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Picture the possibilities

Horse Coat Color Calculator

Choose two horses. Discover the colors a foal could grow into.

Reviewed by Elliott Garber, DVMUpdated How it works and sources

Close this explorer whenever you’re ready to return to your pairing.

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Color & pattern explorer

All horse colors & patterns

Browse base colors, Gray changes, white patterns, roaning, spotting, and more.

Bay horseBase colors & dilutionsAdult coats across Bay, Black, Chestnut, Cream, Dun, Silver, and primitive markings.39 looksBay · Gray · early stage horseHow Gray changes colorEarly, middle, and advanced Gray development across base colors and dilutions.117 looksBay · Frame horseFrameAdult Frame coats across base colors and dilutions.39 looksBay · Frame · Gray · early stage horseGray + FrameHow Gray can change the look of living Frame coats over time.117 looksBay · Classic Roan horseClassic Roan coatsAdult Classic Roan coats across base colors and dilutions.39 looksBay · Classic Roan · Gray · early stage horseGray + Classic RoanHow Gray can change the look of Classic Roan coats over time.117 looksBay · Classic Roan · Frame horseFrame + Classic RoanAdult coats where Frame and Classic Roan appear together.39 looksBay · Classic Roan · Frame · Gray · early stage horseGray + Frame + RoanGray development when Frame and Classic Roan appear together.117 looksClassic Champagne · Without primitive markings horseChampagne, Mushroom & PearlAdult Champagne, Mushroom, and Pearl coats, with and without primitive markings.10 looksClassic Champagne · Without primitive markings · Early Gray horseGray + special colorsEarly, middle, and advanced Gray development over these special colors.30 looksRestrained Classic Roan · Bay horseClassic Roan expressionRestrained and stronger Classic Roan expression on Bay, Black, and Chestnut.6 looksMinimal Tobiano · Bay horseTobianoMinimal through extensive Tobiano patterns on Bay, Black, and Chestnut.9 looksModest Sabino 1 · Bay horseSabino 1Sabino 1 can range from modest white markings to a nearly all-white coat.12 looksDominant White Mild Or Cryptic · Bay horseDominant WhiteMild through nearly all-white expression across Dominant White families.9 looksBay · One Leopard Complex copy · Without PATN1 · Subtle or minimal · At birth horseLeopard Complex & PATN1Leopard Complex ranges from birth through later expression, with Gray development included.120 looksOne Splash variant · Bay · Lower range horseSplashed WhiteLower through upper Splashed White ranges across base colors and Gray stages.72 looksBrindle1 mare · Bay · Subtle coat texture horseBrindle1How Brindle1 can look in mares and stallions, across colors and Gray stages.84 looks
Explore one horse instead See an example pairing

A clearer answer from what you know

A horse’s appearance can match more than one genetic combination, so each possible foal color comes with the full chance range its appearance supports. Add DNA results whenever you have them to narrow those ranges and unlock exact odds.

What this calculator covers

This calculator uses the coat-color tests listed below. It covers Extension, Agouti, Cream and Pearl, Champagne, Dun, Silver, Gray, Mushroom, Frame Overo, linked KIT white patterns, Leopard Complex with PATN1, Splashed White, and Brindle1. Health notes summarize published research; ask your veterinarian what they mean for a particular horse.

Limits

  • Shade modifiers such as sooty, flaxen and dapples, face and leg markings, and the size of a white or leopard pattern are not predicted.
  • From coat colors alone, a chance is exact only when the colors decide it; otherwise you see the honest range. DNA results narrow it.
  • An educational tool, not a substitute for a laboratory report or veterinary advice.

Sources

UC Davis VGL coat-color reference UC Davis VGL Red or black (Extension) test UC Davis VGL Agouti test UC Davis VGL Cream and Pearl test UC Davis VGL Champagne test UC Davis VGL Dun test UC Davis VGL Silver test UC Davis VGL Gray test UC Davis VGL Mushroom test UC Davis VGL Frame Overo test UC Davis VGL Tobiano test UC Davis VGL Roan test UC Davis VGL Sabino 1 test UC Davis VGL Dominant White test UC Davis VGL Leopard Complex and PATN1 test UC Davis VGL Splashed White test UC Davis VGL Brindle1 test UC Davis VGL Gray copy-number test

How it works: the method, health notes and peer-reviewed references

Explore example pairings with named DNA panels and exact odds

Printed from https://test.creatures.com/horse-coat-color-calculator on October 29, 2026. Reviewed by Elliott Garber, DVM, last reviewed October 20, 2026. Method, health notes and references: https://test.creatures.com/horse-coat-color-calculator/how-it-works

Gene guides

Agouti · Brindle 1 · Champagne · Cream · Dominant White · Dominant White W20 · Dun · Frame Overo · Gray · Leopard Complex · Mushroom · Non-Dun 1 · Pattern-1 (PATN1) · Pearl · Red Factor · Roan · Sabino 1 · Silver · Splashed White · Tobiano

Horse color genetics can be wonderfully surprising. Choose the colors you see or enter the DNA results you know, then explore the coats and patterns their foal could inherit, complete with useful health and inheritance notes.

Colors and patterns you can explore

Start with familiar coat colors or go deeper with the names used on common DNA test panels.

How to read your results

Start with the big picture, then open any color, pattern, or health note you want to explore.

Frequently asked questions

Which horse color genetics can I explore?

Start with the parents’ visible colors, or add DNA results for core coat colors, Champagne, Mushroom, selected KIT white-pattern families, Leopard Complex and PATN1, MITF and PAX3 Splashed White families, and sex-linked Brindle1.

When can Creatures show one set of foal odds?

When both reports contain all the information the calculator needs, Creatures can show one set of odds for the supported results you entered. If the reports do not show which linked variants were inherited together, it shows the possibilities separately and explains what remains unknown.

Why are combinations that cannot survive included in the odds?

The percentages shown always count every conception. For example, an O/O Frame Overo combination stays in the calculation, so Creatures never makes the chances for surviving foals look higher by quietly removing it.

What do the health notes mean?

Health notes highlight research connected to the colors and DNA results in the pairing. A veterinarian or testing laboratory can help you understand what a finding means for an individual horse.

Why can foals with the same color result look different?

Shade, marking boundaries, roaning, seasonal coats, and age can all change how a color appears. The calculator groups these horses under the same color family while showing the patterns and modifiers that may add variety.

What should I do when the report leaves more than one possibility?

Explore each possibility on its own. The testing laboratory may be able to show which linked variants sit together on the same chromosome, and you can update the calculator whenever you learn more.

Sources

Reviewed by Elliott Garber, DVM · Last reviewed