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# Silver smoky black
- URL: https://equinecolors.com/silver-smoky-black/
- Published: 2026-01-05T11:39:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-10T10:52:50.000Z
- Description: Silver smoky black is a horse coat color caused by the silver dilution and one copy of the cream dilution on a black base. The horse has a brown, caramel-like color.
- Author: Hannelore Roodhooft
- Tags: Colors, Dilutions, MATP, #Import 2026-08-12 09:42

## Appearance

| Foals | ![Silver smoky black foal](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2026/01/silversmokyblackfoal.png) | Silver foals are often very **pale** at birth, with silvery eyelashes, mane and tail. The **hooves** typically have **vertical stripes**. |
| ----- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |

| While [smoky black](https://equinecolors.com/silver-black/) has the sameappearance as [black](https://equinecolors.com/black/), when the silverdilution is also present, they work togetherto create a horse that is a **caramel-like**color. Silver horses may develop **eye** problems (MCOA). | ![Silver smoky black](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2026/01/silversmokyblack-1.png) | Adults |
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## Genetics

Silver smoky black is the result of a **black base** diluted by **one copy of cream** and **one of two copies of silver**. The cream (CR) dilution is an allele of the [**MATP**](https://equinecolors.com/matp-gene/) gene. 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 smoky black:**  
Black (E/\_ a/a) + CR/n + Z/\_

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

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

## 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)
3. Locke, M. M., Ruth, L. S., Millon, L .V., Penedo, M. C. T., Murray, J. D., & Bowling, A. T.; ***The cream dilution gene, responsible for the palomino and buckskin coat colours, maps to horse chromosome 21***. Animal Genetics (2001); doi: [10.1046/j.1365-2052.2001.00806.x](https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2052.2001.00806.x?ref=equinecolors.com)
4. Mariat, D., Taourit, S., & Guérin, G.; ***A mutation in the MATP gene causes the cream coat colour in the horse.*** Genetics Selection Evolution (2003); doi: [10.1051/gse:2002039](https://doi.org/10.1051/gse:2002039?ref=equinecolors.com)

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