When it comes to horse colours, nothing is ever black, brown or white (there are in fact, there are "no" brown or white horses, and fewer blacks then you realize!) When identifying GC horses, the best effort has been made to use standard colour types in their description. And because those colour types can be very confusing, here's a quick tour through the colourful world of horses!
Because there are already many great sites that showcase equine colours, there are no pictures on this page. But you can click the links to see GC horses that display each colour trait. And if you would like to see "real" horses in colour, I suggest trying these great sites:
Horse Color - a straight forward site with lots of great pictures!
Equine Coat Colors - more unusual horse colours explained :)
Many horses have "white markings" on their face and feet. This does not confuse the "base" colour of the horse, and white markings can occur with any colour. The white marks are named for their size and where they are found.
On the Face:
Star - a singular white spot on the forehead of any shape
Stripe - a vertical band of white on the face; can be either narrow or very wide; a wide stripe is called a blaze.
Snip - a tiny bit of white on the nose
On the legs:
Socks - white on the legs that end before the knee
Stockings - white on the legs that goes to or beyond knees
Splashed White - white that covers all the leg, and even on the body
Solid "Colours"
Chestnut
Basically - a horse who's mane and tail are lighter then his body colour; often called "brown".
Chestnut - from red browns, to pale gold - is the most common coat colour. Sometimes their mane and tail are so close in colour to their body, that these horses are often simply called brown. The name chestnut is a little deceiving as well. Horses who are classified as "chestnut" are not necessarily the colour of that brown nut. Chestnuts come in a variety of shades from light to dark. Chestnut horses do not have darker "points" like bays do.
GC Brown Chestnuts - early mare "Missouri Belle", 1998 Morgan Mare
The following examples are also part of the "Chestnut" family.
Palomino
Often mistaken for a breed, Palomino is just a colour type. It is the archetypal golden horse, "the colour of a newly minted gold coin" with a white mane and tail.
GC Palominos - 1996 Tennessee Walker Stallion - "Sundancer", 2000 Fancy Parade mare "Golden Bloom"
Sorrel
A reddish chestnut with paler flaxen mane and tail. This title is also confusing because it is often incorrectly used to describe any chestnut horse trained in the western style.
GC Sorrels - original stallion "Big Red", 2001 Sorrels
Liver Chestnut
The darkest chestnut, a rich chocolate-coloured horse with a flaxen or occasionally reddish mane and tail.
GC Liver Chestnuts - 1996 American Saddlebred "Snow Mane", 1998 Clydesdale Stallion "Canal King"
Bay
Basically - a horse with black mane, tail, and "points".
A bay coloured horse is second only to chestnut as a most common of colours. Bay horses may be palest cream or the deepest brown, but they all have one thing in common - their manes and tails are black, and they have black sweeping up from on there legs, ears, and noses. I always considered them the "Siamese Cats" of the horse world!
Dark Bay
A lot of horses you might call black are indeed bays! (see the "Black" section for more details) These horses have a base colour of dark brown.
GC Dark Bays - Deluxe Stallion "Sultan", 1999 Hanoverians
Blood Bay
Like the name suggests, this is a deep red-coloured bay.
GC Blood Bay - 2000 Holstieners, 2001 Dark Bay Clydesdale Family
Dun
Dun is the primitive form of bay. It's most often seen on wild horses, and actually comes in a few different colours. Real dun horses usually have dorsal stripes or zebra markings, a thing GC horses tend to lack. The most common dun is a pale yellow or "buttermilk" colour. Grulla is a simmiliar colour pattern to dun, and also comes in a variety of colours.
Yellow Dun - Lusitano Mare, 2000 Mustangs
Black
Basically - a horse that solid black.
The colour black, when it comes to horses, is not exactly, er, black and white. There's a lot of grey area… or, I should say, brown area… Often dark bays or chestnuts are confused with black. The true definition of a black horse is one that has NO browning marks to any extremities. Certain breeds, like the Thoroughbred do not even have a true black colouring! A sleek, shiney blue- black horse is often called "Jet Black".
GC Jet Black - Early Stallion "Midnight", 1996 Quarterhorse stallion "Midnight Magic"
Grey
Basically - a WHITE or grey horse.
Surprise! There is no such thing as a "white" horse… unless it is albino! To be truly white, a horse must be born white, lacking all pigment cells. However, all of the "great white horses" of the world - Lippizaners, Andalusians, Perscherons - are all born black. As they age, they lighten to grey and finally to white. But they are still referred to as "greys"; their skin is still black coloured underneath, so not to be confused with cremes (see Crème section for more detail).
