Colors and Markings of Horses Presentation Part 2: Variations in Colors #8892-B

Variations in Colors In addition to the five basic coat colors, six major variations to these coat colors exist. These variations are: -Dun (Buckskin) -Gray -Palomino -Paint (Pinto) -Roan -Appaloosa

Dun (Buckskin) Dun and buckskin colors are modifications of the bay color pattern. Dun and buckskin colors are both characterized by black mane, tail, and points. Photo Courtesy of: Harmon Quarter Horses

Dun (Buckskin) A dun or buckskin horse may show a dark strip down its back and across its shoulders. Dark stripes may also extend across the forearms of dun and buckskin horses. Photo Courtesy of: Flickr

Dun (Buckskin) The body color of dun and buckskin horses range from a pale yellow to a dirty canvas color. The body color of a dun is darker than that of a buckskin horse. The “grulla” or “grullo” dun horse has a smooth blue-gray or a gray-brown mouse color with dark points. Photo Courtesy of: Bedonna’s Performance Horses Photo Courtesy of: Grulla Blue.com Example of a Buckskin Horse Example of a Grullo Horse

Gray A gray horse has a mixture of black and white hairs. Gray horses have dark skins, compared to the pink skin of white horses. Gray horses are born dark and lighten with age. Photo Courtesy of: Study Blue.com

Gray A “flea-bitten” gray is basically white with small specks of dark hairs all over the body. Photo Courtesy of: Free Webs.com

Gray A “dapple” gray has dark hairs arranged in circular patterns on the white base. Photo Courtesy of: Tumblr

Palomino A palomino horse is a golden color, with a light colored mane and tail. The mane and tail can be white, silver, or ivory. Photo Courtesy of: Wet Canvas

Paint (Pinto) The paint or pinto horse is characterized by irregular colored and white areas. Paint and pinto horses have 3 color patterns: -Tobiano -Tovero -Overo There are also 2 different colors for paint and pinto horses: -Piebald -Scewbald

Paint (Pinto) A black and white colored paint is called a piebald. Photo Courtesy of: Larry Larson

Paint (Pinto) A horse that has a different color than black mixed with white is considered a skewbald. Photo Courtesy of: Wikipedia

Paint (Pinto) In a tobiano patterned paint horse, the white color extends downward over the horses back. Photo Courtesy of: American Paint Horse Association

Paint (Pinto) In the tovero patterned paint horse, the white color covers the majority of the horse’s body and the darker color will be around the ears, mouth, chest, and flank areas. Photo Courtesy of: American Paint Horse Association

Paint (Pinto) In the overo patterned paint horse, the white extends up from the belly and legs towards the back but does not cross the back as it can in the tovero and tobiano patterns. Photo Courtesy of: American Paint Horse Association

Roan A roan horse has a mixture of white and colored hairs. A roan horse is born roan and stays the same color throughout its life. Photo Courtesy of: Straight From The Horses Mouth 2 You

Roan A blue roan is a mixture of black and white hairs. It is sometimes hard to tell the difference between a blue roan and a gray horse, but the difference is that a blue roan does not lighten as it ages and a gray horse does. Photo Courtesy of: KK Livestock

Roan White hairs mixed with bay colored hairs creates a red roan. A strawberry roan is a chestnut or sorrel horse with white hairs mixed in with the colored hairs. Example of Red Roan Example of Strawberry Roan Photo Courtesy of: Horse Grooming Supplies Photo Courtesy of: Giles Ranch Co

Appaloosa Appaloosa horses have a variety of spotting patterns. The main 2 patterns of an appaloosa are: -Blanket pattern -Leopard pattern

Appaloosa A blanket pattern is a solid or spotted white area over the hips with a contrasting base color. Photo Courtesy of: White Horse Productions

Appaloosa The leopard color pattern is a white coat with colored spots all over the body of the horse. Photo Courtesy of: Horses Media Drift