# Rare Coat Colours...



## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

What are rare coat colours in quarter horses? 

Just asking. I think Black is quite rare. Most horses I heard don't sty black, but turn brown or grey. 

I have a black filly. Will put up a picture if wanted.


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## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

Horses dont just turn brown they are born brown however no black is not rare.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Reno Bay (Jul 8, 2012)

I don't know about rare colors really. In general I'd think double dilutes are relatively uncommon.

A black horse is black. It cannot turn brown, as brown is a completely different genetic color. Many black horses have coats that fade to a brownish color in the sun, but that's normal and it doesn't make the horse any less black.


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## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

BarrelracingArabian said:


> Horses dont just turn brown they are born brown however no black is not rare.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Okay. I have heard on here that they are. Even if they are born brown, but look black, you can still see them changing colour into the colour they were born. That is what I was meaning.


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## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

Then they are brown not black and often you can tell by their foal coat wether they are brown or black. Either way no i don't consider black rare.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Only color at this point I would consider rare in AQHA horses is silver...


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

I've always been told that a true black horse with no white what so ever is indeed rare.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## kayleeloveslaneandlana (Apr 10, 2011)

I have a black QH. I'm know that's not a rare color. 

I have never seen a silver QH though.


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

kayleeloveslaneandlana said:


> I have a black QH. I'm know that's not a rare color.
> 
> I have never seen a silver QH though.


Does your qh have white or is it purely black with no markings? I've always been told a TRUE black horse with no other markings is rare. Weather it's true or not-who knows. Haha
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Hmmm can someone post a pic of a silver????


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## kayleeloveslaneandlana (Apr 10, 2011)

He does have markings.


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## EvilHorseOfDoom (Jun 17, 2012)

Cowgirls Boots said:


> I've always been told that a true black horse with no white what so ever is indeed rare.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Depends on the breed I guess. Any decent Friesian is black with no white markings - in fact only a small star is tolerated in the registry, otherwise no white at all is allowed.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

I would consider champagne, pearl, and appaloosa to be rare in AQHA.


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## OliviaMyee (Jul 31, 2012)

In Equine industry we where taught that a normal black horse fades in the sun but is still black, and a Jet black or true black horse never fades in the sun and can have the normal white markings.


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Quarter Horse - Silver Equine


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

I would consider the "rare" colours to be the ones you can't breed for - brindle, chimera, somatic mutations.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

NdAppy said:


> Quarter Horse - Silver Equine


Wow! That was not was I was expecting......I was expecting my brains version of what silver looks like! Haha like I say, this color thing is best left to more patient people than myself! Thanks!


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

Chiilaa said:


> I would consider the "rare" colours to be the ones you can't breed for - brindle, chimera, somatic mutations.


You have quite the high bar for rare :lol:


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

verona1016 said:


> You have quite the high bar for rare :lol:


Everything else can be selectively bred for - I consider them under-represented in the gene pool, but entirely possible to become over-represented lol.


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## WSArabians (Apr 14, 2008)

Cowgirls Boots said:


> I've always been told that a true black horse with no white what so ever is indeed rare.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_







































All different horses in a 30 second google search. Quite common in Arabians. 
Pure blacks with no white are also quite common among Canadians and Fresians.


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## SunnyMeadeFarm (Sep 3, 2012)

Well Considering black is one of the simplest base colors, I wouldn't consider it rare.
When I hear rare horse color, I think of Champagnes, Double Dilutes like Perlino or Cremello..... hmm all I can think of right now, but of course like said before the unbreedable colors like Brindle, Chimera.. etc.


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## Bridgertrot (Dec 2, 2011)

SunnyMeadeFarm said:


> Well Considering black is one of the simplest base colors, I wouldn't consider it rare.
> When I hear rare horse color, I think of Champagnes, Double Dilutes like Perlino or Cremello..... hmm all I can think of right now, but of course like said before the unbreedable colors like Brindle, Chimera.. etc.


How about a triple dilute? :lol:

Tested amber cream dun champagne with tobiano and frame. 5 "color" genes in one.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

I don't think I'd count that colt as rare. Champagne is uncommon, but the others aren't. His color also wouldn't be hard to obtain with selective color breeding. shrug. His entire color isn't accessible in QHs anyway because of tobiano.


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## Bridgertrot (Dec 2, 2011)

I guess it depends on what a persons definition of rare is. It's not rare in that it's attainable but rare in a way that it would be somewhat difficult getting all in one. Now if he had roan tossed in with it...that'd be cool I think lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Nokotaheaven (Apr 11, 2012)

A colour i know is uncommon is blue roan... Don't know if id consider it rare though


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## happytrailstoyou (May 25, 2012)

I have a blue roan  has always been my dream to own one


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## Colour my World (Jun 3, 2013)

BarrelracingArabian said:


> Horses dont just turn brown they are born brown however no black is not rare.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Black is extremely rare!!! It's hard to find a truly black full grown. Horse. :shock::twisted: a black horse means they have not ONE white hair on them.


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## Colour my World (Jun 3, 2013)

Nokotaheaven said:


> A colour i know is uncommon is blue roan... Don't know if id consider it rare though


My old pony was a blue roan. I love them. They are kinda rare tho!


