[Misty'sGirl]

Hey, I know this will be tricky without a photo, but I have a question about colour and breed. I recently saw the most beautiful horse but I am absolutely stumped about what colour he was. His body was jet black, with maybe a slight chocolate tint in direct sunlight, but his mane and tail were chestnut! With the contrast against his coat it looked like they were a fiery red. The mane was darker close to the neck but lightened out and was mostly chestnut. The tail was pretty much entirely chestnut.

Now, I'm thinking he was a Morgan judging by his shape, build, etc but I could be wrong. So my question is this: Can anyone tell me what colour he was, and if that colour is specific to a particular breed? Thanks in advance.

 

[Jubilee]

Did it look like this?

This is a Rocky Mountain horse, which is a gaited horse. This color is called chocolate, I think it is actually a variation of the chestnut gene but I could be wrong. They can get very dark, almost black but they have light manes.

Or did it look more like this? Maybe with even more red in the mane?

This is an Icelandic horse, but this can happen with almost any black horse. It is just a black horse, but the mane has become sun bleached. This summer I worked with a percheron mare whose body stayed black all summer, but her mane turned very red from the sun (sorry, no pics).

Jubilee

 

[Misty'sGirl]

It was definitely more like the second pic. Thanks!

 

[smrobs]

I would say that it was probably a flaxen liver chesnut or flaxen black chesnut.

Did it look anything like the following horse?

 

[Misty'sGirl]

Yes!! smrobs, that is the exact colour. Thank you so much, and thanks Jubilee for your help also!

 

[CheyAut]

Just FYI, the rocky pictured is a silver black: black horse with the silver gene. In the mountain breeds it is called chocolate, and has nothing to do with chestnut

 

[FjordFan]

To me that would be a liver chestnut. Is silver black/chocolate unique to the Rocky Mountain breed?

 

[Jubilee]

Thanks CheyAut, that's why I said I was not sure. I thought I remember someone telling me it had something to do with the chestnut gene but I guess I got some bad info there.

smrobs, I have NEVER seen a horse that color before. Very beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

Jubilee

 

[ilovestitch]

It defiantly is an eye catching color

 

[MacabreMikolaj]

The silver gene is not exclusive to the RMH but it does appear a lot. You can find it a lot in breeds like miniatures as well. Most people call it "chocolate palomino", but this is incorrect as no cream gene is in play.

The picture that smrobs posted is actually a variation of chestnut though, they call it "burgandy chestnut". There's an Arabian stud named Burgandy Sun with that coloration. I'll snag a photo of him as soon as my internet decides to stop being more worthless then tits on a bull. Good lord I freaking HATE internet explorer.

 

[MacabreMikolaj]

PharaFarm

 

[CheyAut]

To me that would be a liver chestnut. Is silver black/chocolate unique to the Rocky Mountain breed?

No, although only gaited horses are called chocolate. In Australia they call the color taffy. Most other breeds it's called silver. It's found very commonly in Minis and some pony breeds and the gaited breeds. Also a few QHs and Vanners. Some draft breeds in other countries that aren't common in the US and I don't even know their names It doesn't exist in the majority of breeds, but it typically is abundant in the breeds it does exist in.

I LOVE silvers, on black, bay or any other black based horse (it doesn't show on chestnut based horses), I think it's stunning I have several silvers in my mini herd (including chestnuts who have it, so their offspring can show it if the sire gives the foal a black gene).

Funny story. I'm a horse color genetic nut, just LOVE it. I do genetic testing on my horses just to know what they are exactly and what color they can pass on if they're bred (I've even tested a gelding lol). But the silver test is relatively new, so I had forgotten I never tested one of my chestnut mares for it. I bred her to my black leopard who does not have silver. I was so surprised when their colt came out silver black since I completely forgot the mare was never tested for silver lol! So now I know she has at least one silver gene

 

[Annamaria]

Gorgeous!! I'd say it is possible that it might have been either silver, or liver chestnut.
Silver is a dilution gene that acts like the cream dilution, only instead of dilute red, it dilutes black pigment but leaves red alone. I think silver bays are really gorgeous!
Sometimes silver can look a lot like liver chestnut but genetic testing can show if the horse carries a black gene or not (if it does, its silver, if not, chestnut).

I know icelandics, morgans, and minis carry the silver dilution gene.

I hope we're allowed to post links, I've written an article that has photos about the Silver gene here:
http://ultimatehorsesite.com/colors/silver.html

 

[speedy da fish]

liver chestnut is just a dark chestnut, the colour you described kinda sounds like 'seal brown' but you said is looked exactly like the pic smrobs posted which is chocolate or chocolate/dark palomino, could also be classified as liver chestnut flaxen.

 

[CheyAut]

I hope we're allowed to post links, I've written an article that has photos about the Silver gene here:
http://ultimatehorsesite.com/colors/silver.html

You need to update it, there IS a test for silver Would love to read any documentation or anything like that about silver in Friesians, as I've never heard that before. Can you tell me your source of that info?

 

[Hunter65]

Oh my gosh Liver Chestnut is my absolute favorite color - besides Palomino lol

 

[peg4x4]

The draft horse with that coloring is a rare breed called "The Black Forest Horse"~place,not color..Beautiful horses..

 

[peg4x4]

Ok,found a photo of a Black Forest Horse,now that's my avatar

 

[Hunter65]

Ok,found a photo of a Black Forest Horse,now that's my avatar

amazing!

I almost took on another 2 year old that was at my farriers rescue facility. Beautiful little bay but she said when he matures he will go a deep bay with the silver mane and tail (I love that combination). But sadly one 2 year old is enough and I couldn't trade away Hunter lol

 

[FeatheredFeet]

We have a lot of Silver in Gypsy Horses.
Here is Silver Bullet, a Bay Silver.

http://HarlequinFarmsGypsyHorses.com/Aurora/sb7.jpg


And his daughter, a black Silver Tobiano, out of our black and white Tobiano mare.

http://HarlequinFarmsGypsyHorses.com/Aurora/standleft3.jpg


As you see, she is just beginning to shed out around her face here. Strangely enough, the black Silvers, often appear as a lovely pale mauve when newly foaled.
You can see a grown Silver Tobiano here, at Desert Jewel.

http://www.djwwgypsyhorses.com/Auburn.html

Gypsies come in all colours, but this is probably my favourite combination.