Quarter Horse Coat Colors
July 18, 2011
Learn all of the approved American Quarter Horse colors and the infinite possibilities for your future foals.
Learn the difference between a buckskin and a dun, a red roan and a blue roan, a cremello and a perlino and many more. Download AQHA’s Free Coat Color Genetics report today.
This stylish, full-color report is loaded with easy-to-understand coat-color genetics information, with explanations of each of the 17 AQHA recognized colors.
This report is helpful when determining a new foal’s color, and it’s great for science projects and school reports.
Full-color photos of horses with all 17 colors will help you train your eye and become a coat-color expert.
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Comments
46 Comments on “Quarter Horse Coat Colors”
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March 12th, 2010 at 12:02 am
Why is there no information included on the silver dapple dilute gene ‘z’. I have a stallion with this gene and find it hard to promote when it is not even recognized by AQHA.
March 15th, 2010 at 10:08 am
Thank you for you e-mail, and the answer to your question on the silver dapple dilution can be found on the website in Americas Horse Daily under Rich Colors. The silver dapple dilution is a modifying dilute gene which affects only black pigment. When a black horse has the silver modifier, its body color will range from a silvery gray to a dark chocolate color. A bay horse carrying the silver dilution will maintain its body color because the silver doesn’t affect the red pigment. However, the bay horse’s points will turn a diluted color from a dark gray to pale silver, often confused with liver chestnuts with flaxen manes. The silver dapple is a dominant gene; a horse carrying this dilution has a 50% chance of passing the color to its offspring.
AQHA does not recognize the silver dapple dilution as a separate color, but it can be noted on their papers if its presence can be verified by photos, pedigree and/or testing. AQHA first recognized the modifier in 2002.
Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
April 28th, 2010 at 7:37 am
My buckskin mare was bred to my Chestnut stallion. Her first foal from a Sorrel stallion was a palomino. This morning she had her foal, a stud colt. He appears to be chestnut, but is so light in color I’m not certain what he will be. He has pink around the eyes, I can send you a photo if you’d like. Do you think he will darken? Or remain very pale red? If he does stay pale red, what color is that?
Thank you,
Sharon
April 28th, 2010 at 8:00 am
Thanks for your question Sharon! This is the time of year we need patience. It is possible your new foal is a palomino, but one starting out “pink” or “peach” in color. Not all palominos begin life with this strange pink coloration, but some do. It is also possible the foal is a very light sorrel and will darken. Some sorrel horses are more of a pale golden red instead of the deeper shade of red, and will have a lot of flaxen hair in the mane and tail. Time will tell. When the colt sheds his foal hair and you are still unsure you are welcome to contact our office and talk with either myself or Lisa Covey.
May 31st, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Can you get a Grulla from a bay mare and a palamino stud? We had a filly this week that is the exact description of a Grulla but have been told that this is impossible from this combination without the dun gene in one parent. Is this correct? Could the mare be registered incorrectly as she seems to have a faint dorsal stripe?
Thanks,
Melissa
June 2nd, 2010 at 8:57 am
Melissa,
Thank you for your question. Based on the description you have given, the filly may be black. Black foals do appear grullo, smoky or silvery at birth. The dun dilution is a dominate gene and does not skip generations, therefore your filly cannot be grullo without a parent carrying the dun dilution.
Sincerely,
Debbie Black or Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
October 21st, 2010 at 10:57 am
I was wondering if any body would tell me what color foal would a black stallion and a sorrel mare make? please help me.
October 21st, 2010 at 11:57 am
Andrew,
Thank you for your e-mail and to answer your question your foal’s coat color possibilities are black, bay, sorrel or chestnut.
However there is a remote chance the black horse could carry a crème dilution. Giving that I don’t know the background of the black horse you are asking about I would have to say there is a very rare possibility of a buckskin or palomino.
Debbie Black or Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
October 23rd, 2010 at 12:50 pm
What about Dunalino I feel this is major color that should have it’s own color as if you were to put the horse Palomino than when it goes on and throws Dun or Red Dun a lot of people say well how can this be if the parent was Palomino and the same goes if you put Red Dun and they throw Palomino or a Buckskin people say how can this be from a Red Dun.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
Hi, I have an AQHA red roan, wondering what to breed her to to get something flashy. Any ideas?
