Coat Color, Patterens & Markings

Below is a list and a description of the coat colors, patterens and markings that are excepted by the AAHIA.

COAT COLORS

Gray

Mixture of white with other colored hairs; usually born with color (can be any color or pattern) and get lighter with age as more white hairs appear.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE GRAY COLOR

The gray color factor can be superimposed over any basic body color. Therefore, not all gray horses will have a blue cast; some will have a tendency to be red, while others will have a tendency to look yellow. The common characteristics of gray horses are white hairs scattered over the head and body (often more prominent on the head in young horses). Each gray horse will vary in color throughout his lifetime, growing lighter with age. A horse may be dark brown or dark red at birth and have only a few white hairs on his head. With age, he will become a medium gray and finally a light gray which may appear to be white in an aged horse.

Read our past newsletter article Are your Dreams in color?

Black

Body color black including at the muzzle, eyes, flanks, inside upper legs; mane and tail black.

Bay

Body color can range from tan, through red, to reddish brown; mane and tail black; lower legs usually black.

Chestnut

Body color reddish, or copper-red to dark red, or brownish-red; mane and tail usually same color as the body, but may be flaxen or darker.

Roans: Although similar in appearance, should not be confused with horses that are turning grey. Read our past newsletter article Are your Dreams in color?

Blue Roan

More or less uniform mixture of white and black hairs on the body; but usually darker on head and low legs; can have a few red hairs in mixture.

Red Roan

More or less uniform mixture of white with red hairs on larger part of the body. but usually darker red on head and lower legs; mane and tail usually red.

Bay Roan

More or less uniform mixture of white with body ranging from red, to reddish-brown hairs on larger part of the body; mane and tail black usually black on lower legs

Dun

Body color tan to reddish; mane and tail are red, black or brown, has dorsal stripe, zebra stripes on legs, and may have transverse stripe over withers.

GRULLO

Body color smoke or mouse-colored (not a mixture of black and white hairs, but each hair mouse-colored); mane and tail black; usually black only lower legs; usually has dorsal stripe.

BUCKSKIN

Body color light tan to dark gold; mane and tail black; usually black on lower legs. Buckskins may or may not have a dorsal stripes.

PALOMINO

Body color a golden yellow; mane and tail white. Palominos may or may not have a dorsal stripe.

A dorsal stripe does not always indicate a dun. A dorsal stripe on any color with the absence of leg bars (zebra strips) is known as counter shade striping.

CREMELLO

Body color, mane and tail of creme or off white with pumpkin or peach skin. Eyes are blue or amber. White markings are sometimes discernable, if present, although with difficulty.

PERLINO

Body color of creme or off white with mane, tail and sometimes legs are light rust or choclate shade. Skin is grey, pumkin or peach. Eyes are blue or amber.

Other colors may qualify if not listed. Contact the AAHIA.

MORE INFORMATION A "THROW BACK"

A "throw back" is a horse which has a characteristic that neither of his parents had. Genetics have shown, however, that a throw back occurs only between those characteristics which are recessive. Therefore, a gray horse cannot be a throw back. Gray is a dominant characteristic, consequently a gray horse must have at least one gray parent. Another dominant characteristic is the black mane and tail along with black legs. Consequently, a horse with these characteristics (bay, brown, buckskin, black, etc.) will have at least one parent with a black mane, tail and lower legs. Only in very rare, specific instances would this not be true. A given stallion and mare may produce foals of several different colors (including some not indicated by either parent), but there are certain colors which two parents should not produce. Therefore, AAHIA will evaluates the colors of the sire and dam to determine if the foal /horse genetically can be the color listed on the registration application. Colors which are exceptions to the rules of genetics are then investigated to determine accurate color, and in most cases, it is determined that the wrong color was indicated for the foal, or the parents were registered with incorrect color. Either error must be corrected.

Coat Colors / Markings

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