Wild Mountain Farms
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    • About the Rocky Mountain Horse >
      • History of the Rocky Mountain Horse Breed
      • Other Mountain Horse Breeds
      • What They Look Like
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      • What They Do
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      • Genetic Testing
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        • Timing Details
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      • Breeding Contract
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    • Basic Genetics >
      • Basic Genetics Expanded
    • Color Genetics >
      • Horse Color Genetics >
        • Basic Color Genes
        • Special Color Genes >
          • Special Color Details
        • The Colors >
          • Red
          • Bay
          • Black
          • White
          • Gray
          • Chocolate
          • Cream Gene Colors >
            • Palomino
            • Buckskin
            • Black Buckskin
            • Cremello
            • Perlino
            • Smokey Cream
          • Champagne
          • Paint
          • Roan
          • Appaloosa Horses
    • Raising a Foal Right
    • Transporting Horses Long Distance >
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      • Christie
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    • Deptford Pink
    • Fleabane
    • Glacier Lily
    • Goldenrod
    • Harebell
    • Indian Paintbrush
    • Kinickinick
    • Larkspur
    • Lupine
    • Mouseeared Chickweed
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    • Oxeye Daisy
    • Pasque Flower
    • Prarie Smoke
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    • Shooting Star
    • Thistle
    • Wild Hyacinth
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    • White Campion
    • Woodland Star
    • Yarrow
    • Plant ID Books I Like
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  • Sheep
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    • How Many Horses
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return to Basic Genetics

horse Colors

Horse colors in pictures

Here is a list of horse colors with their various possible genetic combinations listed. Click on the individual color to get more detail about it and to see pictures of a wider variety of horses of that color.

Chestnut/Sorrel - a red body color. May be bright red, almost orange, or dark red, tending towards brown. The mane and tail could be red, like the body, pure white or a mix of red and white.
​

​Chestnut horses could be:
  • ​(ee) and (AA)
  • (ee) and (Aa) 
  • ​(ee) and (aa)
Has two OFF copies of all Special Color Genes.
​
Picture
Bay- A brown or red body color with black points (mane, tail and legs).
​
Bay horses could be either:
  • ​​(Ee) and (Aa)
  • ​​(Ee) and (AA)
  • ​(EE) and (Aa)
  • (EE) and (AA)
Has two OFF copies of all Special Color Genes.
​
Picture
Black - A black body color with points (mane, tail and legs) also black. (There are two kinds of black horses - jet black and the kind that can, with excessive sunlight or with shaving look dark brown in places).  ​​
​
Black horses could be either:
  • ​(EE) ​and (aa) 
  • (Ee) and (aa) ​​
​Has two OFF copies of all Special Color Genes.
​
Picture
White - Technically speaking, there is no such thing as a white horse. White is not an official horse color in and of itself. That said, we have all seen horses which are white. These horses are either actually "Gray" horses or they are some form of the Cream Gene colors or, very occasionally, some more unusual special color gene.
Genetically, there is no such thing as a white horse:
Horses that are of white color are actually Gray, Perlino or Cremello.
​

Picture
Gray (white) - ​Most horses that we think of as white are technically classified as gray. Gray horses are born one of the other colors and gradually turn white over the course of their lives. This may take only a few years or it may take decades. Each horse is different. Thus, a horse may appear black or bay at one year of age but be pure white by the time it is ten years of age. In between, it will be a mix of these colors - often creating a stunning gray with patches of darker or lighter hair on mane, tail or legs. Some of these horses stay an in-between gray most of their lives. You can tell the difference between a gray horse gone white and one of the sudo-albino horses (cremello or perlino, for instance) because gray horses have dark skin underneath the white, where-as the sudo-albino colors have pink skin underneath. This dark or pink skin is usually identifiable around the mussel and eyes.
​
Gray horses could be any combination of base colors or Special Colors:​​
Gray imposes itself upon any other existing color over time.
​

Picture
Dun - Often indistinguishable from bay or buckskin, a tan or light brown body color with black mane, tail and legs. There is usually a dark dorsal stripe down the back and often light zebra-like dapples on the legs (hense the names "striped back dun and zebra striped dun.) ​
Dun horses could be :
  • ​(ee) 
​​All Base Colors have possible Dun variations.​
All Dun horses have either one or two ON copies of the Dun gene.

