Composite Dilutes
  Bleu SmokeNDun, AQHA colt. Bred by Toni Perdew of Cedar Ridge Grullo and Blue Roan Quarter Horses |
| This is a grullo horse carrying two cream genes. He could be called a double dilute grullo or a smoky cream grullo. Both his sire and dam are grullo (black dun) horses that each carry one cream gene. This colt tested homozygous for the black gene (EE), and could be homozygous for the dun gene, too. |
  Minnesota Mist, sent in by Karen |
| This mare is a buckskin dun (also called a Dunskin), having both a cream gene and a dun gene. Her base color is bay, then she has one cream gene, creating a buckskin. She also has a dun gene, creating a buckskin dun, or a seal-point dun (a far less common term). You can see that she has a darker face, leg barring, and a dorsal stripe. |
 Velamint, Silver Buckskin, shetland sent in by Amy Jaeger |
| This is a buckskin with a silver gene, called a silver buckskin or a yellow silver. The base color is bay, but the red areas have been diluted by the cream gene (making a buckskin) and the black areas have been diluted by the silver gene. Note the mane, tail, and legs, all of which are lighter than a regular buckskin's would be. |
  These are both Mini mares owned by Bob Tavel of TBarT Miniature Horses. |
| These two cuties are miniature horses, both silver buckskins. Silver is fairly common in minis (compared to large horses), often being bred for. These two are buckskins, which makes their bodies so light, then they have a silver gene which dilutes the black pigment and leaves them with the chocolate legs and light manes. Thanks to TBarT for allowing me to use several of their photos... check out their website for more photos of colorful minis! |
 Glass Eyed Doc, Quarterhorse stallion. Owned by Terry & Janette Slocum Website . |
| This stallion is an Amber champagne dun. He was tested homozgyous black (EE). His base color is bay; next, you have a dun gene, which dilutes his red body to a yellowish color and adds primitive marks. Then, he also carrys the champagne gene, which dilutes both red and black pigment-- so his legs and mane have been diluted to that coffee-pink color. Since Champagne dilutes black pigment, his primitive marks are a muted-down color and not black as a regular bay dun's would be. |