Registry Services
Colour Coat Genetics - Bay
   

WHAT DOES A BAY LOOK LIKE  
Basically, a BAY has a general base colour that ranges anywhere from a deep tan, to copper-red (similar to the colour of SORREL), to a darker, brownish-red (similar to that of CHESTNUT). Add to this the colour black that is localized to the points (mane and tail, lower legs, tips and rims of ears). As with other coat colours, there are variations of BAY. In addition to the RED colour range of the body, a BAY may also have black covering or counter shading over most of the body giving it a 'snooty' or 'smutty' appearance. The lighter-coloured or 'tan' BAYS are not to be confused with BUCKSKINS, although oftentimes there are, sometimes having very gold areas on the body. BAY, which may have a dorsal stripe, is often confused with DUN.

WHAT ARE THE COLOUR GENETICS OF A BAY?

On a BAY, the colour BLACK is distributed only to the points due to the presence of the agouti gene (pronounced ah GOO tee). When this gene is present, it tells the colour BLACK to be located at the points only. The base colour is left as some variation of RED which may include a deep, red-tinted tan that is not associated with either BUCKSKINS or DUNS. BAY must have at least one parent that is BLACK or has black points. BAY will always carry the BLACK colour gene.

Also, some BAY horses are homozygous for the agouti gene. This means that each parent of the BAY passed on one copy of this gene; thus, the foal received two copies. The homozygous BAY will produce a foal with black points (never a solid BLACK) 100 percent of the rime, regardless of the colour of the other parent.

CAN A BAY HORSE PRODUCE A SOLID BLACK HORSE?

A horse that is a solid BLACK or has black points can potentially produce a solid BLACK horse. This includes the BAY. In fact, depending on the parentage, a BAY horse can be homozygous for the BLACK gene. For this to be possible, each parent of the homozygous BAY must have black paints. Both a stallion and a mare can be homozygous for the colour black. This means that the parent homozygous for the BLACK gene will always produce a foal that is either solid BLACK or has black points no matter what colour the other parent is.

IF A BAY HORSE HAS A DORSAL STRIPE, DOESN'T THAT MAKE IT A DUN?

A BAY with a dorsal stripe is not related to DUN. Remember, a BAY is a non-diluted horse-even the tan BAYS. A dorsal stripe can be inherited from a non-DUN diluted parent. The counter shading on some BAYS may be expressed to a minimal degree, usually localized to the withers and thinner areas along the back. A BAY may also have, to some degree, subtle shading often confused with leg-barring, usually located on the back of the fore legs. These characteristics are not to be confused with the DUN, including the colour GRULLO, and have nothing to do with the DUN gene.

WHAT ARE SOME OTHER ASPECTS WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BAY?

It is possible for the BAY to express the ROAN gene. Generically, this is called a BAY ROAN. This is recognized as a separate coat colour with AQHA. (See BAY ROAN).

A BAY may have white hair scattered throughout the body or have white hair concentrated in specific areas. These areas are usually the flanks, between the fore legs, the root of the tail and sometimes over the barrel, usually in vertical patterns directly over each rib. It is most often confused with ROAN but is neither the result of the ROAN nor GRAY genes. This distinct pattern of white is sometimes called rabicano (pronounced rab ih CON oh), a word of Spanish origin meaning "brush tail," referring to the hands of white hair at the root of the tail. It is also referred to sometimes as "ticking." One way to determine the difference between the 'classic' BAY ROAN and a BAY with white hair due to the rabicano or ticking trait is to notice the colour of hair once the 'roan' areas have been scraped or rubbed off. On a 'classic' ROAN, the ROAN hair does not grow back once scraped off-only the base colour will grow back, in this case, the base colour of BAY, which is usually SORREL or CHESTNUT. On the rabicano affected horse, the hair that is scraped off will usually grow back solid white, the same that would happen if the horse were a solid BAY.

Some GRAY horses may have started our as BAY. These horses may keep their black paints and much of their red coat (or a variation) for an extended period of time. They still remain the colour genetic information to produce BAY foals regardless of the colour of the other parent. (See GRAY).

Click here to go back to Breed Information - Choose Your Colour overview page.