Horse Basics Category

Base Horse Coat Colors – Black

Although there aren’t different shades of black, there are three types – fading, non-fading and seasonal.

Modifiers and Dilutions on Black Coats

Black based animals are not affected by most of the coat modifiers, however a few of the dilution genes have a fairly drastic affect on black hairs. Creating some of the more spectacular and rarer colors in the horse world.

White Patterns on Black Coats

White patterns can be found across any coat color, but black bases makes for some of the most spectacular contrasting white patterns.

Horse Colors Pt. 5 – The Rare Colors

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 Pt. 3 – 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.

Name Your Horse Markings Pt. 2 – The Legs

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.

Name Your Horse Markings Pt. 1 – The Face

Horse face markings are as varied as the animals who wear them. Each horse marking is wholly unique to them, but most fall under several broad categories.