-Dark bay: The coat is brown with areas of tan on the head, shoulders, 

 flanks, inside of the thighs, and the upper portions of the legs. The points are 

 always black unless white markings are present. This color is also sometimes 

 called brown. 



• Chestnut: This color includes any shade of red from very light (blonde, sorrel) 

 to dark red (liver chestnut). A chestnut can be so light in color as to give the 

 appearance of a palomino or so dark that it looks brown or shows numerous black 

 hairs throughout its coat. A chestnut always has points the same color or lighter 

 compared with the body; the points are never black. In some breeds and much of 

 the Western United States, sorrel is used synonymously with chestnut. 



-Sorrel: A red to reddish yellow base coat with lighter shades of similar color 

 (may be flaxen or blonde) in the mane and tail. This color is sometimes used 

 synonymously with chestnut. 



• Black: The entire coat is black excluding any white markings that might be present. 

 The mane, tail, muzzle, flanks, and legs, must be all black with no areas of brown or 

 tan coloration. 



• Brown: Usually synonymous with dark ba\' and sometimes appearing almost black 

 but with lighter tan coloration on the muzzle, flanks, or both. The points are always 

 black unless white markings are present. 



Modifications of Basic Coat Colors — 



• Grey/Gray: Grey is a color modification superimposed over any base color on the 

 body, head, and legs. The coat is a mixture of dark (usually black) and white hairs 

 that become predominantly white with age. The grey horse always has dark/black 

 skin. Markings on light grey horses can best be seen by noting the underlying pink 

 skin in the area of the marking. In the young horse, black hair predominates, but as 

 the horse ages, the white hair increases and the markings tend to fade. A grey horse 

 may have distinct white markings or faded markings and always a grey or black 

 mane, tail, and legs. 



-Flea-bitten Grey: Flecks of the base coat (usually red but may be black) show 

 through a mostly white body color. 



• Roan: Most of the coat is a mixture of colored (usually red) and white hairs 

 with the head and legs darker than the body. The colored hair predominates. As 

 the horse ages, the proportion of white hair may increase but usually not to the 

 extent this occurs in grey horses. If the red hair comes from the chestnut pattern, 

 the mane, tail, and legs will be red. If the red hair comes from the bay pattern, the 

 mane, tail, and legs will be black. Roan horses may have distinct or indistinct white 

 markings. 



-Strawberry roan: The coat color is a mixture of red and white hairs. The base 

 color is chestnut/sorrel, and the points are not black. 



11-10 



