Check out These Horses with Beautiful and Unique Coats

Published on June 8, 2022
Horses come in many colors, and you’re sure to find tons of options if you look hard enough. The most common coat shade for horses is chestnut, which is all-brown. Bay is also a popular option, which means a brown horse with a black tail and mane. Gray is a gray or white horse. Buckskins, paints, and palominos aren’t as common, but you see them every so often.

Many of the horses shown on this list have completely unique coats. Keep reading to see horses of different colors and one with an identifying mark that spells it out for you!

Pinto Horse Like a Cow

This is a basic horse coat color. The pinto features a partly white and brown or black shade and almost resembles a cow because of the spotty pattern. Sometimes, people call them “paints,” but they could be mixed breeds that have pinto coloring. Paints are usually part thoroughbred and part quarter horse!

Pinto Horse Like a Cow

Pinto Horse Like a Cow

Sabino Gene

“Sabino” focuses on a specific spotting pattern that might appear on the horse’s coat. It’s always white and produced by a gene called the Sabino 1 gene. There’s a DNA test your horse can take to determine if it’s a sabino or roan.

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Sabino Gene

Sabino Gene

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Red Roan Isn’t Red

This is a red roan quarter horse, which you can tell because of the well-developed hind end. Roans are often solid-colored with white fur mingled in with the base coat. They typically feature a chestnut base, but the white patches make them look pink. Still, their tails and manes are solid brown.

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Red Roan Isn't Red

Red Roan Isn’t Red

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Dapple Grey Changes with Age

You can see this dapple grey Arabian horse, but when the coat is called “grey,” it means the horse could be white or grey. Typically, grey horses have dark coats and turn white with age. This one is probably younger!

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Dapple Grey Changes with Age

Dapple Grey Changes with Age

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Paint Horse

That is a paint horse, and it has special patterning around its back. There aren’t several patches on the right side; it’s one large brown splotch with a completely white bottom half. It almost looks like two animals combined!

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Paint Horse

Paint Horse

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Shiny Cremello Horse

Cremello horses often have pale blue eyes and rosy pink skin. They’re chestnut horses, but the coats are pearlescent and light. In fact, it’s an Akhal-Teke, which is the oldest horse breed and comes from Turkmenistan.

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Shiny Cremello Horse

Shiny Cremello Horse

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Perlino in the Sun

This horse features a perlino coat, which is another cream gene manifestation. They feature a bay base coat, but the special gene mutates it, so they appear with cream-colored bodies and reddish tails and manes.

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Perlino in the Sun

Perlino in the Sun

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Rare Dapple Grey

This horse is a combo of paint and dapple grey. It features the mottled coat pattern, but there are dappled darker patches, too. Overall, the horse is young, so those darker splotches are sure to fade to light grey or white.

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Rare Dapple Grey

Rare Dapple Grey

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Ghostly Silver Buckskin

Buckskin horses have tan bodies with black tails and manes. However, the silver buckskin features a rare mutation of the dapple gene. Therefore, they get grey bodies with black tails and manes. This one  has darker legs like traditional buckskins!

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Ghostly Silver Buckskin

Ghostly Silver Buckskin

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Barbie Palomino

Palominos are glamorous horses and are characterized by a golden coat with a white or blonde tail and mane. Like the Cremello, they feature the cream gene and are rare compared to bays and chestnuts.

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Barbie Palomino

Barbie Palomino

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Leopard Appaloosas

Appaloosa horses come in various sizes and shapes, but these are leopard appaloosas. They have white coats with dark spots all over their bodies, including under the knees. As with other appaloosas, these have prominent scleras, so you can see the whites of the eyes, even when they’re closed!

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Leopard Appaloosas

Leopard Appaloosas

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Tiny Appaloosa

This mini horse is smaller than most pony breeds. Did you know that ponies aren’t baby horses?! They are horses under 14 hands, which is the measurement used for horses. Each “hand” is 4 inches long, and horses are measured from withers to the floor.

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Tiny Appaloosa

Tiny Appaloosa

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Flaxen Manes Stand Out

Horses with flaxen manes have lighter tails and manes than the body. This one features a chestnut coat and a stripe on the face with a flaxen tail and mane. The “stripe” is the white face marking, and this one has a dot with a connected stripe!

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Flaxen Manes Stand Out

Flaxen Manes Stand Out

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Brindle Is Best

This horse features a brindle coat and is rare. The brindle pattern appears as stripes and is often found in guinea pigs, cattle, and dogs. Horses inherit the gene on rare occasions, making it look like a tall tiger!

