Disclaimer: I am not a geneticist. The information on these color pages represents the best scientific info I have been able to locate. Theories and knowledge change over time, and it may be you know something I don't - this site is not intended to be "the last word" in colors, just a guide for those wishing to explore the topic.

Colors and color patterns in mustangs are extremely varied, the inheritance of the early Spanish Horses who came in many colors and patterns.
- Dr. Phillip Sponenberg

Horse Color variations are so numerous, and they go by so many names, that it may seem impossibly complicated to understand. But understanding horse coloring does not have to be so hard.

Think of it as LAYERS, like painting with stencils or making wax-resist batik.

You start with a BASE COLOR: it will be one of two: Red or Black. That's all there are.

Every horse is, at base, either red or black.

photo: Andi Harmon
RED (chestnut, sorrel)

BLACK

Chrome is determined genetically (by a color blocking agent) that may be an entirely separate component to coloring, or it may be part of certain pinto patterns. Chrome is not considered in identifying the base color. A horse may be any color or combination of colors and also have chrome - or not.

What About WHITE?
 
White is not a base color for horse hair pigment.

White results when a genetic modifier - or combination of genes - or another agent such as scarring - BLOCKS color from being expressed, or DILUTES it (think "bleach") to white or near-white, or, in the case of GRAY, the gene progressively REPLACES the original color with white.

There is a Dominant White color gene - but it is rare. Most white horses are white due to some other agent.

BROWN is not a color gene in itself. Brown comes about in many ways:

The most common useage of the term "Brown" in horses refers to a black horse or donkey with tan or lighter muzzle, and lighter mottling around the flanks.

Silver Dapples on Black creates "Chocolate"

Dark Red or Bay horses also appear "brown"

How to use the "Horse Color" section:

Scroll down to the CHART below and click on the link of the color you want to read about. Or choose from these links:

The Major Sub-Sections of the Color part of this website are:
A Quick Overview of Horse Genetics
Horse Color Genetics Charts 2
Equine Base Colors
Dominant Horse Color Genes
The Dilution Genes
Recessive Color Genes
Miscellaneous Color Issues
Curlies (not a color, but...)

Equine Base Colors includes:
Black  l  Red (sorrel, chestnut)

Within Dominant Color genes you will find these sub-chapters:
Agouti/Bay  Black  Gray  Pangare  White Spotting Patterns  Roan  Rabicano  Sooty 

Although most of the Dilution Genes are dominants (Creme is "Mixed Dominant"), they have their own section:

The Dilution Genes includes:
Champagne   Creme   Dun   Pearl   Silver

Subchapters of Creme inlcude:
Single Dilutes: Palomino, Buckskin, Smokey Black
Double Dilutes: Cremello, Perlino, Smokey Cream  

White Spotting Patterns includes:
The Appaloosa Complex   Tobiano  The Overo Complex
and Pintaloosa

The Overo Complex includes:
Frame   Sabino   Splash  Tovero
plus a page about
How to Tell the Overos Apart

Frame includes a special page about Overo Lethal White Syndrome

Recessive Color Genes includes:
Flaxen

Miscellaneous Color Issues includes:
Palomino or Flaxen Chestnut?   Brindle   Brown   White   Dun or Buckskin?

There is also the whole subject area of "Chrome" (white markings on legs & face) and "acquired coloring," such as Bend d'Or spotting and corning. For now I am not going into those subjects.

Here's a quick Pictorial Overview
of all the Known Horse Color "Genes"* (*common use, not technically correct) and how they affect  each Base Color:
Click on a link to go to a page about that subject:

BLACK BASE

AGOUTI (BAY modifier)
no effect on red;
may be carried "silently" by red

Agouti On Black
Creates BAY>>>

Bay can range from almost buckskin to  almost black.

Bay foals are born with light legs and tails

BAY & "Wild Type Bay"A+)

CREME:
(One of the Four  DILUTION factors)
Creme is a mixed dominant, creating one effect if heterozygous and a more intensified effect if homozygous.

Single Creme: Palomino

Single Creme : Buckskin

Double Creme on Red: Cremello

Double Creme on Black: Smokey Cream
(Looks Cremello or Perlino but can be identified by genetic testing for Black and Agouti)

This Champion Welsh Stallion owned by Shirley Brand was tested by UC Davis to be Smokey Cream

photo: Greg Schultz
Double Creme on Bay: Perlino

Creme can also team with other dilutions (dun, silver, pearl, champagne) and other patterns (pinto, roan, etc) to create a spectrum of colors.
 

Bay dun Tobiano

CHAMPAGNE
(another DILUTION Gene)

Champagne on Red =Gold

Champagne on Black

Champagne + Bay

Champagne + Creme on Red =  Ivory

photo: American Cream Draft Horses Colonial Williamsburg Sour Cream (CW Sour Cream), reg. #230, and the colt is Colonial Williamsburg Cream Soda (CW Cream Soda), reg. #299

 
Champagne on Smoky Black

Champagne + Buckskin

DUN
(a DILUTION Gene)

Dun on Red = Red Dun
Claybank Dun

Red Dun Sabino

Dun on Black = Grulla/o

 Zebra Dun, Bay Dun, Classic Dun

Also See DUN vs BUCKSKIN

Dun on Palomino: "Dunalino"
"Linebacked Palomino"

Dun on Smokey Black
Looks light Grullo

This is a wild horse - the only way to tell for sure what color it is would be a genetic test - it could be a dunskin, too.

