Equine - Chapter 2 (Coat Colors)

Dun, Grey, Palomino, Pinto, Roan, Leopard, Champagne

Major Variations of Coat Color

Dun

a dilution gene that lightens both red and black hair on the horse‘s body but not the points.

Dun

dominant hair is some shade of yellow.

Dun

may vary from a pale yellow to a dirty canvas color with mane, tail, skin, and hoofs grading from white to black.

Dun

often considered a primitive color because of ancestral and wild breeds

Dun factors

Dun has with primitive markings called

Buckskin, Grulla/Grullo, Red Dun, Bay Dun, Brindle Dun

Main Color Variations of Dun

Yellow Dun

Buckskin

Buckskin/Yellow dun

occurs as a result of the cream dilution gene acting on a bay horse

Extension/E gene

Black Base Coat

Agouti/A gene

which restricts the black base coat to the points, and one copy of the cream gene, which lightens the red/brown color of the coat to a tan/gold; has a coat of pale gold with black mane, tail, legs and primitive markings with no dorsal stripe

Blue dun

GRULLA/GRULLO

Grulla/Grullo/Blue Dun

dun gene acting as a dilution gene over the black gene, since black is less common in general than bay or chestnut

Grulla/Grullo

They always have black points and primitive markings with dark/black face. They are a smooth greyish-blue like a mouse

Grulla/Grullo

Most are backlined and have zebra stripes on legs and withers. Considered the rarest dun color

Apricot, Peach, Claybank Dun

RED DUN other terms

Red Dun

A chestnut base coat with dun factors

Red Dun

Dun of reddish orange cast often with a red stripe down his back and a red mane and tail.

Zebra dun

BAY DUN

BAY DUN

most common shade of dun that comes from the dilution on a bay base.

BAY DUN

The coat ranges from a light creamy yellow to a deep redding gold and mane, tail, points and primitive markings are very dark, used when necessary to distinguish it from red duns or grullos.

BRINDLE DUN

just like a brindle coloring of a dog; different and unique body coloration with stripes appearing over the barrel of the body and most, if not all, the dun factor characteristics.

Ancient dun color

Brindle Duns show up in the Netherlands and they are referred to as

Brindle Dun

The peculiar body markings can appear in the form of tear drops or zebra stripes

Grey

causes progressive depigmentation of the hair, often resulting in a coat color that is almost completely white by the age of 6-8 years

Grey

can be born any color, then begin gradually to show white hairs mixed with the colored throughout the body.

Head, around eyes

Usually, the first signs of gray hair can be found on the

Grey

dominant; therefore a single copy of this gene will cause a horse to turn gray.

Grey

most so-called white horses are

Old grey

an albino, especially if it has light skin, hoofs, and one or more white eyes. with black skin particularly noticeable around the eyes, muzzle, flanks and other areas of thin or no hair but white or mixed dark and white hairs.

Gray gene

does not affect skin or eye color, so grays typically have dark skin and eyes, as opposed to the unpigmented pink skin of white horse

Steel Grey, Rose Grey, Dapple Grey, Flea bitten Grey

Major variations of Grey

Steel Gray

Iron Grey

STEEL GREY

early greying process on black base and is a sign of younger animal;

STEEL GREY

has white and dark hairs evenly intermixed over most of the body

STEEL GREY

can be mistaken for a grullo or a blue roan.

ROSE GREY

with reddish or pinkish tinge to its coat

ROSE GREY

• This occurs with a horse born bay or chestnut while the young horse is graying out.

DAPPLE GREY

dark-colored horse with lighter rings of graying hairs scattered throughout. Comes between the second and fifth year

FLEA-BITTEN GREY

as grey animals age & become more white, some will retain flecks of their base color throughout.

Fleabitten greys

are rarer than regular greys & their spots can change, or even pop up after the greying process is complete.

Palomino

created by a single allele of a dilution gene called the cream gene working on a "red" (chestnut) base coat.

Palomino

with golden body color, varying from bright copper color, to light yellow, with white mane and tail.

Black points

True Palominos have no

Palomino

often cited as being a color ―within three shades of a newly minted gold coin‖, ranges in shades from extremely light, almost cremello, to deep chocolate, but always with a white or flaxen mane and tail

Cremello, Perlino

Main Color Variations (a horse carrying two cream dilution genes):

CREMELLO

like a white, this horse has pink skin, with blue eyes, but a cream colored coat with a white mane and tail.

PERLINO

has pink skin, blue eyes, cream body with a red tint to the points.

Cremello and Perlino

are two coat color variations of crème (crème- like white horses, with pink skin with blue eyes but a cream colored coat with white mane and tail)

Pinto

spotted horse that has more than one color in or on his coat in large irregular patches or spots

White on upper legs or face

pretty good indication of pinto blood, as is any white spot above the knees and hocks or outside the rectangular area on the face outlined by the ears, eyes and nostrils

Pinto

often confused with Paint, which is a narrower term referring to a specific breed of mostly pinto horses with known Quarter Horse and/or Thoroughbred bloodlines.

