Design Your Horse / Horse Color Calculator

Equine coat color genetics determine a horse's coat color. There are many different coat color possibilities, but all colors are produced by the action of only a few genes.
Try pressing the genetic buttons to the left of the horse below and see how they all interact!

Base

Black

Forms black pigment in skin and hair.

Simple Dominant

Modifier

Agouti

Restricts black pigment, usually to the horses "points."

Grey

Causes the horse to grey with age similar to human hair.

Dilutes

Champagne

A rare but dominant dilution gene.

Silver

Dilutes only black. Has stronger effect on mane and tail.

Cream/Pearl

Incomplete dominant dilution gene, affects mostly red.

Dun

A dilution gene which reveals "primitive" markings.

White Patterns & Markings

Sabino 1

Low irregular white patches with white hairs mixed into the coat.

Dominant White

Restricts pigment, leaving the horse white from birth.

Tobiano

Creates large, rounded dark spots on a white background.

Overo

Creates small, irregular white spots on a dark background.

Splashed White

Makes the horse look as though it was dunked in white paint.

Appaloosa

Enables Appaloosa spotting.

Causes varnish roan pattern.

Leopard Spotting Pattern

Leopard spotting, requires Appaloosa.

Incomplete dominant.

Chestnut

*Capital letters indicate DOMINANT variants and lower-case letters indicate RECESSIVE variants. Some of the color variants below are not yet genetically discovered but known to be heritable. More discoveries to come!
**This is a legacy tool designed by Jennifer Hoffman. Not all of the colors/variants shown are fully mapped. For a current demonstration of known/mapped variants only, please see Build-a-Horse.