Most riders have come across a bay horse or two in their journey. This standard coat color appears as a brown hue with black legs, mane, tail, and skin. Believe it or not, there’s actually a bit more to this beautiful color than you might think! Get ready to be amazed by these fun facts.
All About Bay Horses
- To be considered bay, the horse must have a black base color and dominant agouti gene. The agouti gene monitors the distribution of black pigment.
- This color actually has a lot of variance in shade. Some horses are copper red, while others are dark mahogany tones. They all must have black points though.
- Some coat colors like buckskin, perlino, silver bays, and amber champagne have a bay template with an additional gene.
- Many breeds, such as the Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Arabian and Holsteiner, come in this color.
- These horses can have white markings on their legs and face. Pintos can also be considered bay with a white spotting gene.
What are your thoughts on this color? There may be a lot of them in the world, but that doesn’t make bays any less gorgeous!