Picture
​Palomino - A golden or cream body color with white mane and tail. The body can be any shade of gold or cream, and the mane and tail, while usually white, may also be flaxen.
​

Palomino horses must have a chestnut base color:
  • ​(ee) and (AA); Crcr
  • (ee) and (Aa); Crcr
  • ​(ee) and (aa); Crcr
All palomino horses and one ON copy of the cream gene and one OFF copy of the cream gene.
Picture
Buckskin - A tan or golden body color with black mane, tail and legs. The body can be any shade of light brown or gold, and very occasionally is dark enough to be mistaken for bay.

Buckskin horses must have a bay Base Color:
  • ​​(Ee) and (Aa); Crcr
  • ​​(Ee) and (AA); Crcr
  • ​(EE) and (Aa); Crcr
  • (EE) and (AA); Crcr
All buckskin horses and one ON copy of the cream gene and one OFF copy of the cream gene.
​
Picture
Black Buckskin - An off-black body color with matching mane, tail and legs. Often mistaken for a very dark brown. May not look buckskin at all, because the body color is so minutely diluted as to still look black or dark brown and the mane and tale may be the same color.
​
Black Buckskin horses must have a black Base Color:
  • ​(EE) ​and (aa); Crcr
  • (Ee) and (aa) ​; Crcr
All buckskin horses and one ON copy of the cream gene and one OFF copy of the cream gene.
​
Picture
Cremello - An all-over white color with pink skin and (usually) blue eyes. 
​
Cremello horses must have a chestnut base color:
  • ​(ee) and (AA); CrCr
  • (ee) and (Aa); CrCr
  • ​(ee) and (aa); CrCr
All cremello horses and two ON copy of the cream gene
​
Picture
Perlino - An all-over white color (often tinted with yellow or orange) with pink skin and (usually) blue eyes. Can be hard to tell appart from a Cremello, but may be slightly more yellow tinged or have a more flaxen tinted mane and tail than a Cremello. 
​
Perlino horses must have a black or bay base color:
  • ​​(Ee) and (Aa); CrCr
  • ​​(Ee) and (AA); CrCr
  • ​(EE) and (Aa); CrCr
  • (EE) and (AA); CrCr
All Perlino horses and two ON copy of the cream gene
​
Picture
Smokey Cream -  An all over white color (often tinted with gray ) with pink skin and blue eyes.
​

Smokey Cream  horses must have a chestnut base color:
  • ​(EE) ​and (aa); CrCr
  • (Ee) and (aa) ​; CrCr
All Smokey Cream horses and two ON copy of the cream gene
​
Chocolate (also called Silver Dapple or Taffey) - A brown body color with white mane and tail. Often has darker dapples in the body.
Chocolate horses may have any Base Color:
  • ​(Ee)
Has one or two ON copies of the Silver Dapple gene
​
Picture
Champagne - A light, almost rose colored body with matching mane, tail and legs. Very similar to a Cremello or a Perlino.
​
Champagne horses may have any Base Color:
  • ​(Ee)
Has one or two ON copies of the Champagne gene
​
​
Paint - Any of the above colors with big splashes of white placed randomly over body, mane, tail and legs.
​
Paint horses could be any combination of base colors or Special Colors:​​
Paint imposes itself upon any other existing color.
A paint horse has one or two ON copies of the paint gene


Picture
Roan - ​Any of the above colors with flecks of white spread over the whole horse, often somewhat unevenly. This color can be indistinguishable from a medium form of gray, but, unlike gray, these horses are born with the white flecking and it doesn't significantly change throughout their lives.
​
Roan horses could be any combination of base colors or Special Colors:​​
Roan imposes itself upon any other existing color.
A roan horse has one or two ON copies of the paint gene

Appaloosa - 

​Did we miss any? Are there other colors we should have listed here? Email us and let us know!
return to basics of horse color genetics

return to general education page

Location

raising rocky mountain horses
​for every rider

Because when the mountains are wild,
the horse shouldn't be!