Dun on Buckskin
"Dunskin "
 

FLAXEN

is a recessive that dilutes red mane and tail to blonde or white

 No effect on Black but may be carried "silently"

 No effect on Bay but may be carried "silently"

FRAME
(Part of the OVERO paint/pinto group)

If you're breeding Frames, be sure to read: Overo Lethal White Syndrome

GREY

Grey/gray is a progressive color. The foal may be any color (depending on the ret of its genetics) at birth. The gray gene casue the color to be gradually replaced by white hairs, bringing the horse through a roan-ish phase, then glorious dapple gray, then lighter and lighter until the horse is either white or "fleabitten" gray (white with dark freckles or specks)
 

PANGARE  / MEALY

“Belgian”Sorrel

Seal Brown

maybe

photo: Angelo, owned by Jacqui Crews
"WILD DONKEY" Bay

Pearl was long thought to be just an especially shiny, metallic-looking version of Creme. Like Creme, Pearl is a mixed dominant, creating one effect if heterozygous and a more intensified effect if homozygous. Pearl can also team with other dilutions (dun, silver, champagne) to create a spectrum of effects.

PINTO / PAINT PATTERNS:
    
TOBIANO       & THE OVERO GROUP: FRAME  SPLASH  SABINO  MAXIMUM WHITE   MEDICINE HAT  TOVERO

RABICANO

I need a photo of a black rabicano. If you have one that you would like to share, please email me!

Bay Rabicano
showing "skunktail"
 

ROAN

Aidan from Devils Garden, adopted by Melissa Mattis
Strawberry Roan

Blue Roan

Bay Roan

SABINO
(Part of the OVERO PINTO group)

SPLASH
(Part of the OVERO PINTO group)

Robin, owned by Marcia Grahn

SOOTY / SMUTTY
Also responsible for Dappling

 
Chocolate / Sooty Palomino

Dark Chestnut

BRINDLE

Does not show up on Black

 

Seal Brown maybe

countershading
"fake dorsal stripe"

TOBIANO
(One of the Pinto/Paint patterns)

Ponokamita, one of the "Internet Six" older South Steens studs sold under the new 2005 sale rider

WHITE
 

"Z" SILVER DAPPLES
(The fourth DILUTION Gene)

No effect on Red;
may be carried "silently" by red

GENETIC (DNA, Etc.) TESTING:
If you really want to know your horse's color genetics, you can get testing done at the following institutions:

UC Davis : http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/horse.php  red, black, agouti (A / a only), cream, dun, pearl, silver, LWO, Sabino-1, Tobiano, gray, & champagne now also offering Roan: http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/Roan.php Pet DNA Services of Arizona : http://www.petdnaservicesaz.com/Equine.html  AGOUTI : (seal) brown (At) vs. bay (A) only at this time Animal Genetics (in Florida) : http://www.animalgenetics.us/Equine.htm  Tobiano, E Locus (red gene), Agouti, Cream gene, Sabino, Overo Lethal White Syndrome (OLWS), Silver Dapple (Z), Gray, Champagne VetGen :  http://www.vetgen.com/documents/order-form-equine.pdf black, red, agouti, cream, silver University of Kentucky : http://www.ca.uky.edu/gluck/AGTRL.asp#color CHAMPAGNE plus: Tobiano, E Locus (red gene), Agouti, Cream gene, Sabino, Overo Lethal White Syndrome (OLWS), Silver Dapple (Z) CHAMPAGNE GENE RESEARCH RESULTS   Texas A & M : http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/vibs/ black/red, agouti, tobiano, cream, sabino, and silver.  $30 for the first test and $25 for any additional test (per animal).  Send to: E. Gus Cothran, Ph.D. Equine Genetics Lab. VIBS, CVM Texas A&M University TAMU 4458 College Station, TX 77843-4458 (979) 845-0229

SOURCES:

• Equine Genetic Testing, Tallahassee, Florida (can test for 7 color factors, plus the genetic disease HYPP)

• HorseColor.com (Excellent explanations. Short on photos)

• Spanish Colonial Horses & Mustangs

• Horse Color Genetics: Coat Colors of Horses

• UC Davis Horse Color Genetics (can test for a number of colors as well as genetic diseases)

• International Registry of Colored Horses - Color Definitions page

• Cremello & Perlino Educational Association

• Sharon Batteatte's Equine Horse Colors

• Sharon Batteate's Brindle Horse Website

• Color Chart of Genetic Allelles

• Camoflage and Striping in Horses

• Horse Coat Color Genetics - an excellent, easy to understand presentation

• Horse Colors

• Educational Equine Color Information (VERY CLEAR EXPLANATIONS, VERY THOROUGH)

• Special thanks to Leah S. Brault of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory
  University of California, Davis for reviewing this site for accuracy