GC Light Greys - Special Order "Captain Courageous", 1997 Trakehner Stallion "Perfect Match"
Flea-bitten Grey
This refers to a white or grey coloured horse with tiny flecks or sprinkles of dark or brown hairs throughout its coat. Naturally, the horse really doesn't have fleas!
GC Flea-bitten - early mare "Wild Alice", and 1996 Arabian Stallion "Sultan Pepper"
Dapple Grey
Dapples - a pattern of lighter circles weaving through the coat - is not reserved for grey alone; you can actually have dapple bays, too! Most common of course is the old dapple grey horse; the colour can range from a dark to light to even a purply "mulberry" colouring.
GC Dapple Grey - Special Order Clydesdale Stallion "Snowy Knight", 1999 Tersk horses.
Cream
Cream coloured horses are pretty darn close to white! However, they tend to have a "pinkish" hue to them. Their mane and tail can often be distinctively reddish, too. They often have blue or hazel eyes.
GC Cream - 1998 Eqyption Arab Mare, Perserverence
Coat Patterns
Paint or Pinto
Basically - a horse with broken patches of colour and white.
Paint horses are splashy and attractive, a symbol of the old west. The pattern is seen mostly on wilder type horse; Thoroughbred, Arabians, and many others have no such genes in their breed. Within the heading of Paint or Pinto, horses are classified by the way the patterns of white and colour are displayed over the horse's body. Each pattern can have a lot or very little white on the horse.
Tobaino
In this pattern, the white patches cross the top line of the horse. "T" for top, "T" for Tobaino… that's how I remember! The mane and tail are often bi-coloured.
GC Tobaino - Indian Grey Paint Mare & Foal, 2000 National Show Horse Mare
Overo
This is often a patchy pattern of white and colour; the white often looks as though part of the horse's solid colour has been "erased". The main and tail are usually of one (dark) colour, and often there is a lot white on the face.
GC Overos - 2000 National Showhorse Stallion, 2001 Quarterhorses
Sabino
This patterning is quite distint and quite common in Grand Champions, thanks to all the clydesdales! Sabino markings are white spots or "splashes" that are on the horses belly, sometimes spreading from the legs. These markings can either be crips, or roaned out.
Roan Sabino - 1999 Crillos
Appaloosa
Basically - a spotted horse.
Appaloosa is a colour pattern that became. Because of their unique spots, appaloosas are eye-catching wherever they are! There are three basic coat patterns used to classify appaloosas, though often horses will show more then one type.
Leopard Appaloosa
The "Dalmatian" horse is most often white with clear black spots all over their body. The Kapstrup of Europe is an actual breed that is always this colour. However, in other breeds the colours are not limited to only black and white!
GC Leopard Appaloosa - Nuzzle Mare and Foal "Raindancer & Moonshine", Family Stallion "Renegade"
Blanket Appaloosa
This horse is usually bay, with a distinct white patch across its rump. In that white patch are spots of colour. Often they are the same colour as the rest of the horse, though sometimes can be a stunning reddish colour. While most of these horses are dark, there are some attractive lighter versions, too.
GC Blanket Appy - early mare "Running Spring", Family Mare & Foal "Snow Patch & Papoose"
Snowflake or Lace Appaloosa
Sometimes confused with roan, this is a delicate patterning, like frost, over the horse's entire body. Because it is so intricate, there are no GCs with this colour.
Roan
Roaning occurs when white hairs are interspersed with the base coat colours. It differs from grey patterning in that greying will tend to start at the head and work down, while as in roans, the head stays slightly darker. There might be a scattering of darker spots as well. Roans happen in all colours - chestnut becomes Strawberry Roan, bays are called Red Roans, and black becomes beautiful Blue Roan.
Blue Roan - Blue Roan Clydesdale Family"
And now, we begin!
A Brief note on "White Markings"
GC stars - early mare "Missouri Belle"
GC stripe - early stallion "Midnight"
GC snip - 1998 Thoroughbred Mare, "Mon Cheri"
GC socks - most horses on the 1998 page!
GC stockings - early stallion "Spark of Courage"
GC Splashes - all Clydesdales, and 2001 Sorrels
GC Red Chestnuts - 1997 Akhal-Teke Stallion, and 1998 Warmbloods.
GC Light Chestnuts - 1997 Spanish Barb Stallion, and 1998 Fox Trotters.
Silver Grulla or Dun -
Horse Country Grey Mare & Foal set
GC Dark Grey - early stallion "Stormy Skies"
GC Light Appy - Sound Stallion "Spot O' Silver"
Strawberry Roan - Horse Country Grey Stallion
