All horses are either Black or Red (Sorrel/chesnut). All other colors are caused by modifying genes. A horse can carry any number of modifying genes. I like to think of it like layers of paint or stain. If you start with a Black horse and add Agouti gene you get Bay, add dun and you have a Bay Dun (also commonly referred to as dun), add cream and you have a dunskin, add roan and you have a dunskin roan add tobiano and you have a tobiano dunskin roan, add overo and you have a tovero dunskin roan.
Agouti - causes bay on a black horse, but does not modify the color on a red (sorrel) horse. However a sorrel horse that carries the Agouti gene can produce a bay when crossed with a black or black based horse.
Cream - causes
Palomino on a red/sorrel horse;
Buckskin on a bay horse;
Smokey Black on a Black Horse (Does not affect the appearance of the color of a Black horse.)
Smokey Cream on a Smokey Black horse with 2 cream genes
Perlino on a Buckskin horse with 2 cream genes
Cremello on a Palomino horse with 2 cream genes
Ivory on a horse that carries the Cream and Champagne genes
Dun - (a dorsal stripe running down their back) causes
Red Dun on a red/sorrel horse;
Dun aka Bay Dun on a Bay horse;
Grulla on a Black horse.
Roan - causes
Red Roan on a red/sorrel horse;
Bay Roan on a Bay Horse;
Blue Roan on a Black horse.
The above list includes only some of the modifying factors
Each cell is composed of a gene pair that contain similar information. A parent passes only one of the genes from each pair to its offspring.
Some genes are Recessive - meaning that the horse may carry and produce it but may not look it. (i.e. Red/Sorrel/Chesnut) This explains why you can cross two black horses and still get a sorrel foal.
Some genes are Dominate meaning that a horse that has it will always express it visibly (exceptions would be cream on black and Agouti on red) and the trait can never be produced unless at least one parent has it.
Some dominate genes are Black, Grey, Cream, Champagne, Agouti, Dun, Roan, Tobiano. (Overo was thought to be recessive but is now thought to be dominate but more complicated.)
Homozygous - is when a horse carries 2 same genes for that trait and all offspring of this horse will express that trait regardless of what it is bred to. (Overo and Roan are thought to be lethal in the homozygous form in that a foal that is homozygous for either of these traits will die before or shortly after birth).
Heterozygous - is when a horse carries 2 genes for that trait that are dissimilar and thus the offspring of this horse will express the trait 50% of the time. (Non-homozygous)
Please note that Genetics is a Scientific Theory. I am not an expert in genetics and am only presenting this information in an attempt to help you understand color in horses more fully from a laymans perspective. Also the information presented herein is by no means complete.
What Color will the foal be when breeding my mare to Biebers Oaklee - a Smokey Black stallion ?
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Sorrel/chesnut
without Agouti factor
Back to Biebers Oaklee
Since 1/23/06
Black, Sorrel,
Smokey Black, Palomino
Red Dun
with Agouti factor
Mare Color
Foal Color Possibilities
sired by Oaklee
Black
Bay
Red Dun
without Agouti factor
Sorrel/chesnut
with Agouti factor
Grulla
Dun aka Bay Dun
Palomino
without Agouti factor
Black, Sorrel,
Smokey Black, Palomino,
Smokey Cream, Cremello
Palomino
with Agouti factor
Smokey Black
Buckskin
Red Roan
without Agouti factor
Black, Sorrel, Palomino, Smokey Black
Blue Roan, Red Roan,
Smokey Blue Roan, Palomino Roan
Red Roan
with Agouti factor
Blue Roan
Bay Roan
Gray
Depends on what color the mare was before she turned gray. See above for color possibilities, and add Gray as another possibility.
Tobiano
Tobiano, Solid
Overo, Solid
Overo
Solid
Solid
COLOR PATTERNS
See below for a further explanation of colors.
If your mare is homozygous for any of the factors this will also change the above possibilities.
Black, Bay, Sorrel,
Smokey Black, Buckskin, Palomino
Black, Sorrel,
Smokey Black, Palomino
Black, Bay, Sorrel,
Smokey Black, Buckskin, Palomino
Black, Sorrel, Smokey Black, Palomino
Grulla, Red Dun, Smokey Grulla, Dunalino
Black, Bay, Sorrel, Smokey Black, Buckskin, Palomino
Grulla, Dun, Red Dun, Smokey Grulla, Dunskin, Dunalino
Black, Sorrel, Smokey Black, Palomino
Grulla, Red Dun, Smokey Grulla, Dunalino
Black, Bay, Sorrel, Smokey Black, Buckskin, Palomino
Grulla, Dun, Red Dun, Smokey Grulla, Dunskin, Dunalino
Black, Sorrel,
Smokey Black, Palomino,
Smokey Cream, Cremello
Black, Bay, Sorrel,
Smokey Black, Buckskin, Palomino,
Smokey Cream, Perlino, Cremello
Black, Bay, Sorrel,
Smokey Black, Buckskin, Palomino,
Smokey Cream, Perlino, Cremello
Black, Bay, Sorrel, Palomino, Buckskin, Smokey Black
Blue Roan, Bay Roan, Red Roan,
Smokey Blue Roan, Buckskin Roan, Palomino Roan
Black, Sorrel, Palomino, Smokey Black
Blue Roan, Red Roan,
Smokey Blue Roan, Palomino Roan
Black, Bay, Sorrel, Palomino, Buckskin, Smokey Black