Common and rare horse suits
It is possible to determine which breed a particular horse belongs to by several characteristics. One of the most revealing signs is the suit. In other words, the suit is the color of the animal. Let's figure out what colors of horses exist today.
Horse suits
What is a suit
Horse hair color is transmitted genetically from adult mares to foals. If we talk about purebred animals, then the color is primarily a sign of the purity of the breed. If the color of the coat, skin and eyes does not correspond to the breed standard, the horse is not a purebred.
Under the color of the horse is understood not only the color of the coat. Each coat color must match a specific eye and skin color. It is worth noting that skin color partly influences the perception of coat color.
At birth, it is impossible to determine the color of the foal. As it gets older, the coat changes color. The same goes for eye color, which changes. In this case, only the skin is an exception, since it changes its color, if it does, then insignificantly.
Like humans, horses may have so-called "birthmarks" called markings. They are located on the head or legs and are inherited. These spots are unique. You can find horses with an asterisk on the top of their heads. In general, the marks can be of any shape and size. They can even be found on horses' hooves. If we are talking about a purebred horse, then the documents attached to the foal not only indicate the presence of marks, but also describe their shape and size.
Mark classification
Despite the fact that each mark has a unique shape, they are conventionally divided into 3 groups, each of which was named in accordance with the shape of the mark:
- star;
- blaze;
- volumetric blast.
The first group includes all marks that resemble a rhombus, a leaf of a plant, a sickle, or have any other shape, even remotely similar to the shape of a star.
The second group includes all marks that have a long shape and relatively smooth edges. If you try to find a comparison with existing objects, then they resemble a bridge or a straight line with not perfectly straight edges. The groove marks can be of different widths or lengths.
The third group contains all the marks that are located not only on the bridge of the horse's nose. In view of their size, and the word "voluminous" indicates precisely the large size, they cover, in addition to the bridge of the nose, at least one eye of the animal.
On the hooves, there are markings of various sizes and shapes, which often pass from the hooves to the feet.
The borders of the markings are clearly delineated, there is no gradient transition between the color of the coat in the area of the marks, and the main color.
Characteristics of horse colors
In fact, there are over 70 different colors of horses. It is difficult to describe all the suits in one article.Therefore, we will focus on the description of the most common horse colors. We will also pay attention to those colors that are rare in nature and are appreciated by horse lovers.
The most common are gray, black, bulan, nighting, bay, brown and playful. The red color of the horse is also quite common. Rarely found are the isabella (cream) color, piebald, dun pinto, gray in apples and gray in apples, pinto, tiger bay and gray, raven and red roan, pearl, leopard, silvery dun and sabino horse color.
A white horse is also rare. In fairness, it must be said that in fact the white suit does not exist. Although some horsemen claim that white horses do exist. You can distinguish a white suit from a gray one by the color of the skin. If the horse has pink skin, then the suit will be white. If the skin is dark gray. Then the color will be gray. But the color of the coat for both suits is white.
Albinos are found among many animals. But, among horses, history has not yet recorded the birth of an albino horse. Some people mistakenly consider white horses to be albinos. But albinos have red eyes. But white horses have dark eyes.
Let's consider some of the horse colors in more detail.
Common suits
One of the most common colors is black. Therefore, let's start with her.
Black
The knight of this suit always looks elegant. The color of the coat is black or close to it. If the horse is well looked after, it will shimmer in sunlight. Marks, if any, are especially noticeable on this suit. The mane and tail should be painted black, the hooves, to match the whole body, are also black. It should be noted that the marks on black horses are most often found on the hooves.
If we talk about breeds, then the standard of many breeds allows the presence of a black suit. But I would like to note the Friesian horses. Here, only the black suit is recognized as the breed standard.
In summer, the black color fade slightly in the sun. At this time, you can find such a name for the suit as black in tan. The ends of black hair in this case are reddish in color. How long the horse will retain its coat color in summer depends on the persistence of the black pigment. Also, the color fading is affected by the duration of the stay of the horse under the scorching sun. Sometimes the color of the horse's hair fades to a dirty brown, which indicates a particular instability of the pigment. In winter, the color of the coat turns black back.
The ash-black suit is also distinguished separately. But it is extremely difficult to distinguish it from a black one. In this case, the black color of the wool is slightly less saturated; when exposed to direct sunlight, you can see a slight chestnut or dark brown tint.
Bay
The bay color of horses is considered one of the most common. This suit is allowed by the standard of almost all breeds. The coat is brown. At the same time, there are no restrictions on shades of brown. It can be fiery red and almost black. The mane should be black. The same goes for the tail. Even if the hair is colored fiery red, the tail and mane remain black. In addition to the tail and mane, the limbs are painted black, below the hock and wrist joints.
In young foals, the limbs may be brown. But upon reaching the age of 3, the color of the limbs becomes black.
