Equus ferus caballus, AKA the domestic horse, comes in many coat colors and coat patterns, but have you ever wondered just how these colors, and coat patterns, happen? If so, welcome to the fascinating world of horse color genetics! Like most things, or actually, everything when it comes to living organisms, horse color comes down…
Did you know…Up until, or around domestication, Equus ferus caballus (the modern domestic horse) were all bay dun horses. Every single one of them! However, we didn’t know this until researchers started looking for the gene that causes the dun color. They compared the genome of a dun horse with that of a modern equine…
More than any specific type or breed of horse, roan is a patterned hair color composition in the coat. Identified by white and colored hairs that are intermixed throughout the body, the lower legs, mane, and tail remain in a solid color. But the term roan refers to a range of colors, and as such…