Breeds and Coat Colors

Brown

(Most common mislabeled color) Similar to bay, but has more black areas and has redish shades around the muzzle, eyes, flank, and buttocks. Often called black due to how dark the coat is. An easy way to distinguish a brown horse is if they have a redish color around there muzzle.

Liver chestnut

A chestnut horse that has a very dark body and often have a light mane and tail.

Flaxen

A chestnut with light or blonde colored mane and tail.

Champagne

A dominant gene that dilutes black hair to brown and red hair to gold. They have dusty pink skin with freckles, amber eyes, and a metallic sheen to their coat. Chestnut horses turn to gold, bays turn to amber, dark brown turn to sable, and black horses are the classic Champagne look.

Porcelain Gray

A gray horse that has completely whit hairs.

Rabicano

A horse that has roaning that forms stripes up and down the barrel and tail head. these are not true roans.

Cremello

A light creamy body with white mane & tail. Cremello horses have two copies of the diluted gene instead of just one.

Pinto

A pinto is a horse that has patches of white. These patches can be very small, or so large that the horse is more white than color! The pinto patterns include tobiano, frame overo, splashed white, sabino, and the rare manchado.

Appaloosa

A popular breed of horse, the Appaloosa, has very distinct color patterns. The Appaloosa has many different coat patterns including blanket, snow cap, leopard, few spot leopard, snowflake, and varnish roan. The clear coat pattern, striped hooves, and white sclera of the eye are all distinguishing features of horses with Appaloosa coloring

Bay

A red horse with black points with black points

Chestnut / sorrel

A red horse; red refers to the gene of the horse. There are many different shade of chestnut.

White

A true white horse has pink skin and brown eyes

Appaloosa

Appaloosa horses have four distinguishing characteristics: a spotted coat pattern, mottled skin, vertically striped hooves, and a while sclera (outer ring) around the eye. They are often considered a stock type breed, however they will vary in size and muscling due to the introduction of other breeds. Typically they are 14.2-15.2 hands and can have a wide variety of colors and coat patterns, leopard and blanket are the most identifiable and common.

Arabian

Appaloosa horses have four distinguishing characteristics: a spotted coat pattern, mottled skin, vertically striped hooves, and a while sclera (outer ring) around the eye. They are often considered a stock type breed, however they will vary in size and muscling due to the introduction of other breeds. Typically they are 14.2-15.2 hands and can have a wide variety of colors and coat patterns, leopard and blanket are the most identifiable and common.

Gray

Born a solid color, have black skin, and get lighter with age. Any coat color can turn gray if the have gray gene. As they get older white hairs slowly replace the dominant color. Some horses gray faster than others.

Chincoteague Pony

Descendants of horses that survived the shipwreck of a Spanish ship. These ponies live on Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. They range in size from 13-15 hands and are usually pinto in color. They are unique in that they eat seagrass and drink small amounts of seawater, leaving them slightly bloated. The book "Misty of Chincoteague" by Marguerite Henry helped make these ponies famous across the nation.

Peral

Diluted golden color with dark golden or hazel eyes. Pearl horses have two copies of the cream gene.

Donkeys and Mules

Donkeys are domesticated members of the horse family. They have been pack animals for over 5,000 years but now they are popular riding animals and pets. When you cross a male donkey, called a jack, with a female horse (mare), you get a mule. Mules are also popular mounts. They are typically sterile, meaning they can't have their own offspring. If you breed a male horse (stallion) to a female donkey (called a jenny) you don't get a mule. This cross is called a hinny!

Roan

Even mixture of white hairs mixed with a base coat. Roaning often happens in the neck and body, leaving the mail, tail , and lower legs the base color.

Perlino

Light body with golden points. The perlino is a double diluted bay or buckskin colored horse.

Buckskin

Light cream or golden body with black points. Buckskins are a dilution of bay with the cream gene.

Palomino

Light cream, golden, to chocolate colored body with flaxen mane and tail. Palominos are a chestnut horse with the dilute gene plus a cream gene.

American Quarter Horse

Originally referred to as "steeldusts", these horses were later changed into the Quarter Horse, because of their ability to race a quarter of a mile faster than any other breed. They are registered through the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). They can range in size from 14-17 hands, usually around 15 hands. They come in 13 association recognized colors. Defining characteristics of the quarter horse include, a short and broad head, short ears, large eyes, wide nostrils, and a calm disposition. They are known for short, compact, and very powerful muscling ,allowing for faster speed gain in shorter distances.

American Miniature Horse

Originally used as pets for the kings and queens or used in the coal mines as "pit ponies." At birth, they are around 18 inches in height and 15- 30 lbs. As an adult, they can mature to around 200-300 lbs and cannot exceed 34 inches to be registered.

Paso Fino

Paso Finos are a smaller breed, ranging from 13- 15.2 hands and can come in a wide variety of colors. They have a natural, smooth, rhythmic purposeful gait that is straight and balanced. They were brought to America by Christopher Columbus.

