A basic guide to horse colours

Paint Me Proud said:
Will be starting on Pinto modifiers tonight. It is likely to need a handful of tiles to explain all the different markings. Hope you all like your coloureds!

Appaloosa will then follow Pinto when I get chance.

Am taking kasper to the park for the first time today late afternoon so if no more tiles appear just assume I'm in an exhausted little heap somewhere!
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I am completely confused about coloured horses. I was taught they were either "piebald" or "skewbald" back in the '70s and that's the extent of my knowledge still. :o

Looking forward to learning more. :) Great thread, I've bookmarked it for future reference. :)

Meanwhile, enjoy the park. :D
 
Crugeran Celt said:
I have looked through this thread and couldn't find the answer to an earlier question, what causes the dapples on a bay, which are very common on Welsh D's. Many years ago I had a dark bay mare who was out of an ArabxTB who I believe was chestnut to Nebo Black Magic, black, she had beautiful dapples in the summer which in her late teens started coming through grey but only in the summer. This happened for a few years and then they reverted back to normal bay dapples. Any ideas? She also had a perfect oval shape of black hair that was softer and longer than the rest of her coat on her face. Sorry no photos, this mare died over 10 years ago so no digital photos of her. I have her daughter but she is black no dapples.
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It used to be thought that dapples on bays, blacks and chestnuts resulted from good coat and skin condition and care. This is no longer believed to be the case because it is hard to ignore the fact that often dapples seem to run in the family. Other than research that recognised that dapples often follow the pattern of blood flow in the capillaries in the skin I haven't been able to find any concrete research into the genetic cause of dapples - that's not to say there isn't any, just that I haven't found it yet.
 
DabDab said:
No your are right - dominant white is just a mutation that causes a foal to be born with unpigmented skin and hair, but that can range from a small amount of unpigmented skin and hair (white markings), to being completely covered with unpigmented skin and hair (like one giant marking that covers the whole body - so completely white). It is different to the Sabino gene that causes white markings, that's all. Hope that's easier to understand :)
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Thank you. I own a pure white registered horse but have been trying to get my head around understanding the colour since the moment I delivered her!
 
DabDab said:
It used to be thought that dapples on bays, blacks and chestnuts resulted from good coat and skin condition and care. This is no longer believed to be the case because it is hard to ignore the fact that often dapples seem to run in the family. Other than research that recognised that dapples often follow the pattern of blood flow in the capillaries in the skin I haven't been able to find any concrete research into the genetic cause of dapples - that's not to say there isn't any, just that I haven't found it yet.
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I'm curious about dapples too, I've had two that dappled.

One was a bright golden chestnut, (not a black hair on her entire body so don't think sooty as mentioned earlier in the thread, is a factor. ). She dappled in summer but not every year.

I currently have a bay who dapples both in summer and winter (noticeable when clipped) but again not every year. Depending on time of year he ranges from a light golden bright bay to a rich conker colour. His dapples are strongest when he's a bit overweight, this year when he came out of winter a bit light, no dapples.

So I wonder if the two factors are at play:- genetic predisposition but when environmental conditions are right.
 
Okay... So what's Coblet?
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What an interesting thread! So my chestnut with flaxen mane and slightly flaxen tail is in fact black base coat with silver dilution, and not chestnut at all...?
 
Wow! What a great thread :) can't wait until you get on to the spotties :) ill have to read it all again as I seem to have forgotten it already.
 
I think it would be interesting to discuss some of the problems that are related to colour in horses such as homozygous roan being non-viable, eye cysts in silver dapple, Lethal White Syndrome in overo horses, deafness associated with splashed white, aggressive melanoma in double dilutes with grey etc.
Does anyone know if the Equine Recurrent Uveitis in Appaloosas is related to the colour or the
 
Interesting thread, coat colour genetics have always fascinated me.

My girl is also a bit of an odd one, she's a red dun fewspot, dorsal stripe only visible in mane and tail as her coat pattern masks it and no visible barring on the legs or face.
Sire was a red dun, dam was a buckskin.
 
Look forward in reading it
I know a few of the pattern types
Also do u know of anyone /company can do a all in the one colour test not just individual testing ,,animal genetics is £20 per test thx
A friends mare is coloured but I'm convinced its buckskin n white
( dam passported dun Connemara ..I know now that this breed carries the cream n can't get dun in this breed ..sire black/white ) the mare has a measly muzzle n the bay is more like chocolate than bay if u no wot I mean so its just out of curiosity to get her tested ,,she's skewbald on her passport so at the time technically correct yes ? ) thx
 
Rose grey is a chestnut gone grey ,,( wait until experts explain I'm still learning lol ) grey is modifier ,a horse will go grey if grey is in their parentage , more likely if both or one is grey
 
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