March 10th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
I have a dun mare that is getting ready ti foal she is is bred to a solid bay paint stud. His mother is a sorrel and his dad was a colored brown and white paint. I have no idea what her parents were. But she had one foal before we got her that was a colored paint. Any idea what she will throw?? Im very anxious to see her foal should be due to come next week!!
April 12th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
I have a buckskin paint mare bred to a solid sorrel stud. What color will i get? I have noticed if he is bred to a palimino or buckskin he will throw a palimino or a grey but if bred to a sorrel or bay you will get sorrel black or bay.
April 16th, 2011 at 12:45 am
What color would I get if I bred my grulla mare ( sire grullo, dam dun, sire’s sire black, sire’s dam grulla, dam’s sire black, dam’s dam buckskin) to a palomino son of Hollywood Dunit?
April 25th, 2011 at 8:19 am
Brigette,
Thank you for your e-mail and to answer your question the colors you are wanting to breed would not result in gray or roans. Keep in mind any of the other colors are possible which also include your combination colors such as buckskin/dun or palomino/dun.
Debbie Black or Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
April 25th, 2011 at 8:27 am
Shelby,
Thank you for your e-mail and to answer your question.By breeding your buckskin paint to sorrel the color possibilities could be sorrel, chestnut, bay, brown, black, palomino or buckskin and all could have the paint characteristics.
Debbie Black or Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
May 1st, 2011 at 10:48 am
Hello! I was wondering what I may get out of my grulla mare that was bred to a sorrel paint. Not sure on the color of the sire and damn of these two. Just looking to get an idea of what my mare may have. Hoping for a grulla paint but I doubt that’s possible!
Thank you
May 2nd, 2011 at 7:33 am
Ashley,
Thank you for your e-mail. To answer your question and assuming that your grullo mare (is a true black diluted dun) being bred to your sorrel paint, the foals coat color possibilities are grullo, black, dun, bay, red dun, sorrel or chestnut.
Debbie Black or Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
May 29th, 2011 at 5:12 pm
We are thinking of breeding our Paint Overo with a buckskin Andalusion. What color foal might we get?
Thank you
May 31st, 2011 at 2:57 pm
I bred my bay mare to a red roan stallion and I’m not sure what color the foal is! He is reddish with white hairs underneath and on his legs. He does have a faint dorsal stripe as well. He is beginning to shed a little around his eyes, but the color doesn’t seem to be changing. Can you tell me what color I should register him as?
Thanks!
May 31st, 2011 at 5:47 pm
I have a black stud bred from a mustang mare and quarter horse stud. Is it possible to register my horse?
June 4th, 2011 at 1:30 am
Hello
I have an appendix mare that, although registered as sorrel, is actually a rabicano roan (mostly red, however light roaning at the flanks, top of the tail aka typical coon tail, a few random gray hairs here & there throughout her body & chin but hardly noticeable) with medium width blaze. Her sire is “First Wrangler”, a black QH, who’s sire was sorrel. Her mother is “Crafty Ann”, a TB who’s colour I am unaware of, but know that her parents were bay & chestnut. I am planning to breed my sorrel rabicano roan to registered palomino QH “Frenchman’s Guy” who’s sire was also palomino (“Sun Frost”) & dam was chestnut. What colour might the foal turn out to be? She has never foaled before. What would the colour result in if I bred her to the buckskin “A Smooth Guy”, the son of palomino “Frenchman’s Guy”, instead? Thank you so much for your help!
June 5th, 2011 at 7:42 am
I bred my buckskin (who is registered with the AQHA as a dun) to a sorrel stallion. To me her foal is buckskin which is what I put on the registration papers. Now AQHA is telling me that I can’t possibly have a buckskin. Filly has no stripes whatsoever. She is buckskin with black legs, mane and tail. Mare is a dappled buckskin with no dorsal stripe, no zebra markings.
June 11th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
My mare is about to throw her third colt. she is a dark Gruello and her mate is nearly all white [black spot on ankle may be a paint], if her parents were black and gruello and his were all white and palimino, what color should i expect this foalt to be?
thanks!
