Photo Copyright vs. Current Owner of Horse

On these pages, photo copyright credits are listed with each photo. However, the photo copyright owner may not be the current owner of that horse, as it may have been sold, or someone else took the photo of that horse and contributed it to DCS for use here.

Brown Dunskin

A Brown Dunskin is a horse with a base color of brown (At), with at least one dun gene and one cream gene. They would be expected to be lighter than a horse with just the dun gene, but because shades of brown can vary from dark bay looking to nearly black looking, shades of brown dunskins can also vary.

Below is an example of a suspected brown dunskin, RCK Ragtime Tres Oros. He has been UC Davis tested as "EE Aa Crcr", but has not been tested to determine if his "A" via the conventional agouti test is actually "At" (brown agouti), rather than bay agouti. The dark masking on his face in winter coat (left) is indicative of brown agouti, and his dark/black dorsal also suggests brown agouti is very possible.

In filly in the second row of photos, is a daughter of RCK Ragtime Tres Oros, Mirabella Mesmerised. Like her sire, she was tested "EE Aa Crcr". At birth, her color (right) was similar to that of some grulla foals, but the presence of an agouti gene proved that she was not grulla (or smoky grulla). Her darker dorsal and other markings along her top line (center) suggest that she is very likely brown dunskin. The darker coloring on her neck as she shed her foal coat (right) also suggests brown dunskin, rather than bay dunskin.

Dunskin

A dunskin is a bay base color with at least one dun gene and one cream gene. The dun gene dilutes the bay base coat color and the added cream gene lightens it even more. This shade of dun generally appears to be a lighter yellow-tan, lacking the richer red tones of a bay dun, due to the cream gene diluting the red tones "left behind" by the dun gene's dilution effects even more. At times, one may still see some light peachy-red tones on a dunskin, however.

Dunskin foals will look similar to bay duns at birth, but will generally be a paler, creamier shade, with light peachy-red tones. Their manes and tails will often not have as much black hair as a bay dun. Some breeders have documented paler/blue eyes at birth (they darken quickly), which is not seen in bay dun foals. This is surely due to the addition of the cream gene.

PERLINO DUN
Bay Base Coat - 2 cream genes/one dun gene

There is currently (05/02/06) only one known/verified perlino dun in the Morgan breed.

Finally Mr Amos (stallion), bred by Carol Rehberger of Finally Farms, owned by Lynn Peterson, Royal Gold Morgans.

Perlino duns will generally look the same as a perlino, but they will have dun markings, including dorsal stripe and leg bars. And their manes and tails may possibly have a bit more color in them due to the dorsal running through them. We've not had the opportunity to study many double cream plus dun dilutes at this time. We have included a photo of Finally's Mr Amos here, plus a couple of photos of his markings. As we have the opportunity to study more double cream plus dun dilutes, we will be able to add more specific information to this section.

DUNALINO
Chestnut Base Coat

There are currently (01/03/08) only eight known/verified dunalinos in the Morgan breed.

Finally Dun It (gelding), bred by Carol Rehberger of Finally Farms
Kings Mystical Vision (2005 filly), bred/owned by Sheila Lomax of Kingdom Morgans.
Stone Pine Hannah (2006 filly), bred/owned by Marilyn Esteb of Stone Pine Morgans.
*Alpinemist Sirocco (2006 colt), bred/owned by Forrest & Traci Stanley, AlpineMist Morgans.
*BNWD Notorious Diva (2007 filly), bred/owned by Vicki Salomonsen, Benwood Morgans.
*R Anchor Buttercup (2007 colt), bred/owned by Larry & Denise Ash, R Anchor Morgans.
Royal Gold Apollo (2007 colt), bred/owned by Lynn Peterson, Royal Gold Morgans.
*Royal Gold Ariston (2007 colt), bred/owned by Lynn Peterson, Royal Gold Morgans.

*These horses were confirmed in Summer, 2007 via DNA testing by UC Davis to be "Crcr Dd" (heterozygous for both cream & dun), as part of the research on the dun gene performed by UC Davis.

