Quarter Horses come in a variety of captivating colors and patterns, each with its own unique beauty. From the deep red tones of bay horses to the striking blue eyes of cremellos, these hues can truly mesmerize. In this article, we will explore some of the most common body markings and colors found in Quarter Horses.
Quarter Horses come in a variety of colors and patterns. This article is not an extensive guide on horse colors or markings and only goes over some of the most common markings for the body. Face and leg markings are discussed in Stars and Strips: Common Face and Leg Markings.
Bay
Bay is very similar to chestnut in its base red tones however unlike the chestnut bays have dark brown or black legs, manes, and tails. The bodies of bay horses tend to also stay on the darker end of the red-brown color range. This common color is caused by the allele and agouti genes in a horse that would otherwise have been black.
Black
A true black isn’t nearly as common as dark chestnuts and dark bays. A true black horse will have dark skin and eyes with no red in their coats at all however when sun bleached they will appear very close in color to a liver chestnut or a dark bay more commonly though they will just appear to have a faint rust color to their coats while their mane and tail may appear slightly red.
Brown
Everybody loves chocolate, right? The horses in this color category are a chocolate color void of any black. They range from a medium brown to a dark brown color without any red tints in their coats.
Buckskin
Buckskins are so named due to the color resemblance of certain deer hides when they are tanned. These horses sport a tan or gold body with a black mane, tail, and legs. This color occurs when a dilute gene affects what would have been a bay horse.
Chestnut
Chestnuts have a uniform red-colored coat varying from light red-orange that can be mistaken for a dark palomino to a darker red-brown that seems almost black. With such a wide range of shades for this color, it isn’t surprising that chestnut is one of the most common colors in horses. The mane on this color of horse generally ranges a shade or two lighter than the body or the same shade but in some cases, the mane and tail can be a few shades darker.
Cremello
These horses stand out in a crowd. With their pink skin, cream-colored bodies, white manes, and striking blue eyes they are real head-turners. Cremello horses like Palominos are a diluted form of a chestnut however the Cremello has two dilute genes instead of the single gene that Palominos carry. This is because the Cremello is born of two parents each carrying at least one dilute gene.
Dun
Dun horses are easily identified by their dark legs that often have a zebra-like stripe pattern, black mane and tails, and a dorsal stripe running down the center of their backs. This is caused by a specific dilution gene that can affect both red and black-based horses. This particular gene is different than the one that causes palominos, cremellos, buckskins, and perlinos. Because it is a different gene, horses can be affected by both dilute genes creating dunalinos and dunskins.
Duns have a few variations with the basic dun resembling a buckskin with black points on their ears and sometimes a smokey mask on their faces.
Red Dun
A red dun is a chestnut or sorrel horse affected by the dun gene. While they sport the classic dun markings on their legs and back they don’t have the black points on their ears nor do they have the mask of a classic dun.
Grullo
Grullo is sometimes referred to as a Blue Dun and is the result of the Dun gene on a black horse. These horses have the traditional mask and black points on their ears along with the black mane and tail. As this is a dilute gene on a black horse their bodies are a blue or silver color giving them a unique appearance.
Dunalino
Dunalino occurs when a palomino also has the dun gene.
Dunskin
A dunskin occurs when a buckskin also has the dun gene.
Grey
Unlike many of the other colors, greys are not born grey. A grey horse is often born a different color and turns grey as they age. This happens at different rates for each horse and has varying results. While most grey horses will eventually end up mostly white some will end up with a dappled or flea-bitten pattern depending on how the depigmentation is programmed in their DNA. While most greys only carry a single gene that affects their coloring some can carry two. The gene that causes grey is a dominant gene and therefore one parent must be grey for a foal to possibly be affected by the depigmentation.
Palomino
If you’ve been around horses at all you’ll recognize these golden-haired creatures. Palomino is a diluted form of chestnut causing a pale yellow to the golden body with white to light creme manes. It’s believed that this particular strain of coloring developed in desert regions as a form of camouflage and defense against the heat of the sun. Regardless of where or when they came to be Palomino has been a desired color among the nobility of all cultures. We can’t say we blame them. Palomino is a gorgeous color in all of its shades.
Perlino
Perlino is very similar to cremello however instead of it being a double dilute chestnut they are the result of double dilute in a bay horse resulting in the mane and tail being more of a flaxen color contrasting against their creme body. They also boast the pink skin and blue eyes that cremellos do.
Roan
Roan is a fun pattern that can appear in several colors. Roan is when white and colored hairs are intermixed evenly over the body of a horse but the mane, tail, ears, face, and legs remain unaffected. Unlike grey, roan is present at the time of birth. While roan can affect any color it is most common and visible on Chestnut, Sorrel, Black, and Bay horses.
Red Roan
Red Roan occurs when there is roaning on a chestnut or sorrel.
Blue Roan
Blue roan is the roan factor on a black horse.
Bay Roan
Bay roan is the effects of roaning on a bay.
Sorrel
There has been much debate on if Sorrels and Chestnuts are the same color. If we break it down to the most scientific answer then there seems to be no reason for these debates as genetically they are the same, however, this hasn’t stopped Equine Enthusiasts from trying to separate the terms from each other. One way this is done is by specifying Sorrels as the lighter reds with the flaxen to light red manes and Chestnuts as the darker reds with matching or darker manes. (For more on this debate please check out Chestnut or Sorrel: So Which One is It?)
White
A true white horse is very separate from grey horses and their depigmentation. A true white horse is rare and born white. White horses have pink skin but shouldn’t be confused with an Albino as they sport the traditional dark-colored eyes of the other colors.
Appalousa
The appaloosa markings come in a wide variety of patterns. Listed here are just a few examples.
Spots
This pattern involves large spots across part or all of the horse’s body.
Blanket or snowcap
True to its name this is a “blanket” of white covering the hindquarters and sometimes portions of the back. A variation of this pattern causes the blanket to be riddled with “holes” or spots matching the main body color.
Leopard
The leopard pattern covers the full body in white or pale grey and has darker spots throughout.
Snowflake
The snowflake pattern is when there are white flecks that increase in number and size as the horse ages.
Mottled
White and colored hairs are intermixed creating a mottled appearance.
Pinto
Pinto is the presence of white markings on the body, mane, and tail of a horse. This is different than the white markings of an Appaloosa. Sometimes these markings are referenced by the name of the Paint breed which is well known for these flashy markings.
Overo
Overo markings are often jagged or rough around the edges. These markings rarely go across the back of a horse but are commonly found on the hindquarters, stomach, and neck of a horse. Generally the mane, tail, and legs will remain the base color of the horse while the face will have large white markings such as a medicine hat or a bald face.
Tobiano
Tobiano marking consists of a more rounded shape than Overo markings and can occur anywhere on the body. The head of a horse with Tobiano markings will generally remain the base color of the horse except for normal face markings such as stars and blazes. The mane and tail will often carry the tobiano pattern while the legs are often all white.
Tovero
Tovero occurs when a horse has multiple spotting genes that affect its pattern. These horses often appear all white with varying amounts of spotting across their body, neck, and head. These horses commonly have blue eyes.
Pintaloosa
Pintaloosa is the occurrence of both pinto and appaloosa markings being present on the horse.