July 22nd, 2011 at 3:45 pm
I have a very light palomino mare, she is almost white in the winter and sheds out a little darker with dapples – but still has white and cream hairs through her coat. She was bred to a bay dun. The filly was born looking like a light bay with black smudges over her shoulders, along her neck and around her rump and legs. Her mane was black and her tail was mostly black with white/cream around the outside. She is shedding off around her eyes and muzzle a very deep chocolate and where she was nipped is coming in almost black – her mane has turned chocolate and her tail has a lot of white in it… just wondering – what might she end up being – as I am not sure what to register her as.
July 27th, 2011 at 9:15 am
Linda,
Thank you for your e-mail and to answer your question, from the description the color possiblity is bay. I would let the foal shed to know the truer color. If you are still unsure at the time of registration feel free to contact us.
Debbie Black or Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
August 13th, 2011 at 11:32 am
I have the choice to choose from a Dunalino filly. The sire is a golden palamino and the dam is a dun. The filly is rare she has brown markings on the ankles and a light brown line on the back a sort of grey mouth and blonde hair and palamino body. or i can get a chestnut Quarter yearling two socks and a blaze light brown hair. its soo hard to choose from these two there both calm and confident for 1500 each the dunalino will take more time and work but when i meet her i was the first stanger to pet her she got used to me in 15 min i was walking and woeing her
August 21st, 2011 at 7:11 am
Hi, newbie here. Have a registered palomino/overo paint mare I’m wanting to breed to a registered chestnut quarter horse. He has a pretty stripe and maybe one white ankle. Any guesses on what to expect for color on the foal?? Thanks.
August 23rd, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Laurie,
Thank you for your e-mail and to answer your question; the only coat color possiblities breeding a palomino/overo mare and chestnut stallion are palomino or chestnut/sorrel.
Debbie Black or Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
August 27th, 2011 at 8:10 am
I have a true dark liver chestnut stallion that comes from liver chestnut stock and consistantly throws liver chestnut coloring. As the liver chestnut color can be verified thru testing and is markedly different than the standard chestnut colors, if I have his color testing done and verified can I have his AQHA registration papers changed to state that he is indeed a true liver chestnut and not just a chestnut. The liver chestnut gene is unique and I believe should be recognized for this. Also I have filly that is liver chestnut roan and had to be registered as a red roan when she is not red at all. She is the very same dark liver as her sire only with a roaned coat. She is extremely striking in appearance and deserves to have real color also appropriately marked on her papers. Can this be done if I have the testings done?
August 31st, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Elizibeth,
Thank you for your e-mail and to answer your question; we have contacted Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California and there is no known genetic difference between chestnut, sorrel and liver chestnut.
There are many genetic modifiers on the coat colors of the American Quarter Horse, as well as other breeds, and these may cause a specific color to have different shades or variations. For example, one sorrel horse may be copper red with the same color mane and tail, but another sorrel may appear paler red with a flaxen mane and tail. D. Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, PhD., is a renowned geneticist, and in his book Equine Color Genetics, he states, “Modifications caused by shade are most notable on red background colors, such as bay or chestnut. Red pigment can vary from light and nearly yellow to dark and almost purple, brown, and nearly black.”
Based on the above, AQHA would register your horse as chestnut. Keep in mind AQHA has the ability of printing a color photograph on the Certificate of Registration if this would help you make sure you include a good 3/4 view of the horse showing its true color.
Debbie Black or Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
October 25th, 2011 at 12:55 am
Hi there, regarding Lisa’s comment above about no genetic difference between chestnut, sorrel and liver chestnut. I have come across many websites that talk of liver chestnut as both genotypically different and not different to normal chestnuts and sorrels. For example this article- http://animalscience.tamu.edu/images/pdf/equine/equine-genetics-equine-coat-color.pdf -describes all three as having different genotypes. How do you decide who has the correct information? I understand that the Genetics Lab at the University of California would be a reputable source of information but this article also appears quite reliable.
I am breeding my chestnut mare (we don’t use the term sorrel in NZ) with a black stallion and have been looking for reliable indications of what the foal’s coat colour will be. Apparently the stallion has only produced black, bay, and liver chestnut foals. The stallion has only black and liver chestnut heritage from the research I have done.
