All horse colours are made by two pigments: eumelanin (black) and pheomelanin (red). The extension gene and the agouti gene regulate the production of these pigments. This results in three base coat colours: chestnut, black, and bay.
Base Colors
Chestnut
Chestnut is one of the base coat colours in horses, next to black and bay. It is characterised by a fully red coat.
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Black
Black is one of the base colours in horses, next to chestnut and bay. It is characterised by a fully black coat.
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Bay
Bay is one of the base coat colours in horses, next to chestnut and black. It is characterised by a red coat with black points.
Hannelore Roodhooft
Genes
Extension gene
The extension gene controls the production of black and red pigment. It is one of the genes that determines the base color of horses.
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Agouti gene
The agouti gene controls the distribution of black on the coat. It is one of the genes that determines the base color of horses.
Hannelore Roodhooft
Learn while playing! Discover how genes shape colors and patterns in our realistic horse breeding game, Horse Reality