The three base colors
Black
A black horse has black hair on its trunk, neck, mane and tail. Sunlight can fade some of the coat to brown. Fading does not turn the horse into a bay: new hair grows back black.
Black: how the color works and is inherited
MC1R allows black pigment production. In a black horse, both ASIP versions allow that pigment to extend across the trunk and neck rather than restricting it to the mane, tail and lower legs.
Each parent passes an MC1R version and an ASIP version to the foal. A black horse may also carry and transmit an MC1R version associated with chestnut. Two black horses therefore do not always produce a black foal.
Black: origins and the role of breeding
Black horses existed in the wild before domestication. DNA from prehistoric horses shows that variants producing a black base were already present in some populations. People could later preserve or favor those variants by choosing which horses to breed.
Selecting black breeding horses has established the color in some breeds. Black remains a naturally inherited color, even when breeders consistently select for it.
Black: photographs of horses
Sahid, an Arabian horse with a glossy black coat.
A black Asturcón with a long black mane.
Two black Arravani mares grazing.
A black Shire with white leg markings.
A black horse ridden by a Canadian police officer.
A black Barb horse photographed in profile.
Photograph credits
Photographs have been resized. Photographs within scientific figures have been separated by cropping. Colors are preserved.
- Sahid, an Arabian horse with a glossy black coat. — Renato Mitra · CC BY-SA 2.0
- A black Asturcón with a long black mane. — Ramón from Llanera, España · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Two black Arravani mares grazing. — Pottok at German Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
- A black Shire with white leg markings. — Heather Moreton · CC BY 2.0
- A black horse ridden by a Canadian police officer. — Nikki · CC BY-SA 2.0
- A black Barb horse photographed in profile. — Khalil NEBLAOUI · CC0
Black: telling similar coats apart
A very dark bay retains brown or red areas, especially around its muzzle and flanks. Smoky black can resemble black because one Cream copy has little effect on black pigment.