The Horse Colors Site

Dun is a Color Modifier.

Dun is a very intriguing and complex color modifier.  It might be called a "wild-type color", because it involves striping and barring similar to that seen in some indigenous, truly wild horse breeds, like the Spanish Sorraia, the Mongolian horse, or Przewalski's horse.  Dun is a dilution-type modifier and more; it dilutes red and black pigment in specific ways and also forms darker patterns, collectively known as "dun-factor" markings.

"Dun-Factor" Markings

The gene acts on the body of the horse to make it lighter.  The points (mane, tail and lower legs) will tend to remain the base color.  However, from the middle of the legs up, rather than fading gradually into the body color as it does in a bay or buckskin, it forms patterns of horizontal striping, barring, or sometimes blotching.  Along the center of the back there is always a sharp, distinct dorsal stripe.  Shading and barring often occur on the neck and shoulder.  Other dun traits that not every horse will show are outlining and/or barring on the ear, a spider web design on the forehead, a lower face mask (all in the darker, base color), and lighter hairs at the top and sides of the tail and edges of the mane ("guard hairs").

As a color modifier, dun acts on the red or black based horse to produce different effects.

An important consideration also is whether, on a black based horse, the agouti, or bay, modifier is also present. Other modifiers such a as cream, champagne, pinto, grey, etc. also will of course affect the appearance, if present.

So, to begin this study, let's look simply at the effect of a dun gene on a bay, a red, and then a black horse.

Dun on Bay

This is a very common form of dun, and the one most often confused with buckskin (see below).  In this dilution, the gene acts on the red body of the bay horse to make it a shade of tan, sometimes varying slightly toward yellowish, golden, or reddish.  It may look similar to the color of a buckskin, but usually is a more "flat" or "muted" shade, not as golden.  One common name for this color is "peanut-butter dun", and indeed, very often that is about the color of the body.  Although the Dun gene does dilute black pigment, it tends to leave the points undiluted for the most part, so the legs, mane, and tail will still be black.  There will be a sharp, distinct dorsal stripe which is dark brown in color, not jet-black, and horizontal leg barring on the back of the upper forelegs and the front of the upper hind legs.  The leg bars are generally black at the bottom (close to the knees and hocks) and brown further up on the leg.  Other "dun-factor" markings (see above) are commonly present, but not always.

A clarification:  dun or buckskin?

Buckskin  is not just another name for dun, although the term 'dun' was used for buckskins for many years (and still is, in some breeds).  To see what a buckskin is, see the pages about the cream modifier, because cream acting on a bay base makes a buckskin.

A buckskin horse will have the same black points as a bay, but the body color will be diluted by the cream gene to a yellowish color of varying intensities.  Most common is a clear gold, but the addition of the 'sooty' pattern may cause dorsal shading, strong dappling, blotchiness at the top of the legs, and an upper face mask.  Sometimes these sooty characteristics are mistaken for dun, but if you are attentive, you can discern the difference.

Dun on Black

A black horse with a Dun gene is commonly called a Grulla or Grullo.  In this dilution, the gene acts on the black body of the horse to make it a mousy grey color.  Each individual hair is greyish colored, rather than a mixture of dark hairs and white ones giving the light body color as in roan or grey.  The points remain black, and the dorsal stripe and leg barring are black.

Dun on Red

A red horse (chestnut or sorrel) with a Dun gene is commonly called a Red Dun.  In this dilution, the gene acts on the red body of the horse to make it a pale red or orangey color, often called "apricot" in tone.  The points remain red, and the dorsal stripe and leg barring are red.  Some red duns are quite dark, almost the same color as a light chestnut, but close examination will show the "dun-factor" markings.  Others are very light, a pale peach color.  The differences are believed to be due to the shade of the underlying base color, i.e., whether the horse would have been a light sorrel, red chestnut, or dark liver chestnut without the addition of the Dun gene.

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