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Quarter Horse Colors
~Copied with exclusive permission from
Cedar Ridge Quarter Horses. All rights reserved.
     
The Quarter Horse breed has listed 17 acceptable colors
for registration of foals (as of 2006). More colors exist that aren't
listed, and if you have such a foal, you should register it according to the
closest genetic color option that fits what you feel the foal will be at
maturity. For example, a white horse with blue eyes that is "aa" for Agouti
is really a double-diluted black. But it can be registered as a Perlino.
In addition, champagne and silver dapple genes are
present in some QH's, but their colors are not options offered on the
registration application. Combinations of multiple modifying genes also
exist, and AQHA can help you determine the best color to register your foal
if you are uncertain how it should be listed. An example is a
palomino mare that AQHA registered as a red dun. When questioned, they
said it was because they knew she had dun factor due to her sire being a
100% color producer. Although she looks like a white-maned palomino with
very faint gold striping, they required that she be registered as a red dun.
They have rules they must follow, so inquire if you have a question.
The table below shows horses that meet the required
genetics for each color. Not all horses pictured are Quarter Horses, but
the color genetics are the topic here, not breeds. :-)
The colors listed (as of 2006) are:
Sorrel
Body color reddish or copper-red; mane and tail usually
same color as body, but may be flaxen. The most common color of
American Quarter Horses. |
Bay
Body color ranging from tan, through red, to reddish
brown; mane and tail black; black on lower legs. |
Black
Body color true black without light areas; mane and
tail black. Sun fading acceptable. |
Gray
Body color a mixture of white with any other colored
hairs; often born solid-colored or almost solid-colored and gets
lighter with age as more white hairs appear. |
Chestnut
Body color dark red or brownish-red; mane and tail
usually dark red or brownish-red but may be flaxen. |
Brown
Similar to black, but with brown on muzzle and flanks
or larger area. |
Blue Roan
BLACK points (including head), roaned body. |
Cremello
Light (or pink) skin over the body, white or
cream-colored hair and blue eyes. |
Palomino
Gold/yellow body and head, white mane/tail. |
Buckskin
Black points, mane, and tail. Gold/yellow body. May
have faint dorsal and sooting/countershading. |
Grullo
Black/dark points and dun factors, black or charcoal
head, silver or grayish body with all body hairs being uniform in
color. |
Perlino
Light (or pink) skin over the body, white or
cream-colored hair and blue eyes. Mane, tail and lower legs
slightly darker than body color. |
Red Roan
Red points, roaned body. |
Bay Roan
BLACK points, brown/bay head, roaned body. Before 2002,
bay roans were registered as red roans or blue roans, but should now
be registered as bay roans. |
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White
Body color white; skin is pink; eyes are usually
dark; small black spots may be found in the skin, but usually are
not accompanied by colored hair. Some white horses may be variegated,
meaning they have patches of colored hair, usually intermixed with
white. |
Red Dun
A form of dun with body color yellowish or flesh
colored; mane, tail and dorsal stripe are red. |
Dun
Body color yellowish or gold; mane and tail may be
black, brown, red, yellow, white or mixed; often has dorsal stripe,
zebra stripes on legs, transverse over withers. |
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What's the same about horses in this column?
The horses in this column all have
red-based legs. They are "ee" for Red Factor, meaning they are red
based and not black based. |
What's the same about horses in this column?
These horses all have at
least two things in common:
-
They all carry at least one non-red
gene (black), and so have black legs.
-
They all have at least one copy of
the dominant form of Agouti, so their bodies are reddish
brown/yellow instead of black or charcoal/mouse colored.
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What's the same about horses in this column?
These horses all have at
least two things in common:
-
They all carry at least one non-red
gene (black), and so have black legs.
-
They all have two copies of the
recessive form of Agouti, so their bodies are black or
charcoal/mouse colored instead of red or brown or yellow.
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What's the same about horses in this column?
This column is unique in that the
colors above are not uniformly affected by one color gene. It is safe
to say that they have white/extremely light hairs, but that this is
not caused by the same genes. |
See Cedar Ridge's
Combinations page for horses with multiple genes that affect their
color.
Other Acceptable Color Dilutions
Although AQHA does not list specific registration options
for certain genes, there are some color modifiers that are acceptable to
AQHA. These include (but might not be limited to) the Champagne gene and the
Silver Dapple Gene.
~Copied with exclusive permission from
Cedar Ridge Quarter Horses. All rights reserved.
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