What color is my horse?

Question

He is an Arabian, and I always thought that he was chestnut. But then I had someone say he was a red dun because of the dark reddish/brownish dorsal stripe that he has. He also has tiny white hairs all over. What color could he possibly be?

Answer 1

if he does have the dorsal stripe then he is a dun. i can't tell from the pix if he has one or not, but there isn't the stripes on his legs or the darker blocks of color underneath his withers on his shoulders. he could be dun, sorrel, or red roan. is he registered? if he is, look up the color he his registered as, and that is his real color.

Answer 2

Chestnut w/ a mildly expressed Rabicano pattern

since he is an Arabian it is most likely the Rabicano causing the white hairs.

duns and roans do not appear in Arabs.

Answer 3

yeh do u have pics?

Answer 4

u gotta have a pic or somethin.

u can do this by adding it 2 some of thhe THOUSANDS of picture sites like=

Flickr

Photobucket

walgreens

etc.

*Did he always hhave the white hairs all over, or could it be from age? more info...

Answer 5

if he has the stripe then he is a line back dunn! i have a reg AQHA halter mare the same color!!

but yeah he is a dunn!! the white maybe from age or where the hair has been pulled out and it grows back white. but if the white is evenly spread out then it could have some roan in him. cant really see the pic but from what i can see he is a Dunn!!!

Answer 6

i would say a red roan with some chesnutt

Answer 7

flickr.com create an account and upload.  It doesn't take long at all because you can just use your yahoo! ID

Woops forgot.  After you upload go to your photo stream then you click into the picture website and copy & paste the URL.

And then there you go... http://flickr.com/photos/27822773@N06/26...

You get a picture :-)

Answer 8

Chestnut rabicano with partial flaxen mane & tail.  

Very pretty horse, by the way!

Answer 9

A sorrel but looks kinda roany to me

I would say a roan

Answer 10

He isn't a dun. If he was a dun, he would have black points like a buckskin. He looks like a red roan. If the white hairs are evenly dispersed over his body the same as the chestnut colored hairs, then he is definitely a roan.

Answer 11

Red Roan with a flaxen mane

Answer 12

sorrel

Answer 13

to me it looks like a chestnut but then againf also a red dun. because of the dorsal stripe i think that it is probably a red dun

Answer 14

red chestnut my horse is the same.

Answer 15

Aren't color genetics interesting?

Okay, let's discuss the dun factor.  You've had several comments that he can't be dun since he doesn't have the dark legs.  But in the stock breeds such as AQHA and APHA there are actually three dun colors, all which come from the dun factor.  If you have a bay horse that has the dun factor you end up with the traditional "dun".  They are a light golden body color with dark points - tail, mane, ear tips and then the strip down their back, traverse strip on the withers and stripes on their legs.  If you have a black or dark brown horse with the dun factor you end up with a grulla horse.  If you have a sorrel or chestnut with dun factor you have a red dun - those are the ones with the red, almost orangey tint body color, and a darker red stripes to back, legs and withers.  So you most certainly can have a red dun and not have black points - that is only found on a dun, not a red dun.

Now, to your specific horse.

I looked at the photos but they weren't enough to help me decide.  He is that funny reddish/orange color, but I don't think enough to be a true dun.  And in the photos i couldn't see the essential things - whether he has a real dun line down his back, and stripes to his wither and lower legs.  Don't forget, sorrels can have a faint stripe down their back and not be a dun, that dark line is different than a true dun as it normally doesn't run down their entire back, but is often only seen on their rump, and often doesn't run into their tail like a true dun does.  So in my best guess by looking at the photos, your horse is NOT a red dun, but a neat shade of chestnut.

Next, look at your horse's genetics.  While the dun factor is fairly common in many stock breeds, I do not know if it's found ever in Arabs.  Is your mare purebred Arab?  Also, you cannot get the dun factor without one parent being dun.  Look at your horse's registration papers.  Was one parent dun?  If not, then rule out the color.

Several posters have mentioned roan, but a few white hairs flecked through the coat is not roan.  The rabicano effect that you see is fairly common in many breeds, but not nearly enough white to be a true roan.  I've owned Quarter horse with the white hairs that you see, and they were not roans from roan parents, but chestnuts with some flecks.  In some cases they get a bit more white hairs as they age, but they do not grey or roan.

So in my opinion you have a chestnut gelding with the rabicano factor.  It makes him interesting, but still not a dun!

Answer 16

red roan, chestnut

Answer 17

red dunn or red roan /with Arabians .alot of different color grays are possible need to see pictures for sure .has your horse always had the white hair mix or just this yr? the white hairs tell me it had roan or gray background.

Answer 18

Pictures would be nice as well but from your description....hes a roan. Thats where hes mainly a solid color but has white hairs scattered among the rest. There can either be a lot of white hairs or just a couple handfuls.

"red dun" isnt an official color and fyi the regular "dun" is a brownish beige with a dark dorsal stripe common in Kiger Mustangs.

If you put up pictures let me know and i will either confirm that hes a roan or let you know his true color.

Answer 19

pictures would help =)