Grey: The skin is dark and the coat contains black and white hairs. Grey horses are generally born darker and lighten with age. The coat colour varies from “Light” where white hairs are predominant making the horse appear white in colour, to Iron grey where black hairs are predominant giving the horse a very dark grey colour. Dappled Grey: As the grey, but with darker circles over the coat which are often more evident in the summer. Flea Bitten Grey: As the grey, but with red or brown flecks throughout the coat. Bay: A horse with a reddish coat and black mane, tail and points (i.e. the limbs and muzzle). The coat colour can vary from red, to brown, to yellowish, and dapples may be present on the coat, especially in the summer. Black: A horse with a completely black coat with no traces of brown hairs. White markings are permitted on the face and legs. If there are any brown hairs (usually on the muzzle)then the horse is considered to be brown regardless of how dark the rest of the coat is. Brown: This is a horse with a mixture of black and brown hairs with a dark brown mane and tail. A very dark brown horse may appear black, although it is likely to have a lighter coloured muzzle. Chestnut: This is a horse with a reddish body colour and not black points. The mane and tail can either be the same, lighter (flaxen) or a shade darker than the body colour. There are various shades of chestnut including Bright chestnut, Liver chestnut (dark chestnut), and Sorrel (light chestnut). Roan: Roan occurs when a solid body colour (bay, chestnut, black or brown) is evenly distributed with white hairs, which lightens the appearance of the base colour. There may also be white hairs in the mane and tail. Varieties of roan include Strawberry (chestnut), Blue (dark bay, brown or black) and Red (bay) roan. Dun: A horse with a light sandy coloured coat and a black mane and tail, usually with a dark dorsal stripe extending from the base of the mane to the tail. It may also have zebra markings in the legs and withers. Shades vary from Yellow dun to Mouse dun depending on the distribution of pigments in the coat. The skin is black. Palomino: The coat is golden and should be the colour of a new penny. The mane and tail are white with only a small proportion of chestnut or dark hairs. The muzzle is brown or black. Appaloosa: This is a spotted horse, and there are many patterns, both with dark spots on light hair, and visa versa. Any visible skin is mottled pink. Patterns include Blanket (dark spots on white loins and quarters only), Leaopard Spot (Spots of any colour on a light or white background), Marble (a round or oval concentration of Piebald: This is a horse with large irregular patches of black and white. There are different varieties including Tobiano (white extending from the back downwards, but with patches of colour usually on the head, chest, flanks and buttocks, with white legs being common, but not white faces), and Overo (white patches extending from the belly upwards, with the back, mane and tail usually black, and white faces and light eyes are common). Skewbald: A horse with large, irregular patches of white and any colour other than black. There are different vatieties including Tobiano and Overo (see Piebald). Cremello: This is a horse with a cream coloured coat with unpigmented skin. It is sometimes called Cream. Facial Markings: Star: A small white mark on the forehead, often diamond shaped, although it can be any shape. Stripe: A narrow white line extending down the front of the face. Blaze: A wide white stripe extending down the front of the face, extending over both nasal bones, usually starting on the forehead and extending to the upper lip. Cremello: This is a horse with a cream coloured coat with unpigmented skin. It is sometimes called Cream. White Face: This is similar to a blaze, but covers a wider area and usually includes both eyes. Snip: A small white mark between the nostrils. White Nostril: A white marking around the nostril, similar to a snip. White Muzzle: A completely white muzzle. Mealy Muzzle: A light browny grey muzzle, often seen in Exmoor ponies. Lip Marks: White marks on or around the lips. Chin Spot: White on the chin or lower lips. Eye Colour: There are a great number of variations of eye colours in horses. The most common colour is dark brown with a brown sclera (the area around the iris which is white in humans). However, the eyes can also be any of the other colours listed below (and each eye may on occasions be a different colour). Appaloosa Eye: This is actually a normal eye colour, but the sclera is white. Although this is an appaloosa characteristic it is not restricted to appaloosas and can be seen in some horses with a white face. Hazel and Amber: These are lighter versions of the normal brown eye, commonly seen inn chestnuts, palominos and buckskins. The iris is light brown in colour, but in foals is often light blue and darkens to amber. Yellow: This is a dilute colour and is rarely seen. Glass Eye: This is seen in pseudo albinos (cremellos and perlino). The iris is off-white or pale blue, and the pupil is blue. Green, Grey or Violet: The iris is green, grey or violet and the pupil is brown. These colours are rarely seen, but have been reported by breeders of Welsh ponies and Pintos. Blue: This is a deep, dark blue iris and pupil. It is a rare eye colour, but may be so dark that the eye appears to be completely black with no pupil. Multicolour: This refers to eyes which are flecked with two or more colours. Wall Eye: This has an off white or pale blue appearance with a brown iris. The blue appears to “bleed” from the centre of the iris spreading outwards from the pupil to the iris. Elsewhere the iris is white. Wall eye is occasionally associated with blindness and iris hypoplasia. Wall eye is common in broken coloured horses or horses with a white face, but can be seen in solid colour horses. It is also called China Eye, Marble, Chalk or Watch Eye. Body Markings Black Points: This is when black is found on the muzzle, mane, tail, extends up the lower leg, and the tips of the ears. It is most commonly seen on bay horses. Dorsal or Eel Stripe: This is a black or dark brown stripe running along the spine form the base of the mane down into the tail. It is most often seen in dun horses, and may be accompanied by wither stripes (see below). Wither Stripes: These are dark lines extending across the withers from side to side, perpendicular to the spine, and are often seen with dorsal stripes. Dapples: These are dark circles or rings that appear on the lighter areas of the body. They are most common on greys and bays, and are most visible when the horse is changing coat. Whorls: These are areas where the hair grows in different directions, giving the appearance of a rosette. They are common along the crest, the underside of the neck, and on the forehead, although they can appear anywhere on the body. Flesh Markings: These are white markings that are usually seen at the top of the hind legs extending across the bell, usually associated with excessive white markings on the legs. They are commonly seen the Clydesdale. Leg Markings White Sock: This is when there is white hair extending from the coronet band to any point below the knee or hock on either the front or hind legs. White Stocking: This is when there is white hair extending from the coronet back upwards to above the knee or hock on either the front or hind legs. White Coronet: This is when there is white hair around the coronet band. Ermine Markings: These are black or brown markings that appear around the coronet or pastern on a white sock or stocking. Zebra Marks: These are zebra like markings which can appear on the upper or lower leg. They are associated with primitive breeds and are most commonly seen in dun horse.