HORSE COLORS
Bay
Bay horses run from light shades of brown to dark mahogany and always have black points
(legs, muzzles, tips of ears, manes and tails). Most have a reddish cast to them.
Chestnut
Chestnut horses body color ranges from a light goldish red to a darker, almost
chocolate shade. The legs, mane and tail are about the same color as the body, but never
black. Chestnuts, unlike bays, do not have black points.
Black
Black horses are not so easy to find. Some bays and chestnuts can be so dark that they
look black, but they have brown or white hairs on their bodies. True black horses have ALL
black bodies including heads, limbs, manes and tails. And by far are my favorite
Dun/Buckskin
Dun and Buckskin horses body color range from light yellow to dark brown. The mane,
tail and points are all dark, even black. They also have a dorsal stripe (a stripe down
their back) and primitive markings (zebra-like stripes on their legs).
Roan
Roans have a basic coat color (bay, chestnut or black) with gray or white hairs mixed
evenly over the body. These are 3 major types of roans:
White
White horses have pink skin and a pink muzzle. They are born with a white coat. Also
called Albino, many people confuse most gray horses with white horses.
Gray
Most gray horses are born dark and begin to lighten with age. Some have what are called
dapples (circle-like markings in their coat). They basically look gray.
Palomino
Palomino horses have gold coats, varying from a dark gold coin color to a dull gold.
Their manes and tails are silver, white or cream and no more than 15% of their bodies can
be dark hair.
Painted
Artist