In separate groups, there are dark-bay, light-bay and deer-bay suits. We will not consider each of them in detail. From the name it is obvious that with a dark chestnut suit in the color there are dark shades of brown, with a light chestnut color - light ones. As for the bay deer, it combines light and dark bay.At the same time, dark shades are present on top (head, neck in the area of the shoulder blades and ridge, croup, sides, back), and the lower part is painted in light shades of brown (throat, end of the muzzle, belly).
Bulanaya
The color of dun-colored horses varies from yellow to sand. It is not a departure from the standard that horses have black hair on their bodies. As with the bay color, the mane should be black. The tail is also necessarily black. The same goes for the limbs. Sometimes the hair on the legs is dyed black already in the lower leg area. But in addition to black hair on the limbs, light ones may also be present, but in small quantities. Also, the standard does not prohibit a black belt.
A variety of a bulan is a dark-brown-colored, light-brown and golden-brown. In addition to golden and sandy shades with a dark brownish color, there are hair on the horse's body:
- reddish or brown tint, if we are talking about a dark brown suit;
- almost white shades of yellow and sand, if we are talking about a light dun suit;
- saturated yellow, when it comes to golden brown suit.
Regardless of the type of dun color, the tail and mane are always black. Sometimes there are markings that resemble the wings of butterflies. Often these markings are located slightly below the withers.
If we talk about the literal translation of the word "dunny", and the origin of the name has Tatar roots, it means "deer". Accordingly, without a photo, you can imagine what a dun horse looks like.
Nightingale
If you look at it from afar, then the nighting mare can be confused with the bulana. But, if there is some similarity between the color of the body, then the mane and tail of the night horse are painted yellow, including all its shades. The color of the coat on the body may completely coincide with the color of the mane and tail. Dark hair is allowed by current standards. But it should be no more than 15% of the total. The body is evenly colored.
It is possible to distinguish dark, light and golden-salted color. In accordance with the names there is an admixture of reddish hair, sandy or light yellow and rich yellow, almost gold. At the same time, horses of light shades have dark hooves. The same feature is typical for representatives of the golden variety.
Many stallions are born with white hair that darkens over time. It is worth noting that the skin is pink at birth. But as it gets older, it darkens. As for the eyes, they are brown.
Redhead
Red horses are not uncommon. The coat does not have to be red, it can be colored in any shade of red, but evenly colored. Horses of this color do not look unusual in the photo, but there is something fascinating in this color. Depending on the saturation of the red color, pigmentation in some parts of the body can be more or less intense. So, for example, in dark horses, in addition to the fact that black hair is present in the tail and mane, the front surface of the legs is somewhat darker than all other parts of the body.
Sometimes in horses of a dark red color, the coat is almost chestnut. In light redheads, it is sometimes only reddish. In general, the range of shades of red color is unusually wide. Possibly wider than all other horse colors on the list we are looking at. This is how the red and red piebald suit has earned recognition. The latter differs from the red one in that there are white spots on the body. It does not belong to the common colors, but it is difficult to call it rare either.
Not the most common suits
There are colors that are not very common, but they are not rare either. It is worth noting that, depending on the peculiar fashion for horses, which also exists, in certain years some of the horse colors that are considered rare or common today fell into this list.
Kauraya
Some people mistakenly classify cows as wild horses.Their torso is colored in light shades of red. The color is somewhat faded, which, however, does not spoil it. In the photo, horses of this color look mesmerizing. Not a deviation from the standard of a strap of a darker shade than the main hair. But the mane and tail are much darker. Both the mane and ponytail include hair in different shades of red. Along with dark and brown, there are light spots. But the ends of the hair are sometimes red-brown. Such a mane is an adornment for any horse.
Very often on horses of this color you can see marks (mainly on the hooves), which have a simple shape. There may be holes at the withers.
In many breeds there is a brown color (Yakut breed, Quarter, Altai, Kazakh, etc.).
Gray
The gray suit in the photo looks noble. The color ranges from the lightest shades to the darkest. There are horses with almost white hair. But, regardless of the color of the hair, the skin of gray horses has a dark color. This is what distinguishes gray horses from whites. The hooves are light or dark gray. The fur of the horse is dyed evenly.
Horses of gray color, as a rule, become light by the age of 9-10, even if they were originally dark gray. At this age, the gray suit is very similar to the white one. But the skin, unlike hair, does not brighten. Therefore, upon closer inspection, it is not difficult to distinguish a gray horse from a white one.
In some mares, the color is closer to white, in some, accordingly, closer to gray. Therefore, a distinction is made between light and dark gray color. But separately in the list of horse colors, I would like to highlight gray in buckwheat. In this case, there are specks of brown color on the body. They are scattered randomly, without creating a specific pattern, and are small in size. In the photo, these horses look quite specific.
Chubarai
Horses of a forelock suit, both in the photo and live, look great due to their unusual color. This color can be given a double description. On the one hand, the color of the main hair can be dark, on the other hand, the forelock horse can be light. But depending on the color of the main hairline, dark or light spots are scattered over the body of a forelock horse. If the main color is dark, then there are white spots on the body. Otherwise, you can see spots of black or brown, including its shades, colors.
