A basic guide to horse colours

[Paint Me Proud]

Have started making a series of tiles as a basic guide to equine horse colour genetics (for no reason other than to help people understand when i say Kasper is silver buckskin appaloosa!).

Enjoy

p.s. faracat, I'm hoping you approve!

 

[Sam_J]

This is fab, can't believe it's not had more views! Please continue, I find it really interesting. And I love the pictures of the more unusual colours!

Numpty question alert: if there are only the two base colours, where do grey horses fit in?

More, please

 

[Paint Me Proud]

This is fab, can't believe it's not had more views! Please continue, I find it really interesting. And I love the pictures of the more unusual colours!

Numpty question alert: if there are only the two base colours, where do grey horses fit in?

More, please

thanks

I havent got to Grey yet

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

That is very interesting

 

[mulledwhine]

Would grey be a black dilution ?

 

[caseycat]

So much easier to understand with picture and basic info. Looking forward to further installments

 

[ester]

best do a grey slide too PMP .

mulledwhine- no it is a separate gene not a dilution.

PMP I did wonder if your image for bay dun is correct? It looks very grulla and therefore black dun to me, even if it is I wondered if there was a bit example perhaps?

 

[mulledwhine]

That's soo interesting , can't wait to hear about how grey happens then

Great post

 

[tikino]

this is fantastic and just answered a question i had in my head as i have a new horse who is brown in his passport but i said he was bay and he is bay

 

[Paint Me Proud]

Modifier slides on their way soon.....

 

[FlaxenPony05]

Fantastic, so interesting! Thank you PMP

 

[Paint Me Proud]

corrected Dun slide

 

[Spring Feather]

And white? Where does the dominant white KIT gene come into the equation?

 

[ester]

that's better

I'm pondering now because Enfys mare is a dunalino

 

[chocolate_cake]

That's really interesting, thank you. Can I ask where you got all your copyright free images from as my daughter is doing a Uni presentation on horse colours and is finding it difficult to get photos of some of the rarer colours/ THank you

 

[FfionWinnie]

Looks great, easy to understand.

 

[Paint Me Proud]

Grey - a basic description

 

[rhino]

I thought the creme gene could mask grey

 

[Paint Me Proud]

I thought the creme gene could mask grey

dont think so. Grey is a dominant gene that over writes all other genes as far as I'm aware.

 

[cambrica]

Very interesting!
So Shaylee my Sec A (who was born Dun) is: Black base colour with Dun dilution and a grey modifier I assume as she is now dapple grey!

Any idea what brings the dapples out in a bay coat ? as Roberto is quite heavily dappled.

Finally how can it be that a bay can have both parents chestnut ? Not mine but a very well known stallion, I didn't think it was possible ?

 

[rhino]

dont think so. Grey is a dominant gene that over writes all other genes as far as I'm aware.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=615254

 

[Paint Me Proud]

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=615254

the grey gene still affects a double dilute cream but the horses colour is so light already the effect is negligible to the naked eye. Only a dna test will confirm.

 

[FubsyMog]

I like this-good intro to the topic.

 

[lucemoose]

More!!! More!!!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

This is a great project. Maybe when you've finished, you could post all the finished tiles together and then admin could sticky the thread?

RE Dunalino - that is a chestnut horse with one copy of cream and one copy of dun. Maybe Enfys would let you use one of her photos as her Dunalino is rather lovely?

PS - don't forget Smoky black and Smoky cream.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Fantastic thread.. !!!!

 

[Gloi]

Finally how can it be that a bay can have both parents chestnut ? Not mine but a very well known stallion, I didn't think it was possible ?

It can't be, but sometimes a horse that is bay + silver gets registered as chestnut.

 

[Paint Me Proud]

This is a great project. Maybe when you've finished, you could post all the finished tiles together and then admin could sticky the thread?

RE Dunalino - that is a chestnut horse with one copy of cream and one copy of dun. Maybe Enfys would let you use one of her photos as her Dunalino is rather lovely?

PS - don't forget Smoky black and Smoky cream.

lol, maybe I will save dunalino and smoky colours for the 'advanced class'!!

Still got the delights of all the kinds of pinto and appaloosa patterns to tackle yet!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Finally how can it be that a bay can have both parents chestnut ? Not mine but a very well known stallion, I didn't think it was possible

It can't be, but sometimes a horse that is bay + silver gets registered as chestnut.

It is possible for two bays to have a chestnut foal.

Remember that genes come in pairs. As PMP said, the horse base colours are black (E) and chestnut (e).

So a horse can be EE (black), Ee (looks black) or ee (chestnut).

Therefore if you have two bay horses that are Ee (plus agouti to make them bay) each parent could pass on their e gene and therefore the foal would be ee and chestnut.

ETA. Smoky black and cream should be in the Cream section with palomino etc...

 

[Paint Me Proud]

It is possible for two bays to have a chestnut foal.

Remember that genes come in pairs. As PMP said, the horse base colours are black (E) and chestnut (e).

So a horse can be EE (black), Ee (looks black) or ee (chestnut).

Therefore if you have two bay horses that are Ee (plus agouti to make them bay) each parent could pass on their e gene and therefore the foal would be ee and chestnut.

ETA. Smoky black and cream should be in the Cream section with palomino etc...

Exactly this ^^

My tiles are just a basic overview to help everyone get a general idea of how colours are created. Trying to avoid making them too complicated. Sure Faracat will fill in the blanks where people have questions