There are 3 basic colors of
horses - black, bay and chestnut. Each color has it's own shades and special
effects and descriptions, but these three colors are all there really is. There
are shades of black, shades of bay and lots of different shades of chestnut.
All other colors are derivitives or dilutions of the 3 basic colors
Blacks have a black body and
black points. Bays have a red body with black points. Chestnuts have a red body
with non-black points.
There are other genes carried
from either the sire or dam that contribute to the 'extras' - grey, roan,
paint, dun markings, cream, stockings, blazes, mane and tail lighting,
champagne, dappling, black flecking. All of these are like icing added on top
of the basic color. A bay tobiano paint horse is a bay horse that has had a
contribution of white added which takes out the pigment in the color. Take the
white off the horse and it is a bay.
The cream gene dilutes (removes the pigment from
the basic color types) and produces palominos, buckskins, cremellos and
perlinos. If a horse carries a single dilute gene, the horse will commonly be a
palomino or buckskin. If a horse carries 2 dilute genes he will commonly be a cremello
or perlino. A single cream gene in a black horse may not be apparent.
Howdy,
I'm Miss Mischiff and I am the hostess for the website Horses Gossip. I am a palomino dutch warmblood mare who stands 15.2hh. I am 8 years old and I am often referred to as the gossip queen. I am always asking questions, quick witted, intelligent, inquisitive, good humored, friendly, and I love to get both people and horses all riled up.
My purpose is to help bring important knowledge to people so both horse and human can have a better relationship.
