to external factors such as excessive sunshine, harsh weather conditions, or increased sweating, but it may also develop spontaneously (Photo 2). The tips of faded black hair acquire a dirty-brown color, and the extent can vary. The head and legs of the faded black horse are always darker than the body, since the hair on these places is very short and less subjected to noticeable discoloration in comparison with longer hair on the body. In order to distinguish faded black from seal brown (see p. 12), it is necessary to look at the horse’s head, in particular the region around the muzzle and the eyes. If in these places the hair is reddish or dark brown, then the color is seal brown. Note: There are also so-called non-fading black horses but they are less common. Such horses do not become faded, even when exposed to the effects of external elements.
Black foals are usually born ashy color and the legs and stomach are lighter than the remaining areas of the body.
Black horses are less common than bay (see p. 12) or chestnut (see p. 13). This color is the preferred color in Friesians. Some breeds where black color is frequently encountered include: the Percheron, Shire, Russian Saddle Horse, Russian Trotter, Kabardin, Vladimir Heavy Draft, Karachai, and the Kladruber. At the same time, it is rare in other breeds—Arabians, for example.
BAY
Bay horses have red or brown color of the trunk, and parts of the head, legs, mane, and tail are black (Photos 3–7). The tips of the ears and outer rims are also black. The skin and hooves are pigmented, eyes hazel, and eyelashes dark brown. The separation of the shades of bay is sometimes difficult and very subjective.
A light bay horse has light brown body hair. It is encountered rarely, and may be difficult to visually distinguish from buckskin (see p. 17). Dapples are observed in such horses more frequently than in the usual bay.
A bay horse with a dark or almost black torso is called dark bay. Dark brown and black hairs are mixed on the torso, and the brightest are concentrated above the nostrils, around the eyes, into groin, on the stomach, on the upper inside of the legs, and on the torso near the elbows. Let me emphasize that the expression “brightest” in this context is relative—in the case of dark bays it can be brown or dark brown, as long as it is “brighter” than the hair on the trunk. This color is characterized by dapples and can be confused with faded black (see p. 11). The two can be distinguished by the color of hair around the eyes: in the black horse, it will be black, while in the dark bay there is a brown or reddish ring in this place.
Bay without countershading, with a saturated reddish tone of body hair, is called red bay. This color is fairly rare. Bay with an expressed golden gloss of body hair is called golden bay. It occurs in the Akhal-Teke breed, and less frequently in Budyonny and Karabakh horses.
Sometimes you may encounter the so-called “Wild” bay color. On this horse the zone of black hair on the legs is restricted to the lower part, below the hocks and knees (Photo 8).
Bay foals have a red or light brown trunk and pale, almost white legs, with hardly noticeable dark hair below the hocks and knees. These areas become dark with age. The underbelly of a bay foal is also whitish.
Bay is the most common color in the world and is inherent to the majority of breeds. Some where it is found frequently include: the Arabian, Thoroughbred, Shire, Clydesdale, Paso Fino, Peruvian Paso, Kabardin, German Sport Horse, Latvian Horse, Vladimir Heavy Draft, French Trotter, and it is characteristic of the Cleveland Bay.
SEAL BROWN
Seal brown color (Photo 9) is described as black or dark color of the body and guard hair with a brown or tan area around the muzzle, eyes, groin, near the elbows, on the underbelly (especially in the girth region), and sometimes on the upper inside of the hind legs. These markings can be present in different horses at different intensities and in different combinations, and most frequently it is possible to observe on the horse’s muzzle and near the eyes. In fact, people frequently confuse seal brown with dark bay (see p. 12), and even experienced horse breeders can make errors. In addition among some horsemen circulates a myth that seal brown color does not exist, and such horses are simply very dark bay or strongly faded black horses.
In order to accurately determine seal brown color, it is necessary to remember the following characteristics:
Brown areas usually have rounded or oval outlines, clearly separated against the black or dark background. In dark bays, on the other hand, there is a smooth transition between the red, brown, dark brown, and then black color. It is especially easy to examine this on the muzzle above the nostrils.
Brown areas have a relatively bright, reddish color, but are seldom light red.
Unfortunately, color determination in this case is complicated by the fact that the seal brown color also can have shades, as observed in bays. The characteristics described above are accurate only for the darkest and most typical versions of seal brown. In addition, the skin and hooves are pigmented, the eyes dark hazel, the eyelashes black or dark brown. Foals are usually born looking similar to bay foals, but with noticeably darker legs. The horse develops the color’s characteristic phenotype only after baby hair is shed. Seal brown color is common in German Sport Horse breeds, Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, and Russian Trotters.
CHESTNUT
Chestnut color is a relatively uniform red or brown color of the trunk, legs, mane, and tail (Photos 10 & 11). Shades can range from very light red, to close to apricot, to dark, to almost black (dark red and dark brown). The mane and tail in chestnut horses are usually of the same color as the body, but it is not unusual to see horses with brighter or darker guard hair. The skin and hooves are pigmented, the eyelashes red, eyes hazel.
Dark (liver) chestnut horses have dark orange or brown color of body hair. The mane and tail can be the same tone as the body or brighter (yellowish or even flaxen), or sometimes darker. Standard (average) chestnut horses are orange or red-colored. Guard hair can be the same tone as the body hair, or lighter or darker. Light chestnut horses have light carrot or almost yellow color of the body hair. This nuance is characteristic for the Akhal-Teke and Russian Don horses, and also for many draft breeds. The mane and tail are typically brighter than the body hair.
Chestnut horses with a whitish or almost white hair in the mane and tail are called flaxen chestnuts (Photos 12 & 13). The mane and tail usually change shade with seasons and can become lighter or darker, depending on the individual animal. I discuss flaxen chestnuts and specific information about heredity in more detail on p. 39.
It is extremely rare to encounter chestnut horses with brown, dark brown, or black color of the mane and tail, and it may be indicative of false red dun (see p. 26 and photos 14 & 15). This version of chestnut color is characteristic