The 5 Basic Coat Colors are:
1. Bay
The 5 Variations of Basic Coat Colors are:
1. Roan
Bay
Whites
Sorrels
Paliminos
Chestnuts
Paints
Brown
Dun
Gray
Roan
Grullo (grew-yo)
Clay Bank or Red Dun
There are countless other coat colors. For a more in depth look at horse coat colors check out these sites. They show photos and have wonderful commentaries.
2. Chestnut
3. Black
4. White
5. Brown
2. Gray
3. Palimino
4. Pinto
5. Dun
Bays have a mixture of red and yellow hairs and black points-black legs, mane, tail and eartips. The more yellow hairs a bay has, the lighter it is. The more red hairs one has, the darker.
A white's color doesn't change during their lifetimes.
Sorrels are a type of chestnut, but they have a flaxen mane and tail.
Paliminos have a golden body 3 shades lighter or darker than a newly minted copper penny with white, silver, or ivory mane and tail.
Chestnuts are like sorrels, but don't have flaxen mane and tails. They can be dark (liver chestnut) or light. They are red with the mane and tail being the same shade or lighter than the body.
Paints are spotted horses with one or more colors in irregular patches.
Coloration is...brown!
A dun's dominant hair is some shade of yellow. They're often have dorsal stripes.
On grays, white hairs appear until they are 8-10 years old. Dapples appear between age 2-5.
Roans have white hairs intermingled with one or more base colors.
Grullos can be grayish-blue with black points (legs, mane tail). They often have zebra stripes on their legs and withers.
Red duns are a redish color with a red dorsal stripe.
