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# Silver black
- URL: https://equinecolors.com/silver-black/
- Published: 2025-12-15T12:43:52.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-10T10:49:40.000Z
- Description: Silver black is a horse coat color caused by the silver dilution on a black base. The mane and tail have a silvery color.
- Author: Hannelore Roodhooft
- Tags: Colors, Dilutions, #Import 2026-08-12 09:42

## Appearance

| Foals | ![Silverg black foal](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/12/silverblackfoal.png) | Silver foals are often very **pale** at birth, with silvery eyelashes, mane and tail. The **hooves** typically have **vertical stripes**. |
| ----- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |

| Silver on a **[black](https://equinecolors.com/black/) base** dilutes the **mane, tail**and sometimes **feathering, eyelashes** and**facial hair** to a **reddish, silver** or nearly **white** color. The **coat** is black, but can bediluted to a more **greyish-brown** color. The coat is often **dappled**. Silver horses maydevelop **eye problems (MCOA)**. | ![Silver black](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/12/silverblack-1.png) | Adults |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------ |

## Genetics

Silver black is the result of a **black base** diluted by **one of two copies of silver**. The silver (Z) dilution is an allele of the [**PMEL17**](https://equinecolors.com/pmel17-gene/) gene.

![CTA Image](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/12/Equinecolors_Icon_DNA1-32.png) 

****Silver black:**  
Black (E/\_ a/a) + Z/\_

  
**Read more:**  
[Black](https://equinecolors.com/black/) | [Silver bay](https://equinecolors.com/silver-bay/)

[Back to silver](https://equinecolors.com/silver/)

## Articles

1. Andersson L.S., Wilbe M., Viluma A., Cothran G., Ekesten B., Ewart S., Lindgren G.; ***Equine multiple congenital ocular anomalies and silver coat colour result from the pleiotropic effects of mutant PMEL***; PLoS One (2013) Doi: [10.1371/journal.pone.0075639](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0075639&ref=equinecolors.com)
2. Brunberg E., Andersson L., Cothran G., Sandberg K., Mikko S., Lindgren G.; ***A missense mutation in PMEL17 is associated with the Silver coat color in the horse***; BMC Genetics (2006); Doi: [10.1186/1471-2156-7-46](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1471-2156-7-46?ref=equinecolors.com)

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