Piebald, Skewbald, Tobiano, Overa, Sabino, Tovero

Main color variations of pinto

PIEBALD

a black and white spotting pattern (term more commonly used in the UK than the USA).

SKEWBALD

a spotting pattern of white and any other color than black, or a spotting pattern of white and two other colors which may include black (term more commonly used in the UK than the USA)

TOBIANO

Spotting pattern characterized by rounded markings with white legs and white crossing across the back between the withers and the dock of the tail, usually arranged in a roughly vertical pattern and more white than dark, with the head usually dark and with markings like that of a normal horse. i.e. star, snip, strip, or blaze

OVERO

group of spotting patterns genetically distinct from one another; used primarily by the American Paint Horse Association

overo

essentially means ―pinto, but not tobiano‖; characterized by sharp, irregular markings with a horizontal orientation,. In some cases, the face is usually white, often with blue eyes. The white rarely crosses the back, and the lower legs are normally dark.

SABINO

a slight spotting pattern characterized by high white on legs, belly spots, white markings on the face extending past the eyes and/or patches of roaning patterns standing alone or on the edges of white markings

TOVERO

spotting pattern that is a mix of tobiano and overo coloration, such as blue eyes on a dark head.

Roan

the coat carries white hairs intermingled with one or more base colors.

Roan

Many are born and die about the same color (unlike grey).

Light roan or dark roan

depends on the proportions of white hairs in comparison to the colored.

Roan

combinations of bay, chestnut, or black with white hairs intermingled.

Roan

generally not uniform and some patches on the body will be darker than others.

Roan

The head, legs mane and tail remain dark/ solid color.

Roan

have other unusual characteristics. If the skin is damaged by even a very minor scrape, cut or brand, the coat grows back in solid-colored without any white hairs.

Corn spots/Corn marks

can appear even without the horse having had a visible injury (Roan)

Red Roan, Bay Roan, Blue Roan

Main Color Variations of Roan

RED ROAN

chestnut base coat with roaning pattern with the mane and tail being more red compared to the body.

BAY ROAN

bay base coat with roaning pattern (the mane and tail is Black)

BLUE ROAN

black with roaning pattern, not to be confused with a gray or a blue dun/grullo

BLUE ROAN

has mixed-color hairs; a blue dun will usually be a solid color and have dun striping.

Leopard

caused by the leopard gene complex resulting to group of coat patterns.

Leopard

these patterns range from progressive increases in interspersed white hair similar to graying or roan to distinctive, Dalmatian-like leopard spots on a white coat.

Leopard

Secondary characteristics associated with the leopard complex include a white sclera around the eye, striped hooves and mottled skin.

Leopard complex genes

also linked to abnormalities in the eyes and vision

Knabstrupper, Noriker, Appaloosa

several breeds of horse can boast leopard-spotted (a term used collectively for all patterns) individuals including the

Blanket, Varnish, Snowflakes

Major Coat Patterns of Leopard

BLANKET

also known as snowcap; a colored horse with a white area over the hips, sometimes extending onto the back and sides.

Appaloosa Roan, Marble

VARNISH

Varnish

a distinct version of the leopard complex. Intermixed dark and light hairs with lighter colored area on the forehead, jowls and frontal bones of the face, over the back, loin and hips.

VARNISH

Darker areas may appear along the edges of the frontal bones of the face as well and also on the legs, stifle, above the eye, point of the hip and behind the elbow.

Varnish Marks

Dark points over bony areasdistinguish this pattern from a traditional roan

Snowflakes

white spots on a dark body.

Snowflakes

Typically the white spots increase in number and size as the horse ages.

Champagne

produced by a different dilution gene other than the cream gene. It lightens both skin and hair, but creates a metallic golden cream coat color with mottled skin and light colored eyes.

Palomino, Cremello, Dun, Buckskins

Champagne horses are often confused with

Champagne

• the most distinctive traits of horses are the hazel eyes and pinkish, freckled skin, which are bright blue and bright pink at birth, respectively

Gold Champagne, Classic Champagne, Amber Champagne, Gold Wory Champagne

Major Coat Patterns of Champagne

GOLD CHAMPAGNE

a chestnut horse affected by the champagne dilution

GOLD CHAMPAGNE

It resembles a palomino with a metallic sheen, but can be discerned from a true palomino by its pink, usually speckled, skin.

Classic Champagne

this is a black horse under the influence of the champagne dilution. Its body is murky gray-brown to rich chocolate with dark brown points

Classic Champagne

Its skin is pink and speckled.

AMBER CHAMPAGNE

the bay version of champagne, this pink-skinned horse is cream with dark brown points

GOLD IVORY CHAMPAGNE

this horse is a palomino under the influence of the champagne dilution. It is almost indiscernible from cremello, but its speckled skin gives it away