Bay horses have a reddish brown coat with varying intensities. There are mahogany, blood, dark, standard and light bays. No matter the coat color, a bay horse always has black points. The points include the mane, forelock, tail, legs and hooves - unless the horse has a sock or stocking, then the hooves would be white or multi-colored. Black horses are called black only when their coat, mane, tail, and legs are completely black. A good way to check is to notice if in the winter they have a brown muzzle or a black one. A true black horse will keep his black muzzle. Brown horses may look brown but could be bays or chestnuts. To determine if he/she is brown check his skin. A true brown horse will have seal-colored skin. Buckskin horses are the color of tanned deer hide. The different shades range from yellow to gold and sometimes almost a brown color. Buckskin horses will have black or dark brown points. The mane, forelock, tail and legs are dark. They have a dorsal stripe running from their manes to their tails. Dark "feathers" can sometimes be found on either side of their withers. Sorrel horses are reddish amber in color. True sorrels have the same color mane, forelock and tail as their coats. They trend to get darker from the ground up. Light sorrels have flaxen manes, tails and forelocks. Chestnut horses are red brown. Their mane, tails, and forelocks are the same color as their coats and can be a shade or two darker. A flaxen chestnut will have a lighter mane, tail and forelock. Dun horses are yellow, tan, red or gold. They often have a different colored mane and forelock or tail or all three. These horses often have a dorsal stripe running from the withers to the tail. Grulla horses are mouse colored or a bluish-gray. They have dark points and zebra striped legs - generally from the knee down but occasionally striped above the hock. They can also have a dark dorsal stripe from the withers to the tail and/or feathering on their withers. Palomino horses have a yellow coat with a natural colored or white mane, forelock and tail. Sometimes their manes, tails and forelocks are also yellowish but lighter than their coats. A palomino has black and/or amber colored hooves. Roan horses vary in shade
according to their underlying skin color. Red roans have chestnut skin with a combination
of white and chestnut hairs. Blue roans have black skin with a combination of gray and
white hairs. Strawberry roans have chestnut skin also and a combination of chestnut and
white hairs with a touch of gold thrown in. Just think of a roan horse as having a cloud
of white hairs covering the horses' hide. Horses can also have roaning as part of their
natural color especially on their legs and hip areas. Gray horses have black skin and the hair is white or salt and pepper. A dapple gray is mottled with black hairs around white flecks. Gray horses are generally born chestnut, black, or bay with white hairs around their eyes and sometimes their muzzles. White horses have pink skin with white hairs. Albino horses also have blue eyes. Most Appaloosas are born spotted in some manner. There are basically two types, the polka dot variety which has white or creamed colored hairs then covered all over in black, brown or auburn spots. Horses with the blankets over their hips and loins can be solid or roan in the front end. The blankets can be white with spots or solid with just flecks or snowflakes over the hips and loins. Leopards are light grays with spots or dots of one or two darker colors. Paints and Pintos have coats of white with patches of another color. Generally piebalds are black and white while skewbalds are white with chestnut. Tobianos predominately have a dark head and eyes, and usually 4 white stockings or socks. White generally crosses the top line. Tail can be white, dark or a combination. Calico overos generally have a mostly white head with one, both or part blue eyes. The hooves are usually white. All four legs often have chrome. White usually extends upward from the belly in ragged patches but rarely crosses the top line. White or dark patches may be flecked or roan. The tail is generally white, rarely a combination. Frame overo horses have a white body surrounded by a dark frame. The head is mostly white and eyes often blue. Legs are often dark. White doesn't cross the topline and the mane, tail and forelock are white or dark rarely a combination. Tovero horses are a combination of both tobiano and overo coat characteristics. Keep in mind that these are general descriptions but should help in determining your horse's color. Black is a great all around color and will look good on any horse. Blue-green shades offer similar potential. Colors such as mint, sage, emerald, aqua, turquoise, teal and forest green tend to flatter most any horse and/or rider. Pinks, fuchsia, purples, magenta, royal blues and red look good on bays, blacks, whites, blue roans, browns and silver grays. These horses look good in bright colors. Horses such as buckskins, grullas and palominos are considered neutral and can wear colors from either group depending on their exact color. Test colors by draping a large sample of color on your horse. Also study other horses and riders to see what is pleasing to the eye. GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY TACK SHOPPING!
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