Basic Colors

The following is a description of the basic colors of horses.

Gray: mixture of white with any other colored hairs, often born solid-colored or almost solid-colored and gets lighter with age as more white hairs appear.

Black: body color true black without light area: mane and tail black.

Bay: body color ranging from tan, through red, to reddish brown; mane and tail black; usually black on lower legs.

Sorrel: body color reddish or copper-red; mane and tail usually same color as body, but may be flaxen.

Chestnut: body color dark red or brownish-red; mane and tail usually dark red or brownish-red, but may be flaxen.

Brown: body color brown or black with light areas at muzzle, eyes, flank and inside upper legs, mane and tail black.

Buckskin: body color yellowish or gold; mane and tail black; black on lower legs; buckskins do not have dorsal stripes.

Palomino: body color a golden yellow; mane and tail white; palominos do not have dorsal stripes.

Dun: body color yellowish or gold; mane and tail are black or brown; has dorsal stripe and usually zebra stripes on legs, and transverse stripe over withers.

Grullo: body color smoky or mouse colored (not a mixture of black and white hairs, but each hair mouse colored); mane and tail black; usually has black dorsal stripe and black on lower legs.

Red Dun: a form of dun with body color yellowish or flesh colored; mane and tail are red or reddish flaxen; white or mixed; has red or reddish dorsal stripe and usually red or reddish zebra stripes on legs and transverse stripe over withers.

Blue Roan: more or less uniform mixture of white with black hairs over a large portion of the body, but usually darker on head and lower legs; can have a few red hairs in mixture.

Red Roan: more or less uniform mixture of white with red hairs on a large portion of the body, but usually darker on head and lower legs; can have red or flaxen mane and/or tail.

COLOR CHART

AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION