Registration Question

I recently purchased a yearling quarter horse. He is a smoky black. On his papers, it notes that he carries the dilute gene. I was doing some research on the color (because he seems to be changing colors, from black to a golden chocolate) and found that smoky blacks are synonymous with black buckskins or sooty buckskins. I emailed the ABRA to ask if I could register him. Their response was as long as he met the color requirements. That didn't really answer my question. So does anyone know if a smoky black/black buckskin can be registered with the ABRA? Thanks so much.

Welcome to the forum!

Does he fit into these color requirements: AMERICAN BUCKSKIN REGISTRY ASSOCIATION, INC. ~ Registration ?

In any case, I would wait until he is a little older to see what color he develops into.

Smokey black is not the same as sooty buckskin. Smokey black is a black horse with the cream gene, and a sooty buckskin is a bay horse with cream and sooty. This is my sooty buckskin (she also has silver, so her points are lightened a bit, and she's also dun... but you can get the idea):


I believe black buckskin is just another term used for smokey black, but it's not a good term. Buckskin is cream on bay, not black, so it's just not right?

Anyhow, according to the registry's webpage AMERICAN BUCKSKIN REGISTRY ASSOCIATION, INC. ~ Registration the horse's body must be "some shade of tan, from very light (creme) to very dark (bronze). Points (mane, tail, legs and ear frames) are black or dark brown."

So, does he fit that description?

The creme gene only affects red hairs, not black. So a smokey black is a black horse that can potentially dilute a red based foal, but it's self is colored black.