Horse coat colours and patterns

Horses and ponies come in a variety of coat colours and patterns. Check out our guide to horse colours and patterns below and select any colour for more information.

Appaloosa

Appaloosa is a term that has been incorrectly used in the past to refer to a colour or pattern that is more accurately referred to as spotted.

Bay

Bay is the most common horse colour.  Bay horses are brown with black mane, tail and legs.  

Black

Black horses have a black coat with black mane and tail.

Brown

Brown horses have a dark brown coat, black lower legs, mane and tail and a lighter brown muzzle.

Buckskin

Buckskin horses vary from a creamy golden to rich golden colour with black points, mane and tail.

Chestnut

Chestnut horses have a ginger coat with similar colour mane and tail although they can vary in shade.

Cremello

Cremello horses have extremely pale coats, mane and tail with blue or amber eyes.

Dun

Dun horses are a creamy golden colour with black mane and tail and have a distinctive dark dorsal stipe.

Grey

Grey horses vary in colour from being almost white to dark grey.

Overo

Overo is a white coat pattern that appears to originate from the belly that can be combined with any colour to produce a coloured horse.

Palomino

The palomino horse has a golden body with white mane and tail.

Piebald

Piebald is a general term used to describe a horse that is black with the overo or tobiano white pattern or both (tovero).

Roan

Roan is a coat pattern with white hairs ticked through the coat and can be combined with any colour.

Skewbald

Skewbald is a term to describe a horse of any colour other than black with the overo or tobiano pattern or both (tovero).

Spotted

Spotted is a coat pattern that can be combined with any colour. There are several distinct spotted patterns and each spotted horse is unique.

Tobiano

Tobiano is a white coat pattern that can be combined with any colour to produce a coloured horse.