> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://equinecolors.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Black - URL: https://equinecolors.com/black/ - Published: 2025-11-04T11:47:31.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-10T09:33:25.000Z - Description: Black is one of the base colours in horses, alongside chestnut and bay. It is defined by a fully black coat. - Author: Hannelore Roodhooft - Tags: Colors, Base colors, #Import 2026-08-12 09:42 ## Appearance Black horses have a completely black coat, including the [points ](https://equinecolors.com/dictionary/#:~:text=Horse%20Terms-,Points,-The%20mane%2C%20tail)of the horse. Splashed white patterns tend to express more loudly on black/bay-based horses. | Foals | ![Black foal](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/11/blackfoal-1.png) | Foals are usually born with a more greyish colour. This is caused by [foal camo](https://equinecolors.com/dictionary/#:~:text=a%20bay%20horse.-,Foal%20Camo,-Foals%20are%20often). The amount of foalcamo that is present can differ: Friesians are typically born darker, for example. | | ----- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Black shades can vary from pitch black to sun-faded black: some black horses will “sun bleach”, which can be a result of exposure to sunlight, sweat, etc. or dietary or genetic factors. | ![black horse](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/11/black-1.png) Black | Adults | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------ | | ![sun-faded black horse](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/11/blacksun-1.png)Sun-faded black | | | ### Mimics Other colors can look similar to black. Sun-faded black can look similar to very dark (sooty/liver) [chestnut](https://equinecolors.com/base-colors-chestnut/) shades. Black and [smoky black](https://equinecolors.com/smoky-black/) are visually not distinguishable from each other; genetic testing (or pedigree info) is needed. ![CTA Image](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/12/Equinecolors_Icon_MagnifyingGlass-1.png) Look at the ****points** of the horse Look at the ****soft parts** of the horse (eyes/muzzle, flanks,…) These parts should be ****black** in color ## Genetics The base color black is controlled by the **extension** [**gene**](https://equinecolors.com/dictionary/#:~:text=in%20each%20pair.-,Gene,-A%20gene%20is) and the **agouti gene**. The **extension** gene controls the production of red and black pigment. Horses need at least one copy of the [dominant](https://equinecolors.com/dictionary/#:~:text=Dominant%20Allele%20%28written%20in%20capital%20letters%29) E-[allele](https://equinecolors.com/dictionary/#:~:text=on%20a%20chromosome.-,Alleles,-Different%20versions%20of) **(E/E or E/e)** to be able to produce black pigment. The **agouti** gene controls the distribution of black pigment. The dominant A-allele causes black pigment to be restricted to the points of the horse. As a result, horses need two copies of the a-allele **(a/a)** to be uniformly black. ![CTA Image](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/12/Equinecolors_Icon_DNA1-7.png) ****Black:** E/E + a/a E/e + a/a Horses that are E/E are sometimes referred to as "[homozygous](https://equinecolors.com/dictionary/#:~:text=G/g%29.-,Homozygous,-Two%20identical%20alleles) black", "only throws black", etc. However, these horses' coats can still be affected by other genes, and what their foals would look like also depends on the other parent. Breeding two black-based horses will always result in either a black or chestnut-based (in case both parents are E/e) foal. Chestnut and [bay](https://equinecolors.com/bay/)\-based horses can only have a black-based foal if they aren't homozygous dominant (A/A) for agouti, so that is important to keep in mind when the aim is to breed a black-based horse. ## Presence in horses Black coats are widespread, although they tend to be less common than the other base coats, chestnut and bay. Breeds like the Friesian Horse or Murgese are almost exclusively black, while in other breeds, such as the Haflinger or Cleveland Bay, black is rare or even not present at all. **Read more:** [Chestnut](https://equinecolors.com/chestnut/) | [Bay](https://equinecolors.com/bay/) [Back to Base Colors](https://equinecolors.com/base-colors/) ## Articles 1. Marklund, L., Moller, M. J., Sandberg, K., & Andersson, L.; **A missense mutation in the gene for melanocyte-stimulating hormone receptor (MCIR) is associated with the chestnut coat color in horses**, Mammalian Genome, 1996; [10.1007/s003359900264](http://doi.org/10.1007/s003359900264?ref=equinecolors.com) 2. Wagner, H-J., & Reissmann, M.; **New polymorphism detected in the horse MC1R gene**; Animal Genetics, 2000*;* [10.1046/j.1365-2052.2000.00655.x](http://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2052.2000.00655.x?ref=equinecolors.com) --- [![CTA Image](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/10/Image-5.png)](https://www.horsereality.com/?ref=equinecolors.com) Learn while playing! Discover how genes shape colors and patterns in our realistic horse breeding game, Horse Reality [Play now ](https://www.horsereality.com/?ref=equinecolors.com)