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Color & pattern explorer
Horse Color & Pattern Explorer
Browse reviewed examples of base colors, Gray changes, white patterns, roaning, spotting, and more.
Reviewed by Elliott Garber, DVMUpdated How it works and sources
Your visualizer stays open while you explore.
Color & pattern explorer
All horse colors & patterns
Browse base colors, Gray changes, white patterns, roaning, spotting, and more.
Image unavailableBase colors & dilutionsAdult coats across Bay, Black, Chestnut, Cream, Dun, Silver, and primitive markings.39 looks
Image unavailableHow Gray changes colorEarly, middle, and advanced Gray development across base colors and dilutions.117 looks
Image unavailableFrameAdult Frame coats across base colors and dilutions.39 looks
Image unavailableGray + FrameHow Gray can change the look of living Frame coats over time.117 looks
Image unavailableClassic Roan coatsAdult Classic Roan coats across base colors and dilutions.39 looks
Image unavailableGray + Classic RoanHow Gray can change the look of Classic Roan coats over time.117 looks
Image unavailableFrame + Classic RoanAdult coats where Frame and Classic Roan appear together.39 looks
Image unavailableGray + Frame + RoanGray development when Frame and Classic Roan appear together.117 looks
Image unavailableChampagne, Mushroom & PearlAdult Champagne, Mushroom, and Pearl coats, with and without primitive markings.10 looks
Image unavailableGray + special colorsEarly, middle, and advanced Gray development over these special colors.30 looks
Image unavailableClassic Roan expressionRestrained and stronger Classic Roan expression on Bay, Black, and Chestnut.6 looks
Image unavailableTobianoMinimal through extensive Tobiano patterns on Bay, Black, and Chestnut.9 looks
Image unavailableSabino 1Sabino 1 can range from modest white markings to a nearly all-white coat.12 looks
Image unavailableDominant WhiteMild through nearly all-white expression across Dominant White families.9 looks
Image unavailableLeopard Complex & PATN1Leopard Complex ranges from birth through later expression, with Gray development included.120 looks
Image unavailableSplashed WhiteLower through upper Splashed White ranges across base colors and Gray stages.72 looks
Image unavailableBrindle1How Brindle1 can look in mares and stallions, across colors and Gray stages.84 looksYour horse’s DNA tells a colorful story. Enter the results you know to explore the coat colors and patterns they support, see them come to life, and learn what each gene means.
What you can discover
The visualizer brings familiar lab results together in one clear, illustrated color story.
- Core coat-color tests: Extension, Agouti, Cream and Pearl, Dun, Silver, Gray, and Frame Overo
- Champagne at SLC36A1
- Mushroom at MFSD12
- KIT-region families, including Tobiano, Roan, Sabino1, selected Dominant White alleles, and Camarillo White W4
- Leopard Complex at LP
- Pattern-1 modifier at PATN1
- Splashed White families at MITF
- Splashed White family at PAX3
- Brindle1 at MBTPS2, with sex-linked inheritance handled for you
- Gray stages, so you can see how a gray coat may change over time
Make the most of your result
Start with what you know, then explore the details that matter to you.
- Enter each DNA result as it appears on the lab report
- Explore visible traits alongside colors and patterns your horse may carry
- Try the Gray stages to see how the coat may change over time
- Look for notes about shade, pattern range, inheritance, and health
- Keep the lab report handy if you want to check or update a result
- Use the two-parent calculator when you want to explore a pairing
- Talk with your veterinarian or testing lab when a health or breeding note matters to your plans
- Match your lab report to the test names the visualizer uses when the wording differs
- Remember the result covers the tests you entered, not every gene your horse carries
- Read health notes as general information, not a diagnosis for one horse
Frequently asked questions
Which horse color genetics can I explore?
The visualizer covers core coat colors, Champagne, Mushroom, selected KIT white-pattern families, Leopard Complex and PATN1, MITF and PAX3 Splashed White families, and sex-linked Brindle1. It follows familiar VGL and APHA panel names so your report is easier to match.
Why can horses with the same color result look different?
Shade, marking boundaries, roaning, seasonal coats, and age can all change how a color appears. The Gray stages let you explore that progression visually.
What do the health notes mean?
Health notes highlight research connected to the DNA results you entered. A veterinarian or testing laboratory can help you understand what a finding means for an individual horse.
Why might the result show more than one possibility?
Some reports list linked variants without showing which ones sit together on the same chromosome. When that happens, Creatures shows each supported arrangement so you can still explore the full result.
How is this different from the two-parent calculator?
The visualizer helps you explore one horse's laboratory report. The calculator combines results from two parents to show what their foal could inherit. Any foal combination that cannot survive remains part of the main conception odds rather than being hidden.
What should I do before making a breeding or health decision?
Keep the original lab report and share any important health or inheritance notes with your veterinarian or testing laboratory. They can help you decide whether another test or a closer look would be useful.
Sources
- UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory: Horse coat color tests
- UF/IFAS Extension: A Primer on Genetic Testing for Horse Owners and Breeders (VM261)
Reviewed by Elliott Garber, DVM · Last reviewed
