Chestnut

Today's horse color is chestnut. It is basically a red horse, except there is some brown in it. There is no such thing as a bright red horse. There is only chestnut. Here is a picture of a sorrel chestnut:

Sorrel chestnuts are the lighter variations of the color. They look almost like palominos. This color is also called a flaxen chestnut. Another example of a horse color with different names.










Next color of chestnut is th mealy or pangare chestnut. This is the lightest extreme of the color. I believe that all haflinger ponies are this color. First time I saw one of these ponies, I thought that it was a palomino. Not a chance. I guess this color is a chestnut because there is a slight reddish tinge. I guess I will be able to tell the difference between colors now.

This is a liver chestnut horse. This is the darkest extreme of chestnut color. Some people may get it confused with a bay or maybe even a black, but there is a difference. If I didn't know about liver chestnuts, I wouldn't know what to call this horse. It does have the slightest reddish tinge.

This kind of chestnut is the basic chestnut. Kind of like the standard bay, but in chestnut form. This color is very similar to the flaxen chestnut, basically the same. But there is a difference: the mane and tail. The mane and tail on the flaxen chestnut are very light, and the mane and tail on this horse is the same color. So there you go. That is basically it.




Oh yeah: I forgot the gene (or color pigment. Again, I don't know the wording). It is called pheomelanin. Chestnut horses do not have black as a base color, but only red. It is kind of predictable.

Bibliography (unofficial, I'm lazy today):
Source #1: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut_horse
Source #2: http://www.texas-paint-horses-for-sale.com/chestnut-horse-color.html
Source #3:http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&q=equine+genetics#/d16oj50