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## texasgal (Jul 25, 2008)

Solid black is common in Foundation Quarter Horses.. where chrome wasn't bred for..


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## Farmchic (Mar 2, 2013)

My boy is black but he does have two scars with white hairs , maybe that's why it's hard to find an adult horse that is solid black? What horse doesn't have a scar or two?


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## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

I am testing my 'black' horse to see if she really is a true black, or a really dark brown. 

She has a star and a snip, but otherwise black. And Frame can actually occur in QH's. My filly has a blue eye, and I do believe frame is causing it, and she is a purebred quarter horse. It does happen... And with more research on my behalf, like someone else has already said, 'rare' can change with different people perspectives on the quarter horse, or other breeds. 

I no longer think black is a rare colour, as there are many, many black quarter horses, testing back as aa (meaning they are true black, whether they fade or not) HOWEVER, I do think it is rare that you can find a black horse that does not fade, even just a little.


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## JetdecksComet (Jun 11, 2013)

Yes, silver is rare. So are "appy" spots.


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## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

Aren't 'appy' spots called Birdcatcher spots? Or something like that...?


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## JetdecksComet (Jun 11, 2013)

There are small spots that are called that, but I am talking about the same kind of markings you see on an Appaloosa or a Knabstrupper. True "appy" spots that are caused by the LP gene, and they are very rare in QHs. 

Some other rare patterns are frame overo, dominant white, and splash white... which are all typically considered Paint/pinto colors.


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## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

It seems some people are mixing up color vs. pattern. Color-wise a horse is black as long as its genetically Ee or EE without a modifier present (cream, dun, agouti, etc). Doesn't matter what the white pattern is. 

A horse of ANY color without a single white hair I would think is a bit uncommon. Not rare, but uncommon. Nothing special about black since its a base color.


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

JetdecksComet said:


> There are small spots that are called that, but I am talking about the same kind of markings you see on an Appaloosa or a Knabstrupper. True "appy" spots that are caused by the LP gene, and they are very rare in QHs.
> 
> Some other rare patterns are frame overo, dominant white, and splash white... which are all typically considered Paint/pinto colors.


The pinto patterns you described are not rare frame and splash are very common even on non pinto horses. Dominant white is probably the more rare out of those white patterns but I would consider it necessarily rare unless you talking about where it completely whites a horse out. But then again DW doesn't always do that. Frame should actually be considered very common unless your not in the Americas. Frame is a lethal white pattern and can show up on horses with zero white. All breeding horses should be tested for frame to prevent lethal white foals.
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## JetdecksComet (Jun 11, 2013)

Yes, but the OP was asking what was rare in Quarter Horses. Frame and splash are certainly not common in QHs and LP and DW are even more rare.


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## kassierae (Jan 1, 2010)

Frame and splash are VERY common in quarter horses. All those blazes and large stars and stockings? More than likely they are caused by frame and/or splash. It is minimal, yes. But still there.


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

Yes extremely common in quarter horses. Frame, splash, sabino, Dom white are not just pinto patterns. Where do you think the white patterns on QH's comes from? ;-)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## redandrae420 (Jun 12, 2013)

Champange duns and also brindles are very rare


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## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

So can a Quarter Horse be any colour? Including pinto and appy? And when I say Any Colour, I mean ANY colour possible?


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

If the genes are present in the breed then yes a horse can have any combination of those genes.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

Breezy2011 said:


> So can a Quarter Horse be any colour? Including pinto and appy? And when I say Any Colour, I mean ANY colour possible?


Not tobiano- I think since the QH registry excluded horses with too much white tobiano managed to be kept out. Tobiano _can_ express minimally, but it usually doesn't. So even if a minimal tobiano was registered when the registry started any offspring who got the gene and expressed it were likely not allowed to register, thus the gene was bred out (if it was ever present to begin with)


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## Zeke (Jun 27, 2010)

Am I incorrect in thinking a black horse is still a black horse if they have a sock or two? A blaze? Some posters here are saying "true blacks" don't have a single speck of white? No way...genetically if a horse is black, it's black. The white would come from something like frame or splash right? 

If my thinking is correct, that a black horse can infact have white markings and still be considered black, then no it's not rare in my eyes. Not as common in my neighborhood as a sorrel but not as rare as you make it seem. My vote for rare would be the champagne, pearl, perlino types but they're popping up more and more online.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## JetdecksComet (Jun 11, 2013)

Again, the OP asked for "uncommon" and phenotypical Frame, Splash, DW, and LP are not the norm for QHs, thus uncommon. Nowhere did I mention Sabino, so I'm not sure how that worked its way into the conversation. 

Just search for QHs for sale on a site like dreamhorse. I just did and out of the first 120 or so, I saw maybe 3 horses who might have been minimal splash or frame horses. And they were not loudly marked pintos... so your average QH owner probably wouldn't even realize they could be. And DW... well, as far as I know, the only QH line that carries it is the GQ Santana line. Any others would have to be from one of the TB lines... but I haven't heard of any testing positive tor them. And LP is almost unheard of. So, they are out there, but they certainly aren't common.


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## JetdecksComet (Jun 11, 2013)

Yes, Zeke, the white markings on a horse don't change the fact that the base color is black.


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