on Silver

While not the rarest, silver animals are not extremely common in the equine world. The spotted versions of them are even rarer, but absolutely stunning in their variety. Silver white patterns aren’t always obvious and may be mistaken for other colors, but they can be absolutely fabulous.

Pinto

Appaloosa

Horse Color White Patterns – Appaloosa

Appaloosa Characteristics

While the patterns vary widely from animal to animal, there are a few characteristics that remain constant across all animals affected by this white pattern.

Appaloosa Patterns

There are an immeasurable number of patterns in the appaloosa spectrum and they can be mixed and matched.

Horse Color White Patterns – Grey

Grey Shades

Every grey horse will go through a variety of striking stages during the greying out process, which also varies by horse, breed, base color and local conditions. Not all animals will show dappling, technically called progressive depigmentation, but it certainly makes for flashy seasonal changes. The different stages of an aging grey animal are loosely categorized below for visual reference.

Rare Grey Markings

There are a couple of rare markings that are specific to grey animals, how they are associated genetically is unclear.

Chubari Marks

Blood Marks

Horse Color Bases – Bay

Bay Shades

There is a wide variety of bay colors which vary a great deal by animal and breed. For the most part, they fall under the generalized categories below, which will have some crossover and regional variation.

Modifiers on Bay Coats

The bay modifier can also work with other modifiers, adding to the rainbow of equine colors.

Pangare Modifier

Sooty Modifier on Bay

Sooty Modifier on Buckskin

Dilutions on Bay Coats

In addition to other modifiers, bays can also be affected by dilution genes. Creating some of the most beloved equine coloring, including palomino, buckskin and dun.

Single Cream Dilution

Double Cream Dilution

Dun Dilution

Silver Dilution

Champagne Dilution

White Patterns on Bay Coats

Bay animals can be affected by all white patterns and the bay coloring actually creates incredibly colorful spotted animals (think tri-colored pintos).

Grey White Pattern

Appaloosa White Pattern

Pinto White Pattern

Roan White Pattern

Rabicano White Pattern

Horse Color Dilutes – Dun Gene

Dun Characteristics

The dun dilution causes primitive markings on the animal which occur in a wide variety of combinations that vary between breeds, base colors and animals. While they have a variety of marking types, duns generally do not have normal dappling, but they can have reverse dappling. Below are examples of some of the more common primitive markings.

Base Duns

Unlike some of the other dilutions that only affect either red or black hairs, dun has a rather dramatic affect on all of the base colors. Creating a range of lovely shades that make duns a favorite for the color lovers out there.

Dun Modified and Diluted

Several of the coat modifiers and dilutions can be combined with dun to broaden the spectrum of dun coloring. From cream to silver, dun gives everything its own bit of primitive flavor.

White on Dun

Any dun animal that carries the genetics for white patterns can display them and some of them can mask dun characteristics depending where their patterns are located. Regardless, they create beautiful spotted patterns of all types.

Horse Color Dilutes – Cream Gene

Single Dilute Cream Shades

A single cream gene can have a rather dramatic affect on chestnut, bay and brown coats, creating some of the most sought after and beloved colors. Note that only in chestnut horses is the mane and tail hair affected by a single dose.

Chestnut Base

Bay Base

Brown Base

Double Dilute Cream Shades

A double dose of the cream gene affects colors much more dramatically and can even make black animals almost pure white. Double cream dilutions are the horse color most often mistaken for albinos (which doesn’t really exist in horses). Obviously it is difficult to visually differentiate between the four bases once the dilution has removed so much pigment.

White Patterns

The various white patterns can be displayed on cream breeds that carry them, on both single and double dilutions. This creates some incredibly beautiful creamy spotting.

Roan

Pinto

Appaloosa

Base Horse Coat Colors – Chestnut

Chestnut Shades

There is a rainbow of reds in the chestnut family, but they all fall under one of four categories. Luckily the chestnut colors are slightly different genetically, which provides us a rather tidy way to reference them. Traditionally how chestnut colored horses are categorized can vary between countries and breeds, regardless of their genetics.

Liver

Red

Standard

Sandy

Modifiers on Chestnut Coats

Horse coat modifiers have affect the base color and a chestnut base is affected by a wider variety of modifiers than a black base, with some spectacular results.

Mealy or Pangare Modifier

Sooty or Smutty Modifier

Flaxen Modifier

Dilutions on Chestnut Coats

Chestnut animals are affected by most of the known coat dilution genes, creating a huge variety of lovely chestnut based shades.

Single Cream Modifier

Double Cream Modifier

Dun Dilution

Champagne Dilution

White Patterns on Chestnut Coats

The lovely white patterns can be found across any coat color that carries the genetics for them. Chestnut bases makes for some gorgeous patterns in all of them.

Grey White Pattern

Appaloosa White Pattern

Pinto White Pattern

Roan white pattern

Rabicano White Pattern