Courtney T. Shumpert, DVM
(Source: The American Quarter Horse Association)
There are many possibilities when it comes to a horse's color. Coat color becomes extremely important when it defines into which breed or association a horse may be registered. For example, the American Quarter Horse Association
(AQHA) recognizes 13 coat colors, which will be defined below. Horses that do not fall within these 13 colors may not be recognized or registered as an American Quarter Horse. Some examples of this would be Paint and Appaloosa horses. These animals have their own registries and guidelines regarding color. (I will address the Paint Horse and Pinto Associations and their guidelines in a future article.)
The 13 coat colors recognized by the AQHA are: sorrel, black, bay, brown, grullo, chestnut, red roan, blue roan, dun, red dun, gray, palomino, and buckskin.
They are defined as follows:
Sorrel: Body color is reddish or copper-red. The mane and tail are usually the same color as the body, but may be flaxen (very light; almost white in color.
Black: Body color is a true black without any light areas. The mane and tail are black.
Bay: Body color ranges from tan, through red, to reddish-brown. The mane and tail are black. The lower legs are usually black as well.
Brown: Body color is brown or black with light areas around muzzle, eyes, flank, and inside upper legs. The mane, tail, and points are black.
Grullo: Body color is smoky or mouse-colored (not a mixture of black and white hairs, but each hair mouse-colored.) The mane and tail are black. The lower legs are usually black. There is usually a dorsal stripe.
Chestnut: Body color is dark red or brownish-red. The mane and tail are usually dark red or brownish-red, but may be flaxen.
Red roan: Nearly uniform mixture of white with red hairs on the body, but usually darker on head and lower legs. Red roans can have a red, black, or flaxen mane and/or tail.
Blue roan: Nearly uniform mixture of white and black hairs on the body, but usually darker on the head and lower legs. Blue roans can have a few red hairs in the mixture.
Dun: Body color is yellowish or gold. The mane and tail may be black, brown, or mixed. Duns usually have a dorsal stripe, zebra stripes on legs, and transverse stripes over the withers.
Red dun: A variation of dun with body color yellowish or flesh-colored. The mane, tail, and dorsal stripe are usually red. The mane and tail may be flaxen, white, or mixed.
Gray: Mixture of white with any other colored hairs. Grays are often born solid colored or almost solid colored and get lighter with age as more white hairs appear.
Palomino: Body color a golden yellow. The mane and tail are white. Palominos do not have dorsal stripes.
Buckskin: Body color yellowish or gold. The mane and tail are black, and there is usually black on the lower legs. Buckskins do not have dorsal stripes.
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