Horse Colors - Basics

Basic Definitions

There are several different things that help to determine the color of a horse. The first step is to identify the "base color", or the overall shade of the animal's hair that covers its body. Next is to identify the color or shades of the "points" as outlined in the photo. To be categorized as certain colors, such as bay, the points of the horse must be a different color that its base color. When determining the color of a horse, white markings on the face and legs are to be ignored.

 

There are a few key things to remember when naming what color a horse is:

1. Base color = coat color. Ignore any white markings when naming the coat color
2. Points= mane, tail, lower leg and ear rims.
3. A combination of base color and points help you determine the correct color name.
4. Describing the color of a horse includes the color name, and any additional markings.

Basic Coat Colors

There are four basic horse colors (bay, black, brown and chestnut) , and all other colors (except white) are a result of some type of modification of those colors. The first step to properly identfying the color of a horse is to identify the basic coat color.

Bay

The base coat of a bay horse is reddish brown and can vary in shades from a very light brown, to so dark it is hard to tell the difference between the body color and the points. They are distinguished by having black points, legs, mane and tail. The color is uniform across the body, without getting lighter around the muzzle, flanks or other areas. Bay horses often have white markings on the legs and face, but may be a solid color with no additional white.

 

 

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 Black

Black horses are different than bays in that their whole body is as black as the mane an tail. Although a black horse may have white markings, it cannot have any brown hairs. A horse that is true black won't turn brown in the sun, the black will just get dull. If the horse has any brown hairs, it is a shade of brown, not black. As you can see from this photo, a black horse can have a different colored foal. We will discuss how these things happen in the Advanced Colors learning module.

 

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 Brown

Brown is one of the colors recently identifed as a basic coat color. For a long time, people thought that brown horses were black horses that had their coat color affected by a gene that causes a mealy effect, however, genetic reserach has shown that brown is a basic coat color, and is not a result of another gene actiing on a black base color.

 

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 Chestnut (Sorrel)

A chestnut horse has a reddish brown coat that can vary in shades (e.g. dark, liver, red). Sorrel is another term for the same color that is used in certain breed associations, including the stock-type and draft breeds. The mane and tail can be the same color as the base coat or lighter, also known as flaxen.

 

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 White

Truly white horses are very rare, and white is not considered a basic coat color in horses, however, it is included in this section as it is not a modified or diluted color. White horses have pink skin and eyes can either be brown are blue. The color of the skin and eyes is very important in telling a white horse, from a gray horse. We will talk more about gray horses later.

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Information adapted from eXtensionCampus - 2015