Colors of a Horse's Coat

Dark Coats

• Several breeds have very dark, even black coats. The black coat is distinguished by the fact that no other colors are present: the mane, legs and body are completely black. If you can see evidence of any other color or markings, the horse isn't a true black. Liver chestnut is the darkest coat of the chestnut breed. This coat appears almost black in color with deep shades of red in the mane and tail. Dark bay horses appear almost black, but upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that the coat is dark brown with black highlights. The blue roan coat is black horse with a roan gene, giving the horse a black coat with interspersed white hairs.

Brown to Sandy Yellow Coats

• Most horse coats will fit into the brown to sandy category. The chestnut breed includes red, light and flaxen shades. Red chestnut appears a red, orange, brown color that pops out on the breed's characteristic shinny coat. Light chestnut is characterized by a red, brown coat with light colors in the tips of the mane and tail hairs. Flaxen chestnut have a distinct brown color with sandy yellow mane and tail hairs. Bay horses have a deep brown color and are characterized by black accents in their mane, tail and legs. Bay dun horses are bright yellow in color with dark brown to black mane, legs and tail. Palomino horses have a light gold to deep gold color with a light creme to white mane and tail. Grullo or Grulla horses have a smokey mouse gray color that ranges from light to deep shades. Furthermore, their legs, mane and tail have dark brown and black hairs.

Light Colors to White Coats

• Some of the rarest horse coats fit into the light creme to white coat category. Pure white or dominant white horses are considered the rarest. Both parents must be white to produce a pure white offspring. Pure whites are distinguished by their pink skin, pure white hairs and hazel eyes. Typical dun horses are characterized by their light sandy yellow to light gray color, with the legs, mane and tail appearing slightly darker than the coat. Moreover, typical duns are distinguished by dark markings appearing in a dorsal strip. The buckskin horse has a light tan, sandy yellow color with black legs, mane and tail. Buckskin's are very similar to typical duns, but they don't have a distinct dorsal strip. Cremello and perlino horses are chestnut and bay horses with two creme genes that give them their characteristic off-white color. They have pink skin, blue eyes and their mane and tail have white hairs. Champagne horses are difficult to distinguish from pure whites. Like pure whites they have pink skin and white hairs; however, unlike pure whites they are born with blue eyes that turn hazel or green as they mature into adults.

Patterned Coats

• The two types of patterned coats are appaloosa and painted or pinto patterns. Appaloosa horses are not necessarily color specific. The appaloosa pattern appears as tiny spots all over the horses coat. Leopard appaloosa horses, for example, have large dark spots appearing all over a light base, such as light gray or white. The snowflake appaloosa horses have light-colored to white spots appearing over a dark color like a dark chestnut or bay. The three kinds of paint or pinto horses have a color patter that resembles the typical white and black pattern of a milk cow. Tobiano horses have four white legs and large distinct dark spots with smooth edges. Overo horses are spots appear smaller in size than tobiano and are jagged instead of smooth. Furthermore, overo horse are not color specific, some are white with red-brown spots and others are dark with white spots. Tovero horses are patterned horse that aren't color specific and have a combination of both tobiano and overo spots.