Basic Coat Color

I know there is a plethora of information out there on coat color and color genetics. However, as I peruse for sale ads, there are many misidentified colors. Even though color should not be the first criteria used for finding a horse, we all have our preferences. It’s always frustrating to go look at an advertised sorrel that turns out to be bay.
There are some breed specific colors that I do not know much about (silver dapple, metallic on the akhal-teke, etc…).
If those colors are your forte, please let us know about them.

My first thread will just cover the basic colors.

The horse’s points. Knowing where the points are is important for identifying color. The points are the mane, tail, lower legs, and ear tips.

* I have taken pictures from various selling websites. If your horse is here and you would like it removed, please send me an email.

Sorrel/Chestnut
From a genetic standpoint, these are the same color. Many references claim sorrel was the “western” term and chestnut was the “english” term. Some say a sorrel is lighter and a chestnut is darker. I don’t know if either is true as other references disagree.
A sorrel/chestnut horse has a red coat color with non-black points. The mane can be lighter (flaxen or ruan), the same (alazan), or darker (tostado) than the body color. I run across ads that frequently refer to sorrels with flaxen manes and tails as palominos.

Genetically, a sorrel/chestnut is:
ee _ _

The blanks represent the agouti or “A” gene. In a sorrel/chestnut, the ee hides what is in the agouti slot. It could be AA, Aa, or aa. Without genetic testing or having more information about the parentage and/or offspring you cannot determine the A status by appearance. Sorrels can be

eeAA, eeAa, or eeaa.

Because sorrel/chestnut is homozygous, breeding two together will always result in a sorrel/chestnut foal.



Bay
The body color of a bay horse can range from light to dark brown and can have reddish undertones. If the points are black, the horse is considered to be bay. Many brown horses and even some black horses are actually bay. Different breed registries sometimes categorize and name different shades of bay (blood bay, mahogany bay, dark bay).



Genetically a bay is:
E_ A_

A bay must have at least one E and one A. What is in the other position does not matter. The other genetic choices are Ee Aa, EE Aa, EEAA, or EeAA.


Brown
Typically, brown is lumped in with bay genetically. In a brown horse, the lower legs are brown instead of black and the mane and tail are brown. Pictures of brown horses have not been easy to find. Most are actually bay if you look at the lower legs. It could be argued that the horse in the first picture is a bay displaying the “pangare” or mealy trait.

According to http://www.horsecolor.us/ , there is now a test for brown. However, other sites deny the existence of such as test.



Genetically, brown is (according to the above mentioned site):
E_ At_

So a brown horse can be EE AtAt, EE Ata, Ee AtAt, or Ee Ata


Black
A black horse must also have black points. They can fade in the summer or if left outside but their points will remain black. If the points are a lighter color, the horse is most likely a bay or brown.


Genetically, a black horse is:
E_ aa

There must be one E present and both agouti loci must be recessive aa. The two genetic choices for a black horse are EE aa or Ee aa. A true homozygous black horse is EE aa. They will not always produce black when bred to non homozygous black horses. To guarantee black, you would have to breed two horses with EE aa.

Picking that Perfect Stallion

Foaling season is right around the corner and all of the major breed publications are inundating us with stallion ads. So many choices, but how do you pick the right one for your mare?

Here are my criteria for stallions:

1. Suitability of type to the prospective mare
Basically, is the stallion's conformation similar to your mare so that they will complement each other? Breeding opposites hoping the foal will come out just right rarely works.

2. Conformation
Does not have to be perfect (there is no perfect horse) but it does have to be correct. No glaring faults.

3. Performance record
Breeding to a stallion with any kind of performance record will help with the marketability of the foal.

4. Temperment
Even though I have put this at number 4, I do believe nasty stallions can pass on nasty temperment. Definitely not worth it if you can avoid it. Keeping in mind that everyone has their own view of "bad" behavior and what they are willing to put up with.

5. What does he already have on the ground versus what I want my foal to do?
Definitely a bonus if you can see older horses by the stallion. Are they what you are looking for?

6. Quality of the mare
Don't breed a $500 mare to a stallion with a $5000 stud fee. Look for a stallion at the same quality level or a slightly higher quality level. If you're set on the Peptoboonsmal breeding but have a $500 mare, save up and buy a better mare.

7. Stud fee
Set a stud fee you can reasonably afford. Don't forget, there will be on average, another $200 to $500 in additional charges on the stallion end and $100 to $400 on your end.


Now, what are yours?

Purpose of this Blog

I would like for this blog to become a source of positive, productive, and cooperative information about all things horse.

Sharing what you know or have experienced concerning each topic is encouraged.