Bay, Buckskin, Perlino

By

The MFTHBA Color Panel

This is the third in our series of articles on how to identify the colors within Missouri Fox-Trotters. This article covers bay horses and the variations of bay which are buckskin and perlino. These articles are based upon current genetic principles and although most of the information has been researched extensively; it is subject to change.

Bay: A red bodied horse ranging in shade from light yellowish tan to almost black, some variations are known as black bay, blood bay, and golden bay. Bays must have BLACK points (mane, tail, legs). In this section we introduce another gene that affects how black is distributed on the horse's body. The gene, agouti (pronounced ah-goo-tea), determines whether the horse's base color is black or bay. When the black gene is present and the agouti gene is not, the horse's overall body color is black. When agouti is present, the agouti gene restricts the black gene and only allows the black to show on the points, leaving the body red, i.e. bay. A black horse (including smoky black) CAN NOT carry the agouti gene because if the gene was present, the horse would not be black. Agouti can be hidden on chestnut based horses (including palomino and cremello) because the chestnut horse and its variations DO NOT have a black gene for the agouti to restrict. For example, a chestnut horse bred to black (black gene from one parent plus red gene with hidden agouti from other parent) can produce a bay.

Buckskin: Body color is anywhere from light cream to dark gold with dark brown or black points. A bay is diluted by the addition of the dominant cream gene into buckskin (black+ agouti = bay, add cream = buckskin). Sometimes it is difficult to determine whether a horse is an extremely dark buckskin or a light bay. The production of dilute (carrying the cream gene) offspring from a suspected buckskin where the other parent is a non-dilute is the proof. A bay will not produce a buckskin or palomino unless bred to a horse carrying the cream gene. Buckskins are generally produced by a bay to palomino mating but can occur from a cremello/perlino x bay and even occasionally from black to palomino or cremello if the palomino or cremello carries agouti. Buckskins can also occur from a smoky black to chestnut mating if the chestnut carries agouti -- the smoky would provide the cream and black genes; and the chestnut would provide the agouti restricting the black to the points. Black horses and smoky black horses can not produce buckskin unless the other parent carries agouti.

Shades vary from almost white body (known as buttermilk) to a deep dark bronze body with brown/black points that can easily be mistaken for bay but usually lacks the redness of bays. The addition of the cream gene may somewhat dilute the black points to a very dark brown shade but they are still very evident and plainly marked. Sometimes scattered white "guard" hairs are evident along the outside base of the mane and tail. Sooty (a modifer gene to be discussed in a later article) often adds large dark smudgy areas on the flanks and shoulders of both bays and buckskins. Some bays and buckskins will have what appears to be a "dorsal stripe" (dark line down the mid-back) but it is either not clearly defined or fades seasonally and is known as a pseudo-dorsal and usually no other body striping is visible. Clear, crisp, boldly defined dorsal stripes, shoulder barring across the withers and horizontal leg stripes much darker than the body are actually due to the dun gene, which is totally different from the cream gene that makes buckskins. Duns are quite often confused with buckskin but easily distinguished if the above markings are noted. Dun will be discussed in a later article.

Perlino: A cream/white bodied horse with beige, brassy gold, or rusty orange points. Perlinos are "double cream dilute on a bay base"; two copies of the cream gene plus at least one dose for bay color (which is actually the black gene plus agouti). The double dose of the cream gene heavily dilutes both the dark base color and the points. They are born with pink skin and blue eyes and keep them all their lives. Perlinos are difficult to distinguish from cremellos since they so closely resemble each other; however, perlinos usually have more color in the points. Knowing the colors of the parents and grandparents is also very helpful in establishing probabilities. Perlinos are usually the result of a buckskin x buckskin mating but can also result from palomino x buckskin, smoky cream x buckskin, perlino x buckskin or perlino x cremello. A cremello hiding the agouti gene could also produce perlino if bred to smoky black or smoky cream.

A common misconception is that one will get a buckskin consistently by breeding perlino to bay. We wish that were true but it is not that simple. A cremello to chestnut mating consistently produces palominos because we are only dealing with one dominant, the cream gene, which assures that it will always be visible. A homozygous for bay perlino (double black plus double agouti plus double cream -- all dominants, a rare occurance) mated to any color can be expected to produce a buckskin. Or buckskin would occur anytime one parent is homozygous for black and one parent is homozygous for agouti if either one also has the cream gene. HOWEVER, most bays and perlinos within the fox-trot breed do not have the double doses of the necessary multiple dominant genes to consistently produce buckskin. Most bays and perlinos are heterozygous and usually have a copy of the red gene. Therefore, bay to palomino breedings give an estimated buckskin production of 25%, perlino to bay increases that chance to approximately 50%. There is no way of knowing which genes will pass to the offspring; so palominos and smoky blacks are also probable.

Thank you for your time and interest in our series of articles. If you have any questions, or pictures that you would like an opinion on, they may be sent by e-mail to palomino@getgoin.net; or by hard copy to the MFTHBA office for forwarding to the Color Panel. There is no cost for this opinion and you are not required to abide by it, it is for information purposes only. Any color changes that anyone may wish to make to their horses registration papers after receiving the Color Panel's opinion would be at the expense of the owner. Happy Fox-Trotting!!