Quarter Horse Coat Colors
February 8, 2010
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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6 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