A dunalino is the result of one or two dun genes and one cream gene diluting a chestnut based horse. The mane and tail are basically white like a palomino, often with red hairs present along the center of the mane due to the dorsal running through it. The lower legs are generally darker than the body color, usually with red tones. Because of the actions of the two dilution genes both diluting the red base color, dunalinos generally tend to be of paler shades than if they only had one or the other dilution gene. Shades of dunalino can vary, of course, depending on the shade of their base color. For example, if the base color is black chestnut, the dunalino will be darker; if the based color is pale (like 'sorrel'), the dunalino will be very pale.

Their coat color is not the true golden of a palomino. Instead it is a flatter shade from the dilution effects of the dun gene. It is will often be some shade of pale peachy-yellow. The dun markings of a dunalino will be red, like their base coat color, but the shade is highly dependent upon their base color shade. The paler shade dunalinos' markings may be difficult to see, especially on the legs, while a dunalino with a base shade of liver or black chestnut may have chocolatey colored markings.

Dunalino foals will generally be very pale at birth. They will generally appear very similar to a palomino, usually with white mane and tail, except where the dorsal runs through them it will be red. As newborns, the mane may or may not show red hairs. This may not occur until a later, depending upon the individual foal. Their body coloring will generally be a pale peachy-yellow.

Dunalinos with a very dark chestnut base shade (liver or black chestnut) will generally be darker in overall shade, especially once they shed their foal coats, and their dun markings generally will be chocolatey or liver in color due to the very dark base color. Those with paler chestnut base colors will tend to mature with red or peachy-red markings, though some markings will be difficult to see due to the very pale base shade.

~ SILVER DAPPLE + DUN ~

Left: Misty is a silver dapple grulla Miniature mare. Her color is the result of a black base coat diluted by both a dun dilute gene, and a silver dapple dilute gene. *The silver dapple gene diluted the mane and tail to silver, but the dorsal stripe and other dun markings appear to remain relatively undiluted on this mare. The body has been diluted by both the silver dapple gene and the dun gene, causing a pale body coat.

Right: Holy Smoke is also a silver dapple grulla Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse stallion.

*More examples of "silver dapple dun" horses are needed to further study the effects of both genes on the color of the dorsal, leg bars, and other markings, however.

~ CREAM + SILVER DAPPLE + DUN ~

Alliance's Clair De Lune is a yearling silver dapple smoky grulla Rocky Mountain/Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse filly. "Luna" has THREE dilution genes ~ Cream, Silver, & Dun!!

"Luna" color tested "EE aa nCr nZ".

A dun zygosity test was not performed. However, it has been determined that she has the dun dilute gene based on phenotype.

Owned by Rocking Gait Stables
Shepherdsville, KY

~ CHAMPAGNE + DUN ~

Left: Sadly, now deceased and greatly missed by those at Rising Moon Ranch, "Diamond" is a classic dun, which is a black base coat with both a champagne gene and a dun gene.

Right: "Lukas" is also a classic dun like his full sister, Diamond, pictured on the left.

You could also refer to this color as a Grulla Champagne, but classic dun is probably the most correct term for this color, as "classic" refers to the black base coat plus champagne, as designated by ICHR.

See the Adult Dun Markings page for photos of both horses' dun markings!

More details/descriptions regarding the combined actions of champagne + dun once I have had a chance to study this combo more closely and feel more confident that I have these details as "correct" as possible.

Left: "Dreamer" is an amber dun, which is a bay base coat with both a champagne gene and a dun gene. This color could also be referred to as Bay Dun Champagne.
She shows only a slight darkening where most bay based horses show vivid leg points. It is not uncommon for some bay based champagnes to have little or no visible leg points, while some have very vivid leg points. It is not yet known why this "inconsistancy" appears to exists.

Right: "Raquel" is also a gold dun.which is a red base coat with both a champagne gene and a dun gene. One might also refer to this color as Red Dun Champagne.

See the Adult Dun Markings page for photos of both horses' dun markings!