Wild Mountain Farms
PO Box 209
25111 Mill Creek Rd.
Frenchtown, MT  59834
406-239-4748
info@WildMountainFarms.com
Christie and Dave Goodman

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  • WildMountainFarms
  • About Us
    • Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
    • Christie's Writing
    • Dave
  • Our Stallion
    • 2021 Breeding Season
    • 2020 Breeding Season
    • The Breeding Process
    • Schedule Your Breeding
    • Breeding Contracts and Fees
    • Color and Our Stallion
  • Education
    • About the Rocky Mountain Horse >
      • History of the Rocky Mountain Horse Breed
      • Other Mountain Horse Breeds
      • What They Look Like
      • Temperament of the Rocky Mountain Horse
      • What They Do
      • Where to Find a Rocky Mountain Horse
      • Cost of a Rocky Mountain Horse
      • Genetic Testing
    • Breeding Education >
      • Deciding to Breed
      • Choosing a stallion
      • Getting Started
      • Breeding Costs
      • Breeding Basics >
        • Timing Details
      • AI vs Live Cover
      • Pre-Breeding Preparation
      • Breeding Contract
      • Live Foal Guarantee
    • Basic Genetics >
      • Basic Genetics Expanded
    • Color Genetics >
      • Horse Color Genetics >
        • Basic Color Genes
        • Special Color Genes >
          • Special Color Details
        • The Colors >
          • Red
          • Bay
          • Black
          • White
          • Gray
          • Chocolate
          • Cream Gene Colors >
            • Palomino
            • Buckskin
            • Black Buckskin
            • Cremello
            • Perlino
            • Smokey Cream
          • Champagne
          • Paint
          • Roan
          • Appaloosa Horses
    • Raising a Foal Right
    • Transporting Horses Long Distance >
      • Transport Paperwork
      • Transport Equiptment (Big)
      • Transport Equiptment (Small)
      • Feed and Water For Transporting
      • Driving Practices for Transporting
      • Transport Tips
  • Horses For Sale
    • Stormy-SOLD!
    • Smudge-SOLD!
    • Copper-SOLD! >
      • Copper Stories
  • Our Horses
    • Lady
    • Cowgirl
    • Belle
    • Sugar
  • Our Animal Partners
  • Our Human Partners
  • Contact Us
  • Western Montana Riding Trails
  • The Pacific Crest Trail
    • Who We Are >
      • Why and What
      • Christie
      • Kaladin
      • The Horses
      • Riding Companions
      • Local Resources
      • Home Team
    • Strategy and Goals
    • PCT Basics
    • PCT Water
    • PCT Safety
    • PCT Timing
    • PCT Maps
    • PCT Permits
    • PCT Resources
    • PCT Contacts
    • PCT Gear >
      • backpacking gear List >
        • Shelter >
          • Tents
        • Sleeping Bag
        • Sleeping Pad
        • Camp Chair
        • Water Purifier
        • Water Reservoir
        • Kitchen Gear
      • horse packing gear
      • dog packing gear
      • safety gear
      • photography gear
      • packing organization
  • AirBnB Cabin
  • Wildflowers of Western Montana
    • Arnica
    • Arrowleaf Balsamroot
    • Bear Grass
    • Biscutroot
    • Bitterroot
    • Buttercup, Sagebrush
    • Buttercup, Common
    • Bluebell
    • Cinquefoil
    • Deptford Pink
    • Fleabane
    • Glacier Lily
    • Goldenrod
    • Harebell
    • Indian Paintbrush
    • Kinickinick
    • Larkspur
    • Lupine
    • Mouseeared Chickweed
    • Oregon Grape
    • Oxeye Daisy
    • Pasque Flower
    • Prarie Smoke
    • Salsify
    • Shooting Star
    • Thistle
    • Wild Hyacinth
    • Wild Onion
    • Wild Rose
    • Wild Strawberry
    • Wild Sunflower
    • White Campion
    • Woodland Star
    • Yarrow
    • Plant ID Books I Like
  • Goats
    • Goat Enclosures
    • Feeding Goats >
      • Feeding Dwarf Goats >
        • Dwarf Goat Hay
  • Sheep
  • Horsepacking
    • How Many Horses
  • Sheep