How to tell a Dun from a Buckskin - Equine Dliute Coat Colour's Explained

Cefncerrig Alfie, three year old, buckskin welsh mountain pony (welsh section A) colt.

What is the difference between the Dun and Bucksin Coat Colours?

A few days ago I wrote my first blog post of the year, I have been slacking with post's lately due to the arrival of my now one year old daughter. The post was only a brief one due to my phone being useless and freezing after typing every letter, so I will now finish what I started that sleepless night in bed.

We recently added a new addition to my small but ever growing herd. This is the three year old welsh section A or Welsh mountain pony colt Cefncerrig Alfie. Alfie, as he is known at home, is a beautiful cream colour with black points and a black mane and tail. This colour is known as 'buckskin' but is commonly mistaken as the colour 'Dun' in the UK. The two colour's are similar to the untrained eye however they are both the result of completely different dilution genes modifying the bay gene (Agouti gene). There are a few distinguishing features to tell the two apart, but first allow me to explain the difference between the two genes. 

A buckskin pony

I won't go into all of the science and genetics behind the coat colours, I will simply convey the knowledge that I have come to learn over the years of the two genes and their effects on the bay coat colour along with hopefully teaching you how to tell the two colours apart. 

Buckskin

The term "Buckskin" refers to a horse or pony that carries one copy of the dilute cream gene which we also see in the likes of Palominos and smokey blacks. It acts on the bay coat colour and dilutes the colour to a yellowy shade. This could be described very simply as bleaching the coat.

You can only get a buckskin foal by one or two of the parents having at least one copy of the cream gene. In other words you won't get a buckskin by breeding your chestnut mare to a bay stallion!

This Welsh Section A Pony (Cefncerrig Alfie) is a buckskin in colour .
Note the pale creamy yellow colour of his body and his black mane, tail
and legs. You will also notice a lack of primitive markings such as an
eel stripe.

A Buckskin horse has the black base gene along with the Agouti (Bay) gene (The bay gene modifies the black base coat to restrict the black colouring to just the points and the mane and tail of the horse, thus we get a bay horse.) along with one copy of the dilute cream gene.

Dun

The Dun gene is also a dilution gene that can affect the appearance of  black, bay and chestnut coat colours by diluting (lightening) the base coat colour and restricting the original colour (black, bay or chestnut) to the main, tail and legs. The Dun gene is known for also leaving "primitive markings" such as eel stripes (a dark stripe running down  the full length of the spine to the tail), shoulder stripe's and horizontal leg stripes which can be described as tiger-like stripes on the back of the legs (these can be very faint and difficult to spot on some dun horses).

A classic Dun horse, please note the richness in colour along
with the dark stripes at the top of the horses fore legs (hopefully
the picture quality will allow you to see this) Image from
http://www.dungenes.org please follow the link for a much more
in depth description of the dun gene.

Other points for consideration 

• It is also possible for a horse to carry both copies of the dun dilution gene and the cream dilution gene resulting in a 'buckskin dun'.
• It is also known for buckskins to have eel stripes so this can lead to confusion. 



A Red Dun Horse, this is the result of
the Dun gene modifting
the chestnut coat colour.
Image from; http://www.dungenes.org

• The dun coat gene can act upon not only the bay base colour but also black and chestnut resulting in varying shades of dun such as 'red dun', 'Grulla' also known as a 'blue dun' and the 'classic dun'. 

A 'Grulla' or Blue Dun horse which is the result of
the dun gene acting on a black base colour.
Image extracted from; http://www.dungenes.org/grulla.htm
Please follow the link for a more in
depth description of the dun gene.