Horse Coat Color Calculator

If you have horses and are wondering about your foal’s future coat color, you found the right place. Our Horse Coat Color Calculator helps you combine multiple coat colors for each parent—like Bay, Black, or Palomino—and uses mixing logic for a random chance at a blended hue. It’s mobile-friendly, offers color previews, and is perfect for breeders or horse lovers looking to see what the potential color of their foal’s will be.

How to Use the Horse Coat Color Calculator

Our Horse Coat Color Calculator helps predict the potential coat color of a foal based on the colors of its parents. Follow these steps to get started:

Step 1: Select Parent Coat Colors

• You’ll see two sections labeled Parent 1 Coat Color(s) and Parent 2 Coat Color(s).
• Each section contains multiple color options, such as Bay, Black, Chestnut, Grey, Palomino, Buckskin, Roan, Pinto, and more.
• Each color has a small preview square next to it, helping you see the color before selection.
• You can select multiple colors for each parent if the horse carries mixed genetics or has dominant/recessive traits.

Step 2: Click “Calculate”

• After selecting the coat colors for both parents, press the “Calculate” button at the bottom of the form.
• The calculator will randomly select a predicted coat color based on the chosen parent colors.
• If multiple unique colors are selected, the calculator may mix two colors together to produce a blended result.

Step 3: View the Predicted Offspring Coat Color

• The result section will display the predicted foal coat color in bold text.
• A large color preview square (50×50 pixels) will appear to give you a visual representation of the offspring’s possible coat color.
• If a mix occurs, the calculator blends two selected colors and creates a new shade.

This horse coat color genetics calculator is mobile-friendly, making it easy to use on any device especially when you’re out in the field with your horses. Experiment with different parent colors to see the range of possible foal coat colors. Try it now and predict your horse’s next generation!

Why Use the Horse Coat Color Calculator?

Believe it or not, I used to train horses in my teens. I worked on a farm where we had ten horses, and once in a while, a newborn foal would be born with a surprising coat color. Our horses were all either brown or black, so predicting a foal’s coat was usually straightforward.

However, horses can come in a wide variety of coat colors, determined by a complex genetic system. Certain genes control pigmentation, dilution, and pattern variations, influencing everything from solid colors to unique patterns like roan or pinto. Understanding these genetic influences can help breeders and horse owners predict potential coat colors in foals.

Horse Coat Colors Explained

Bay horses have a brown or reddish-brown body with a black mane, tail, and lower legs. This color is controlled by the agouti gene, which restricts black pigmentation to specific areas. Bay is one of the most common horse coat colors and can vary from light bay to dark bay.

Black horses have a completely black coat with no brown or red undertones. True black horses have dark skin and may fade slightly in the sun. The dominant black gene (E/E or E/e) ensures full black pigmentation.

A chestnut horse has a reddish-brown coat, often with a mane and tail that match or are slightly lighter. This color is controlled by the recessive e/e gene, meaning a chestnut horse must inherit two copies of the gene. Chestnuts can range from light red to dark liver chestnut.

Grey horses are born with a solid color but gradually lighten with age due to the grey gene (G), which causes progressive depigmentation. Over time, they may develop a dappled or flea-bitten pattern before turning nearly white in old age.

Palominos have a golden-yellow coat with a white or flaxen mane and tail. This color results from the cream dilution gene (Ccr) acting on a chestnut base coat. The shade can range from a pale cream to a deep gold.

Buckskin horses have a tan or golden coat with black points (mane, tail, and lower legs). This color is created when the cream dilution gene (Ccr) acts on a bay base coat, resulting in a single dilution. Unlike duns, buckskins do not have a dorsal stripe.

Dun horses have distinctive primitive markings, including a dorsal stripe running down their back. The dun gene (D) lightens the base coat while leaving the mane, tail, and lower legs darker. Dun can appear in different shades, including bay dun, red dun, and grulla.

Roan horses have a mix of white and colored hairs distributed evenly across their body but with a solid-colored head and legs. The roan gene (Rn) creates this effect. Common variations include red roan (chestnut base), blue roan (black base), and bay roan.

Pinto horses have large white patches over their base coat, caused by dominant white spotting genes. Different patterns include tobiano, overo, and sabino, each with distinct spotting characteristics. Pinto horses can have any base color combined with white patches.

Cremello horses have a pale cream-colored coat with pink skin and blue eyes. This color occurs when the cream gene (Ccr/Ccr) acts on a chestnut base, doubling the dilution effect. Cremellos are not albino, as they still produce some pigmentation.

Perlino horses have a light cream coat with a slightly darker mane and tail, often with a reddish tint. This color results from a double cream dilution (Ccr/Ccr) on a bay base coat, similar to a cremello but with warmer undertones.

A smoky black horse appears dark but carries a single cream dilution gene (Ccr) on a black base coat. Unlike a true black horse, smoky blacks may show a slight lightening in their coat, particularly under sunlight.

Appaloosa horses have a distinctive spotted coat pattern caused by the LP (leopard complex) gene. The pattern can range from blanket (white patches over the hindquarters) to leopard (white with dark spots over the entire body). This coat type is commonly associated with the Appaloosa breed.

Why Coat Color Genetics Matter

Understanding horse coat colors is important for breeders and horse owners, as certain genetic combinations can increase the chances of specific coat patterns. The Horse Coat Color Calculator provides a visual prediction tool, helping users explore genetic possibilities and foal outcomes.