Skip to main contentSkip to This Site Main Navigation
University of Kentucky College of Agriculture

You are here:


Breeds of Livestock
Horse Colors


Bay
Black
Blue Roan
Brown
Buckskin
Chestnut
Dun
Gray
Grullo
Palomino
Paint
Red Dun
Red Roan
Sorrel


Bay
Body ranging from tan to red to reddish brown; the mane and tail are black and the legs are usually black.
Black
Body color true black without light areas; the mane and tail are black
Blue Roan
More or less a uniform mixture of white with black hairs on the body, but usually darker on head and lower legs; can have a few red hairs in mixture
Brown
Body color is brown or black with light areas at the muzzle, eyes,flank and inside legs; mane and tail are black
Buckskin
Body color is yellowish or gold; mane and tail black; usually black on lower legs. Buckskins usually do not have dorsal stripes.
Chestnut
Body color dark red or brownish-red; mane and tail usually dark red or brownish-red, but may be flaxen
Dun
Body color yellowish or gold; mane and tail may be black, brown, red, yellow, white, or mixed; usually has dorsal stripe, zebra stripes on legs and transverse stripes over withers
Gray
Mixture of white with any colored hairs, often born solid colored or almost solid colored and get lighter with age or more white hairs appear
Grullo
Body color smoky or mouse-colored (not a mixture of black and white hairs, but each hair is mouse colored), mane and tail are black; usually black on lower legs. Usually has dorsal stripe.
Paint
The two most common paint color patterns are tobiano and overo. The tobiano horse will usually have head markings like a solid colored horse; legs may be white and body markings are often regular and distinct, being oval or round patterns. The overo horse will often have a bald face, at least one dark colored leg and body markings that are usually irregular, scattered, or splashy white (these markings that do not cross the back between the withers and the tail)
Palomino
Body color golden yellow; mane and tail white. Palominos do not have a dorsal stripe.
Red Dun
A form of Dun with body color yellowish or beige; mane , tail and dorsal stripe are red.
Red Roan
More a less a uniform mixture of white with red hairs on the body; but usually darker on head and lower legs; can have red, black or flaxen mane and/or tail.

Information Source: Methods of Identification for Horses, Craig Wood, Department of Animal Sciences, Extension Publication ASC 146, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture.