(E/E or E/e, plus a/a)

Ever the Lady, 1993 black QH, a few hours after birth.  Most black horses are not born jet black (a pewter-grey color is more common), but some are!

A quick word on the color "black".


There are two known pigments in the horse's hair: red and black.


"Solid" black is a relatively rare color in the equine world because there are so many genes that modify it into "something else".

 

Black horses very often bleach in the sun, and end up reddish, yellowish, or greyish.  They can look like bays, grullas, even buckskins by the end of summer. But when the new coat comes in each season, it will come in looking "true black" all over. Some blacks stay black no matter how much sun exposure they get.   These are commonly called "nonfading blacks".  There is no known genetic explanation for this at the present time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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