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Coats of Solid Color Defined

Bay

A Bay is a diluted black horse. Bays have black points, mane, and tail, with the black leg coloring extending at least to the knee and hock. Body colors range from red to dark brown. As with many colors, there are sub-categories:

Standard Bay: Solid red body color (cherry wood color) with black points.
Blood Bay: Dark, blood-red body color.
Mahogany Bay: The brown-red color of the wood, with some black mixed into the coat.
Copper Bay: Chestnut orange-red body.
Golden Bay: A yellow, more golden color body.
Wild Bay: A Bay with short black points on legs up to the fetlocks.

Black

A Black horse is black all over. They may have a star, stripe, or other markings but will be a solid color over their body. A Standard Black horse will fade in the sunlight and turn a rusty brown if left out, while a Jet Black horse does not fade at all and is a blue-black color that is truly fade resistant.

Brown

A Brown has a very dark body color, black mane, tail, and points. The body color is almost black with lighter brown coloring at the flanks, behind the hips, and around the muzzle and eyes. Looks a little like a bleached Standard Black.

Buckskin / Dun

The International Buckskin Horse Association recognizes five colors: Buckskin, Grulla, Dun, Red Dun, and Brindle Dun (see below).

Buckskin

Buckskin is a diluted bay, with the black points of a Bay but with a tan body color. Picture a Palomino with black points.

Champagne

A base color diluted with plenty of cream. Champagne horses will retain darker points of a bay, but their body color is a golden cream, resembling coffee with a lot of cream.

Chestnut / Sorrel

A Chestnut has a solid base color of red over the body, mane, and tail, with no dark points. They often have various stripes and stockings (think of the color of a new penny in fur). Sorrel has the same solid body coloring of red but with a flaxen color mane and tail.

Dun

A Dun looks very much like a Buckskin and has black points and a diluted red/tan body color. Duns have an extra feature of a dorsal stripe down the center of the back. Additionally, they often have zebra stripping on the legs and a transverse strip at the withers. Sub-categories:

Red Dun: In place of the black points of a Dun, the Red Dun has red (chestnut) colored points and a creamy body color. Stripping is in red.
Brindle Dun: This coat is just like a brindle coloring of a dog, with dark points and a dorsal stripe.
Grulla (grew-yah): Is a slate brown coat with black points and a dorsal stripe. All Grullas have dark faces.

Palomino

Much like the Sorrel above, a Palomino has a very light cream or white mane and tail, with a yellow, golden, or tan colored body. Palominos have no red coloring in the base coat. For more information: [www.imh.org/imh/bw/palomino#char](http://www.imh.org/imh/bw/palomino#char)

White / Crème

There are no albino horses. White horses have a solid white coat, pink skin, and brown or occasionally blue eyes. Crèmes, like a White horse, have pink skin and usually blue eyes. Crèmes have two coat variations:

Cremello: Like a White horse, this horse has pink skin, with blue eyes, but a cream-colored coat with a white mane and tail.
Perlino: Has pink skin, blue eyes, a cream body with a red tint to the points.

Multi Colored Coats Defined

Appaloosa

An Appaloosa is distinguished by unique coat patterns, white sclera (the white part around the iris of the eye), mottled skin, and striped hooves. Some of the coat patterns include:

Blanket: A solid body color with a white patch/blanket over the hips and rump. May be solid or contain spots.
Leopard Appaloosa: White with colored spots all over, like the cat the name implies.
Varnish: Roaning (mixture of white and colored hair) on the head and some solid spotting.
Snowflake: Solid body with small white spots. The reverse of the flea-bitten Gray.

Gray

Although many may look white, a coat of Gray is made up of white hair mixed with color. Unlike the White, Cremello, or Perlino, the skin is dark, not pink. Grays begin life as a coat of a different color and change to Gray as they age. Grays have a dark muzzle and are often dappled. Many older Grays become "flea-bitten," developing brown spots over the body.

Pinto

Two coat patterns, Tobiano and Overo, are recognized by the Pinto Horse Association of America, Inc. Paint Horses (which must have Paint, Quarter Horse, or Thoroughbred bloodlines) also add the Tovero pattern. All three are displayed on the American Paint Horse Association website: *apha.com/breed/index/*

Tobiano: Pinto pattern with white crossing the spine of the body between the withers and tail. Most have white stockings. May be any base color with pink skin under the white.
Overo: Opposite of the Tobiano, with the base color crossing the spine. Generally solid legs, often have blue eyes.
Tovero: A paint pattern of a white horse with pink skin, having some dark coloring around the ears, mouth, chest, flanks, and base of the tail.

Roan

Roan horses have a mixed coat like a Gray, but are born with the mix, unlike the Gray above. Roan points stay a solid color. Most common are Blue (roan on black), Red (roan on bay), or Strawberry (roan on Chestnut).