Chelsea
October 26th, 2011 at 8:32 am
Chelsea,
Thank you for your e-mail.
In a general sense, the color red is all the same, the absence of black. Different modifiers may affect the color red to give the different shades we all call “liver chestnut”, chestnut, sorrel, blond or flaxen sorrel and others. However, red horses may be homozygous or heterozygous for the agouti gene which will make a difference in breeding a red horse to a black. Also since the black stallion has red offspring we know he is heterozygous for the black gene, and all blacks have no agouti gene, which we do not know about the chestnut mare.
You might look at the Animal Genetics website as they have an equine coat calculator which might be helpful. When I ran the calculator on breeding a chestnut (unknown agouti) to a heterozygous black (no agouti) the results are 50% chestnut, 25% bay and 25% black.
Debbie Black or Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:33 am
I have a bay champagne filly.she looks dun or buckskin with the dilution. She does not look bay. What color should she be registered as?
November 4th, 2011 at 6:44 pm
I have a chestnut mare with a very dark mane and tail, almost appears black. She has sooty marks on her lower legs and hind quarters also. I am thinking of breeding her to a red dun or a cremello stud. I know with the cremello I would get a palomino, which I really want but am curious as to what the possibilities with the red dun. I think that he is homozygous for the dun gene but am not sure.
November 11th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Hello Debbie,
Thank you for your e-mail.
To answer your question, by breeding your chestnut to a red dun you coat color possibilities are sorrel/chestnut or red dun. If the red dun is homozygous dun then the only color you will get is red dun.
Debbie Black or Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
November 29th, 2011 at 1:01 am
I have a Friesian Stallion with a chestnut dilute gene. What are the possibilities of breeding a half Friesian that is a blue roan? And how if possible would this be accomplished?
December 12th, 2011 at 11:47 pm
Hi, could anybody tell me what I would get if I bred my buckskin mare to a red dun stallion?
December 13th, 2011 at 8:36 am
Kelsey,
Thank you for your e-mail. The highest probability would be dun, buckskin or bay. The lower possibilities would be red dun, palomino or chestnut. Very rare possibilities would be grullo or black.
Debbie Black or Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
December 19th, 2011 at 10:26 pm
Hi my name is Rowdy, i’m 11 and I have a dapple gray mare. She is bred to a Sorrell stallion in the Trashadaus bloodline I’m really excited to know what color the baby might be. please help me. Thank you and Merry Christmas
December 21st, 2011 at 2:30 am
If I bread a stud with homozygous black gene to a palomino (test not rec’d back yet), her mom was a chestnut, both her dad and grandfather were palomino. What color types could be possible in the foal?
January 5th, 2012 at 9:08 am
Rowdy,
Thank you for your e-mail and to answer your question, without knowing the genetic background of the gray horse I would say your possiblity is sorrel with a 50% chance of turning gray.
Debbie Black or Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
January 5th, 2012 at 10:22 am
Denisel,
Thank you for your e-mail and to answer your question, your color probability would be bay, brown, black, buckskin or smoky black.
Debbie Black or Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
January 10th, 2012 at 9:18 am
Hi I am breeding a dark bay mare (Josie Do Good) Her sire (First Wrangler) was black and her mom ( Romance N Dreams)is a regular bay to a Palomino stallion Bug In My Frosty this spring, I was wondering your thoughts on possible color of foal. We are very excited and most importantly praying for a healthy foal but it is fun guessing color possibilities!! Thanks
January 10th, 2012 at 2:04 pm
Kristi,
Thank you for your e-mail and to answer your question your highest possibilities would be bay or buckskin. You could also get a sorrel/chestnut, palomino, black or smoky black.
Debbie Black or Lisa Covey
Equine Color Specialist
January 11th, 2012 at 8:09 am
Thanks!!!
January 27th, 2012 at 6:16 pm
Hi,
Can you tell me why AQHA hasn’t recognized the silver dapple ‘Z’ gene? I formerly owned brown silver AQHA stallion and started http://www.SilverEquine.com. I have also bred 4 silver AQHA foals.
Since the silver gene is a dilution / modifying gene like cream, champagne, grulla, dun, etc. and those are recognized by AQHA, is there something we need to do or submit in order to get it recognized as an AQHA color?
Thanks!
Monique