1. The Two Base Colors: Black and Red
All horse coat colors originate from two base colors controlled by the Extension (E) gene:
• Black (E) – Horses with at least one dominant E allele have black pigment in their coats.
• Red (ee) – Horses with two recessive e alleles are chestnut or sorrel, meaning they lack black pigment.
2. The Agouti Gene: Black or Bay?
The Agouti (A) gene affects how black pigment is distributed:
• AA or Aa – Restricts black to the points (mane, tail, legs), resulting in a bay horse.
• aa – Allows black to be fully expressed, creating a black horse.
3. Dilution Genes: Lightening the Base Colors
Several genes modify black and red coats, creating variations:
• Cream (CR) – One copy on red makes palomino, one copy on bay makes buckskin, and one copy on black makes smoky black. Two copies result in double-diluted colors like cremello, perlino, or smoky cream.
• Dun (D) – Lightens the body color while leaving the mane, tail, and legs darker. Often adds primitive markings (dorsal stripe, leg barring).
• Champagne & Silver – Other dilution genes that create unique lightened colors.
4. White Patterns: Adding Markings and Patches
White patterns overlay the base colors and include:
• Gray (G) – Causes progressive lightening with age.
• Roan (RN) – White hairs evenly mixed with the base coat.
• Pinto Patterns (Tobiano, Overo, Sabino, Splash) – Create large patches of white on the body.
5. Common Warmblood Colors
Since Warmbloods are often influenced by European breeds, popular colors include:
• Bay (most common)
• Chestnut
• Black
• Gray
• Dilutions like buckskin and palomino (less common but increasing)
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