Bay Silver

Reddish body color with the black points being diluted.

Chocolate

Rich chocolatey color, often with a flaxen mane and tail. Chocolate horses are black with the dilute gene. The mane and tail are often flaxen, so these horses are sometimes called chocolate flax.

American Paint Horse

The American Paint Horse Association (APHA) registers foals of registered paints, quarter horses or thoroughbreds and meet the color requirements. If a horse has paint markings but they or their parents are unregistered they are considered pintos. They are distinguished by the patterns of colored hair and white hair, to describe these patterns, there are three different types basic types. These types are tobiano, overo, or tovero, and are based on where the markings are located. While they register several different breeds, they are still considered stock type horses and are usually between 14.2 and 16.2 hands.

American Saddlebred

The American Saddlebreds are able to perform 3 gaits or 5 gaits. If they are 5 gaited, they will slow gait and rack, in addition to walk, trot and canter (lope.) Originally, they were known as "Kentucky Saddler Horses." On average they are 15.3 hands but range from 15-17 hands. They have a refined head and small ears, a long neck with considerable arch and the withers should be above the hips. They come in bay, black, brown, roan, gray, palomino, buckskin, spotted (pinto), and most commonly chestnut (sorrel).

Shetland Pony

The Shetland Pony is a small, tough, hardy and extremely strong pony. Originally from the Shetland Island, they have been recognized as the strongest equine compared to their size. In the 1800's they were used as "Pit-Ponies" because of their strength. Shetland Ponies cannot exceed 42 inches and can be any color except spotted (but they can be pinto). Once the Shetland Pony came to America, they started cross-breeding with the Welsh and Hackney and developed a new breed.

Standardbred

The Standardbred horse while mainly being used in harness racing (trotters and pacers) have a reputation for being "bomb-proof" making them good police horses or solid family trail horses. They have a good work ethic and a willing, docile temperament. The average Standardbred is 15-16 hands, a less refined head, well muscled but can be a longer in the body. Bay, black, and brown are the most predominant colors.

Welsh Pony

The Welsh Ponies come in four distinct types all under one registry. Section A Welsh Mountain Pony, Section B Welsh Pony, Section C Welsh Pony of Cob Type, Section D Welsh Cob. All Welsh ponies, no matter the section, have a slightly dished face, with small, well set ears. They have quick action, are very sure-footed with dense hooves. They can be any color but pinto.

Black

The coat is completely black (no red hairs). Not very common to see a completely black coat. An easy way to distinguish a black horse is if the muzzle is completely black even if the whole coat isn't.

Morgan

The compact, muscular, refined bodies, chiseled face with expressive eyes are the notable characteristics of the Morgan horse. They look very similar to their foundation sire, Justin Morgan. Stylish, spirited gaits and upheadedness are characteristic of their movement. They average 14.2-15.2 hands, most commonly they are bay, brown, chestnut (sorrel), or black but can be buckskin, palomino or gray

Dun

The oldest color of horses, characterized by a tan base color with a dorsal stripe along the spine, bars or zebra stripes on the legs, and a dark mane and tail.

Pony of the Americas

The two unique and defining characteristics of the Pony of America (POA), is their short stature, 46-56 inches and their Appaloosa like markings (a spotted coat pattern, mottled skin, vertically striped hooves, and a while sclera (outer ring) around the eye). The color patterns include snowflake, frost, blanket, leopard, white with dark spots over rump, marbleized roan and few spot leopard. The blanket pattern is the most common. They are known for their gentle disposition, durability and intelligence.

Tenneesee Walking Horse

This breed was developed for it's smooth gaits and gentleness. They have three unique gaits, the flat foot walk, running walk, and "rocking chair" canter (lope). Tennessee walking horses can range in size from 14.2-17 hands, but are often around 15 hands. They come in many colors, including, bay, black, chestnut (sorrel), palomino, white, gray, or even spotted (pinto). They have two characteristics while moving, the head moves in rhythm with the cadence of it's feet and they over stride (the rear feet overstep the prints of the front feet).

Falabella Miniature Horse

This is a type and separate breed within the miniatures. They are bred out of Argentina and come in a wide variety of colors, and average 24- 34 inches.

Thoroughbred

Typically thoroughbreds stand 15.2-17 hands and have an angular appearance with a long body and deep chest. Throughout history, they have been called "blood horses." They can be bay, brown, gray, roan, chestnut or black. Most often, they start their careers at the race track.

Brindle

Verticle, irregular, stripes over the horses body. Any base color can also be brindle. Brindle coloring is fairly rare in horses, but occurs in some dogs and cattle, amongst other species, frequently!

what are the five types of roan?

chestnut = Red Roan (sometimes called strawberry roan) (Common) Bay = Bay Roan (common) Black = Blue Roan (common) Liver Chestnut = Lilac Roan Palomino = Honey Roan

Mushroom

most commonly found in Shetland ponies, they have an earthy, cooltoned brown body.

Wildbay

when black point on legs don't extend up the fetlock.