Coat Color Definitions
Click on the coat color to see photos

Bay Base Color

Amber Champagne - The body is golden tan with dark brown points, light brownish-pink skin, and amber eyes. This phenotype is due to the effect of the champagne gene on the bay genotype.

Amber Ivory Champagne - The body is golden tan with dark brown points, light brownish-pink skin, and amber eyes. This phenotype is due to the effect of the champagne gene on the buckskin genotype.

Amber Champagne with Dun - The body is golden tan with dark brown points, dun factor, light brownish-pink skin, and amber eyes. This phenotype is due to the effect of the champagne gene on the bay genotype.

Bay - The body color is some shade of reddish brown and the points black.

Bay Roan - The body color is reddish brown with mixed white hairs and black points. This phenotype is due to the effect of a single dominant roan gene (R) on the bay genotype.

Buckskin - The body color is yellow, the points are black, and there are no primitive markings. This phenotype is due to the effect of the c dilution gene on the bay genotype diluting the red pigment (phaeomelanin) to yellow.

Coyote Dun - The body color is yellow with mixed black hairs, black points, and primitive marks.

Dark Buckskin - The body color is yellow mixed with black hairs, the points are black, and there are no primitive markings.

Linebacked Perlino - The body is cream colored with slightly red or blue points, blue eyes, and primitive markings.

Linebacked Yellow Dun (Apricot Dun) - The body color is yellow without black points and with primitive markings. The phenotype is due to the effect of the dominant dun gene (D) on the tostado sorrel genotype.

Lobo Dun - The body color is slate blue mixed with black hairs, black points, a dark or black head, and primitive markings. This color can be bay based or black based. Produce records and/or a DNA test can determine this.

Mahogany Bay - A body color of red mixed with black hairs and black points. It is very often confused with seal brown.

Muddy Dun - The body color is of light brownish-red or brownish-yellow with chocolate brown points and primitive markings. This color can be either bay based or black based. Produce records and/or a DNA test can determine this.

Perlino - The body is cream colored, the points are slightly red or blue, and the eyes are blue. This phenotype is due to the effect of a homozygous pair of c dilution genes on a bay genotype.

Yellow Dun (Apricot Dun) - The body color is yellow without black points, and without primitive markings or black points.

Zebra Dun - The body color is yellow with black points and primitive markings. This phenotype is due to the effect of the dominant dun gene (D) on the bay or buckskin genotype.

Black Base Color

Black - The body color is black as are the points. This color fades when exposed to the sun.

Blue Roan - The body has a pattern of mixed white and black hairs and the points are black. Homozygous for the roan gene (RR) is lethal and causes pregnancy loss.

Classic Champagne - The body is a lilac tan with darker points of the same hue. The skin is brownish pink and the eyes are amber. The phenotype is due to the dominant effect of the champagne gene on the black genotype.

Classic Ivory Champagne - The body is a lilac tan with darker points of the same hue. The skin is brownish pink and the eyes are amber. The phenotype is due to the dominant effects of the cream gene and the champagne gene on the black genotype.

Classic Champagne with Dun - The body is a lilac tan with darker points of the same hue and with dun factor. The skin is brownish pink and the eyes are amber. The phenotype is due to the dominant effect of the champagne gene on the grullo genotype.

Grullo - The body color is slate blue, the points are black, the head is dark or black, and there are primitive markings.

Lobo Dun - The body color is slate blue mixed with black hairs, black points, a dark or black head, and primitive markings. This color can be bay based or black based. Produce records and/or a DNA test can determine this.

Muddy Dun - The body color is of light brownish-red or brownish-yellow with chocolate brown points and primitive markings. This color can be either bay based or black based. Produce records and/or a DNA test can determine this.

Seal Brown - The body color is black except for lighter brown areas around the muzzle, eyes, flanks, and insides of the legs.

Silver Grullo - The body is cream-colored with blue points and head, and blue eyes. This phenotype is due to the effect of a homozygous pair of c dilution genes (cc) on the grullo genotype.

Silver Muddy Dun - The body is paler than the muddy dun with blue eyes.

Silver Smoky - The body color is lighter than a smoky black with blue eyes. This phenotype is due to the effect of a homozygous pair of c dilution genes (cc) on the black or jet black genotype.

Smoky Black - The body color is off-black with black points. This phenotype is due to the effect of a single ccr dilution gene on the black or jet black genotype.

Red Base Color

Chestnut (ruano) - The body color is dark red and the points are red.

Chestnut (tostado) - The body color is dark red and the points are brown.

Claybank Dun - The body color is pale reddish-yellow without the lighter mane and tail of the palomino.

Cremello - The body color and points are cream colored and the eyes are blue.

Dark Red Dun - The body color is yellowish red with mixed black hairs with red to flaxen points and primitive markings.

Gold Champagne - The body is a golden color usually with a white mane and tail. The phenotype is due to the effect of the champagne gene on the sorrel/chestnut genotype.

Gold Champagne with Dun - The body is a golden color usually with a white mane and tail and dun factor. The phenotype is due to the effect of the champagne gene on the red dun genotype.

Gold Ivory Champagne - The body is an ivory color with a white mane and tail. This phenotype is due to the effect of the champagne gene and c dilution gene on the sorrel/chestnut genotype.

Jet Black - The body color is black with black points, and does not fade in the sun.

Lavender Roan - This phenotype is due to the effect of a heterozygous dominant roan gene (Rr) on the chestnut genotype. .

Linebacked Claybank Dun - The body is pale reddish-yellow without the light mane and tail of the palomino, and there are primitive markings.

Linebacked Cremello - The body and points are cream colored with blue eyes and primitive markings.

Linebacked Palomino (Dunalino) - The body color is yellow with very light mane and tail and with primitive markings.

Palomino - The body color is yellow with a very light mane and tail.

Red Dun - The body color is yellowish-red with red to flaxen points and primitive markings.

Sorrel (ruano) - The body is light red with light red to flaxen points.

Sorrel (tostado) - The body color is light red with brown points. This color can be bay based or red based. Produce records can help determine this, but a DNA test for red factor would be best.

Strawberry Roan - The body color is light red with white hairs. It's due to the roan effect on the sorrel coat color.

Other

Roan - A roan coat color is any coat color that has white hairs mixed in. The horse typically has more white hairs in the spring and darkens in the fall. They never fade to white or grey out like grey horses do. Roan horses must have at least one roan parent because it is a dominant gene (R). All of the colors listed above can all have a roan effect. But to save space, I just listed the main colors plus the 3 most common roan colors. For example, there is such thing as a dun roan horse.

Grey - The body color has white hairs mixed with any other colored hairs and is progressive with age until the older horse may be mostly white. The horse can be born any color, but must have at least one grey parent. This phenotype is due to the effect of the dominant grey gene (G) on any genotype.

 

Resources:
North, Ed. Breeding For Color: The Dictionary of Equine Coat Color Crosses. Jackson, Mississippi: Northfork Press, 1992.
Sponenberg, D. Phillip. Equine Color Genetics. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State Press, 2003.