TRUE COLORS - The Black Gene

And variations thereof:

Black | Dense or Non-fading Black | Brown or "Black Bay" |
Smoky Black | Grullo | Black Tobiano | Black Overo |
Black Appaloosa | Silvered Black (Silver Dapple) | Greyed Black | Black (Blue) Roan

Black is one of the rarer, though popular equine colors.

TYPICAL BLACK & DENSE BLACK

Many modifying genes produce various shades of black horses. The Pangare gene produces light muzzles and flanks in horses of most colors.

See illustration:

BROWN or "BLACK BAY" & SMOKY BLACK

Then there are the genes we can all recognize that affect the bay coat. Genes like the dun gene produce lineback grullos. The dun gene is very similar to the cremello gene in that it dilutes the coat color but not the point color, it works better on eumelanistic colors than the cremello gene does.

SMOKEY BLACK & GRULLO

The tobiano and the overo genes that produce the very popular black pintos.

BLACK TOBIANO & BLACK OVERO

The appaloosa pattern genes that produce the very popular black pintos.

BLACK WITH APPALOOSA PATTERNS

And one that confuses many Miniature Horse breeders -- the silver gene with black produces a color that most identify as "grey" with flax/white mane and tail. Breeders must learn to identify this color if they will ever be able to predict the colors of their foals. See illustrations:

SILVER BLACK (Silver Dapple) VS. GREY

Other genes that can affect blacks are grey and roan.

BLACK GREYED & BLACK (BLUE) ROAN