Learn about Horses - horse training, horse health
care, horse books, horse videos for the first time horse owner or experienced
horse owner.
Return to Horse
Talk Dictionary
Basic Colors
The following is a
description of the basic colors of horses.
Gray:
mixture
of white with any other colored hairs, often born solid-colored or almost
solid-colored and gets lighter with age as more white hairs appear.
Black:
body
color true black without light area: mane and tail black.
Bay:
body
color ranging from tan, through red, to reddish brown; mane and tail black;
usually black on lower legs.
Sorrel:
body
color reddish or copper-red; mane and tail usually same color as body, but may
be flaxen.
Chestnut:
body
color dark red or brownish-red; mane and tail usually dark red or brownish-red,
but may be flaxen.
Brown:
body
color brown or black with light areas at muzzle, eyes, flank and inside upper
legs, mane and tail black.
Buckskin:
body
color yellowish or gold; mane and tail black; black on lower legs; buckskins do
not have dorsal stripes.
Palomino:
body color a
golden yellow; mane and tail white; palominos do not have dorsal stripes.
Dun:
body
color yellowish or gold; mane and tail are black or brown; has dorsal stripe
and usually zebra stripes on legs, and transverse stripe over withers.
Grullo: body color smoky or mouse colored (not
a mixture of black and white hairs, but each hair mouse colored); mane and tail
black; usually has black dorsal stripe and black on lower legs.
Red
Dun: a form of dun with body color yellowish or flesh colored;
mane and tail are red or reddish flaxen; white or mixed; has red or reddish
dorsal stripe and usually red or reddish zebra stripes on legs and transverse
stripe over withers.
Blue
Roan: more or less uniform mixture of white with black hairs
over a large portion of the body, but usually darker on head and lower legs;
can have a few red hairs in mixture.
Red
Roan: more or less uniform mixture of white with red hairs on a
large portion of the body, but usually darker on head and lower legs; can have
red or flaxen mane and/or tail.
COLOR CHART
AMERICAN
QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION
