# what's the difference?



## sixlets (May 1, 2009)

The easiest way to tell them apart is the Dun Stripe. There's a whole lot of genetic stuff to do with it, but it's the easiest way to tell them apart at a glance.
Here is a Buckskin, so he has NO dun stripe. Buckskin's actualy coat color can vary from creame to golden, but if they do not have a stripe they are Buckskin. (It's kind of difficult to see because of angle, but the end of his croupe, by the tail, does not have a stripe)









Duns can also be a range of colors, but they ALWAYS have the stripe down their back.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

A buckskin is a cream gene added to a bay horse. Buckskins can range in shade from a very light "buttermilk" shade to a deep golden colour. All of them have a gold tint to their coats. Buckskins CAN have dorsal stripes, but the majority do not. 

A dun is a dun gene added to a bay horse. Duns are generally a dingier golden shade. Does that make sense? Kind of like if you took a shiny golden buckskin and covered them in a thin layer of dirt to make them look a bit more dull. Duns also have "dun factor" markings. These include dorsal stripes, leg barring, and shoulder barring.

Then there's a colour called Dunskin. It is a buckskin with the dun gene. Dun is just a gene that can affect any colour. Most common is grulla (dun on black) and a red dun (dun on chestnut). 

I'll go find pictures.

Sixlets, buckskins CAN have dorsals stripes.


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## sixlets (May 1, 2009)

Okay, I'm on a role, so I'll also include the types of Dun, haha.
A Dun is a horse with the lighter colored body (again, ranging from creame to gold) with BLACK points, dun stripe, and mane and tail, like the dun picture in my last point. 
Here is a RED Dun. Instead of black points, they have RED or chestnut points. A Red Dun is a cross from a Dun and a Chestnut.








A Grulla (also called mouse-dun) has an almost bluish/grey tinge, with black points. They are a cross of a Dun with a Black horse.









 Sorry for all the pics and info, once I got a red dun I became a little obsessed with learning about them and being able to tell them apart haha


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

Dun: 
This shows what I mean about the "duller" coat.








Dun factors:
Leg barring









Shoulder barring 
Note the dark shadowing down the side of the withers.









And then of course the dorsal stripe









Dunskin:
Notice the buttery colour, but he also has leg barring and shoulder barring.











Buckskin
Does not have markings on legs or shoulder. A very buttery golden colour


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

The dun gene can affect any coat colour. There are cremello and perlino duns, they just don't get a fancy name like dunalino (dun + palomino) or dunskin. Heck! You can have a amber champagne dun if you had the right parents.

Also, the dorsal stripe is NOT to be confused with countershading. Dorsal stripes look like they have been drawn on a horse's back with a thick marker. Countershading has fuzzy lines and usually fades down into the normal colour as if the two sides of the horse's coat overlapped.


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## sixlets (May 1, 2009)

Poseidon said:


> Sixlets, buckskins CAN have dorsals stripes.


Are you sure? According to American Buckskin Registry Association (which also registers duns) and AQHA they can't. Also, so far the dun stripe has not been associated with the Buckskin gene, "c cr" dilution gene.
Here's a great article on the genes aspect of it Bluefire:
Justamere Ranch -- Dun vs. Buckskin


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## sixlets (May 1, 2009)

Poseidon said:


> The dun gene can affect any coat colour. There are cremello and perlino duns, they just don't get a fancy name like dunalino (dun + palomino) or dunskin. Heck! You can have a amber champagne dun if you had the right parents.


I know, I was just doing the most common. I didn't want to confuse her too much haha. Horse genetics are so complicated! :lol:


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

sixlets said:


> Are you sure? According to American Buckskin Registry Association (which also registers duns) and AQHA they can't. Also, so far the dun stripe has not been associated with the Buckskin gene, "c cr" dilution gene.
> Here's a great article on the genes aspect of it Bluefire:
> Justamere Ranch -- Dun vs. Buckskin


Yes they can. In order to be a dun, the horse MUST have a dun parent. The ABRA says "Dorsal not required", not that they aren't allowed. 

I'm not an AQHA member, so I don't know where I'd look to find their colour requirements. Googling only sends me to APHA requirements.

ETA: Oops! Nevermind. Found it. It just says they "Typically do not have dorsal stripes" not that they cannot.


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## bluefire (Apr 5, 2010)

Thanks Sixlets and Poseidon. I think I get it now. The pictures really helped. I was really confused about the shade of coats they have.
I actually own a Red Dun QH and I love that color.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

Quick tip if you can't tell: Look at its legs. A dun will have zebra markings, a buckskin won't. Easy as that. Haha.

My friend just got a red dun. As of today, actually! We've known him for 2 years though. Sorrels/Chestnuts aren't my favourite colour, but I loveee red duns. 

My mare's a buckskin who does not have a dorsal stripe. I did meet someone who had the colours backwards and called her a dun because she DIDN'T have a stripe. I told him and he figured it out.


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## bluefire (Apr 5, 2010)

Buckskins don't have Zebra stripes? Now I can tell. lol
My horse has zebra stripes too, but they fade in the winter time and all I can see is his red stockings. But even in the summer time its really hard to see his zebra stripes.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

Yeah, the red dun my friend got has them but they're very faint. They're very obvious on bay duns (regular duns). 

No, buckskins do not have zebra stripes. They have black legs caused by the agouti gene, but they just blend into the golden hairs. If you go into my barn, some of the pictures show her legs.


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## bluefire (Apr 5, 2010)

This all makes sense now.

Poseidon
your horse is beautiful. I just went to your barn. The pictures really helped. I can see the legs.
So Buckskins have black legs and I could see the color blending in.
How about duns. do all duns have zebra stripes?


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

Thank you. She looks like a bear now.. but is shedding heaps. Gross.

Yes, all duns have zebra barring, regardless of shade. Some are very bold (I'll attach a picture of Abby's dun friend from the barn she used to be at) and some are very faint, like the ones on your red dun.

These are from Abby's bff for a few months. She had the coolest zebra barrings.


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## bluefire (Apr 5, 2010)

Those are really cool.
My horse is shedding too. He looks orange now, but when he sheds all his winter coat he'll be gold.


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## butterflysparkles (Mar 12, 2011)

Cool! That is neat how dun colored horses have a stripe going down their backs. It adds a fashionable look.


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## addyjason01 (Feb 26, 2011)

*hii*

Dun and buckskin are color patterns that result from entirely different.The main problem in identifying them is terminology.Both dun and buckskin are the result of DILUTION agents, which both act to bleach to dilute the underlying body coat.The dun gene may also occur with any other base color or pattern, and it will affect that color in the same way: a diluted body coat with the underlying base color showing through for the dorsal and leg stripes, face, tips of ears, etc. Thus there can be a buckskin dun, which would be a horse carrying both dilution factors.


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