It is worth mentioning that the spots on the body of a forelock horse resemble a circle in shape. Moreover, the shape is almost correct. The spots do not constitute a single pattern, as can be seen by looking at a photo of this suit of horses, taken from different distances. But, despite the lack of a drawing of a certain shape, the horse looks interesting.
Such a spotted horse is quite rare, but has not yet been included in the list of rare horse colors.
Rare suits
One of the most rare is the isabella color. With him, perhaps, we will begin our list of rare colors of horses.
Isabella
Looking at the isabella horses in the photo, it is difficult to believe in its existence. The cost of such stallions sometimes reaches several million dollars. This color has received several names. American horse lovers call it Cremello, and you can often hear that the color is called cream. The latter name gives a more complete understanding of the color of the coat. It is pinkish milky, sometimes yellowness is present. The skin of the horses is pink, which gives the color nobility.
These colors are obtained as a result of the suppression of the heredity gene responsible for dark pigmentation. The eyes of Isabella horses are only blue or green.
There are some similarities between Siwa and Isabella. But the first one has black hair and a darker skin color, which affects the general appearance of the color.
If we talk about the breed and color of the horse, then we cannot fail to mention the Akhal-Teke horse, Spanish golden and American cream.Among these breeds, there are other colors of horses (palomino, for example, in the Spanish golden). But isabella prevails.
Playful
The list of horse colors, which are rare, would be incomplete without a playful one. In playful horses, the coat is colored in various shades of brown. In this case, there is both a dark brown or almost chocolate color, and red. But the mane, limbs and tail, unlike the rest of the body, are painted white or smoky. Having looked at least once at a photo of a horse of a playful suit, you will not be able to forget it.
Dark playful mares most often have apples on their bodies, and light-playful mares are decorated with brushes of light colors (white, gray, smoky).
Separately, in the list of horse suits, the playful roan suit is distinguished. But it is not fundamentally different from the playful one. The only difference is the presence of white hair.
Dappled gray
It is not for nothing that we have put this color of horses in the list of rare horses, separating it from the gray one. It is much less common than all other variations of gray, and is rightfully ranked among the rare ones. Both dark and light hairs are present on the horse's body. It is difficult to say which hair percentage is greater. But, despite the randomness of the arrangement of dark and gray hair in relation to each other, looking at the photo of the horse, you can see a peculiar pattern, which is called "apples".
Depending on whether the color is light or dark gray, the arrangement of the apples changes. In gray horses, apples are scattered all over the body, in horses with a lighter shade of gray, apples are located mainly on the back. But in horses with a darker color, most of the apples are located in the middle and lower parts of the chest, on the ribs.
If you look at the photo, you can see that on light horses the pattern looks brighter, has clearer borders. There is also a marble variety of gray color. But in this case, dark and light hair is much more uniform. And, accordingly, the drawing turns out to be vague and looks less effective.
It does not belong to the main colors of horses and is rarely found muhortaya (the main hair is dyed in a muscular color, and there are yellow markings around the eyes, mouth, buttocks, elbows and groin), overo (spotted horse), murugaya (brown coat color).
Interesting Facts
Horse colors are very diverse. Sometimes, not only the appearance of the horse depends on the color. Although no direct link has been found between coat color and character traits, many believe coat color matters. For example, black horses are considered quick-tempered, and mouse or isabella - docile.
The fact that a horse has a light coat does not mean at all that the skin has a light color. A striking example of this is light gray horses.
Many believe that all the marks on the body of an animal are present not only by a happy coincidence, but they also mean something. But there is no scientific confirmation of this fact.
The color is due to genes that are passed on to stallions from parents. Moreover, each gene carries its own information, and the color is formed under the influence of the dominant unit of heredity. And with a happy coincidence, you can see stallions whose hair is silver, isabella, cherry, etc. Even, sometimes, there is a champagne color (inherited from horses with black or almost wool), trout (red spots of small sizes are scattered over the gray body ), frame over. These are all rare colors of horses, and the breeds that are inherent in such colors are elite.
Considering any color of horses, with photographs or contemplating an animal alive, it is difficult to take your eyes off. We talked only about the main colors, which have been attracting the attention of horse lovers for several years.
Conclusion
You can look at the colors of horses with photos and names for a very long time.Some of them look unusual, almost exotic. But, at the same time, the most common and common colors can cause no less admiration than rare ones. We have not reviewed the full list of horse colors that exist today, as this would take a very long time. We examined the standard and names of those colors of horses that, for various reasons, attract the most attention. Although, no less attractive are the gray and light brown, fawn, gray-piebald and silver, palomino. A feature of the gray piebald color is the presence of spots, and in the palomino, the main color is golden, salty or isabella, and the mane with a tail is white.