Equine Color Genetics & breeding special colors

I have spent a lot of time studying color coat genetics. I would be happy to answer any questions you have. However, there is no such thing as a black chestnut. The E gene controls if thehorse is capable of making black hair, if it is ee then it is chestnut, if it is Ee or EE then it is black. The A gene controls if the black hair is restricted to the points, this makes a bay. I hate to burst your bubble, it would be cool to have horses that change colors like that, but it just dosnt exist. I do love the creme and dun genes though!

This thread is over two years old. If the OP is still here, I am sure they would have posted other threads to ask their questions before now.

Also, black chestnut is a term used for really dark chestnuts, mostly in the Morgan breed. Like this guy:

I'm sure his breeder wont mind if I share the picture she took of my boy.
This is Viking. He's a Gra Dun Fjord.



I'm super interested in color genetics, I love reading the color experts take on colors

It's funny, you Americans seem to have so many different names for colours - we tend (although I bet it is changing) to stick to the colours chestnut -(liver, bright or flaxen mane and tail), Palomino, Bay (red, brown or bright), Dun, Buckskin, black, cremello etc. I'd never heard of champagne (except as something I like to drink) before coming to this site. Anyhow here is my boy Zephyr (buckskin) who most of you must be getting sick of by now - does he count?

Cant get enough of that little dude. Cripes he's cute

Yes, that's all well and good. However, a chestnut horse - that is, ee, as you say should not be able to have ANY black hairs at all. It has (as you say) NO BLACK mechanism. At all. So ... no black manes and tails, and certainly not this:

Yet ... here we are. A chestnut who is nearly completely black. Calling it liver doesn't make it not black. Just saying. You can call it whatever you like. It is covered with black hair.