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Brindle Is Best

Brindle Is Best

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Champagne Horses

This gold champagne horse features the champagne gene, which affects the skin. That means chestnuts often look blonde because they have lighter skin. Look closely at the ears; the horse’s skin is pink all over!

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Champagne Horses

Champagne Horses

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The Special Rabicano

Rabicanos are horses with roaning around the flanks and top of the tail. It’s often called “white tickling.” These aren’t true roans because the white fur is restricted to particular body parts, but they are still beautiful!

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The Special Rabicano

The Special Rabicano

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Blue Roan

Blue roans are similar to the red ones, except they have a black base coat that turns them blue. The base coat still has white hairs all over, but the fur rarely extends to the tail and mane. This one features a black tail and mane, but some have reddish ones.

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Blue Roan

Blue Roan

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Stroke of Genius

That foal is a combination of red roan, blue roan, paint, and grey. It’s like having four horses all in one! The white stripe makes it appear that someone used a paintbrush. Regardless, this one is very rare!

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Stroke of Genius

Stroke of Genius

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All Shapes and Sizes for Appaloosas

Appaloosas have spotted coats. Like the roan, it’s a combination of common base color and spotted color. Dark appaloosas feature white spots, but lighter ones (like this) have darker splotches. They also tend to have bright eyes.

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All Shapes and Sizes for Appaloosas

All Shapes and Sizes for Appaloosas

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The Horse That Knows

Look closely at this horse’s body. The white patches actually form the word “horse.” The “h” is at the hind end, with the “e” on the neck. Sometimes, people may find shapes in the patches, but this could be the only time a person found an entire word!

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The Horse That Knows

The Horse That Knows

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Classic Champagne

Here’s a different champagne breed. That is the classic version, and the genes change their dark hue so that the skin seems lighter. Its black coat normally looks soft brown, so it’s almost hard to tell what it is at first!

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Classic Champagne

Classic Champagne

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Liver Chestnut

The name might not be appealing, but Liver Chestnuts have beautiful coats. These dark-brown horses feature a lighter tail and mane, too. You can see the blonde tail, which is just a tad lighter than the mane. It’s definitely interesting!

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Liver Chestnut

Liver Chestnut

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Bay Overo Paint

Here, you can see the Bay Overo. It features white fur on the belly, which rarely moves to the back end. Clearly, it’s a unique horse, regardless of the angle. Do you think other breeds get jealous because they aren’t multi-colored?!

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Bay Overo Paint

Bay Overo Paint

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Strawberry Roan

There are different roans, and they’re all beautiful, including this Strawberry Roan. It looks like a horsey version of Strawberry Shortcake ice cream you get at the store! The markings mix with white splotches to create an elegant touch.

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Strawberry Roan

Strawberry Roan

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Silver Dapple Sooty Buckskin

The silver dapple sooty buckskin has one of the prettiest coats you’ve ever seen. In fact, they’re a combination of three gene elements, which make up the variation of colors. Plus, they’ve got dark coats with light spots, but the tails are dark and about the same as the manes!

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Silver Dapple Sooty Buckskin

Silver Dapple Sooty Buckskin

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Grullo Dun

The Grullo Dun is a beautiful horse that you’re sure to fall in love with immediately. They’re known for having tan-gray coats with a silvery sheen. Sometimes, the tail and mane are darker, but they’ve always got striped backs and legs.

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Grullo Dun

Grullo Dun

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Arabian Horse

The Arabian horse is likely the most expensive breed in the world. Plus, it’s the oldest out there. However, prestige didn’t come to it until the 1980s, when they were a status symbol. Generally, people likened them to fine art.

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Arabian Horse

Arabian Horse

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Thoroughbred

England gets praise for the thoroughbred. It developed the breed for racing, which was a brilliant idea. Its unique legs are great for strides. Other than that, they’ve got slender bodies, wide chests, and short backs, but they’re also sensitive!

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Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

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Quarter Horse

The Quarter horse is one of the most popular breeds in the United States. It gets its name from outrunning other horses in the quarter-mile race. They’re also great for rodeo events and can help with barrel racing, calf roping, and more.

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Quarter Horse

Quarter Horse

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Another Paint Horse

The American Paint horse is unique because of its color patterns. You see white splotches with traditional shades like brown or black. They’re made with thoroughbreds and quarter horses, so the genes are pretty decent!

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Another Paint Horse

Another Paint Horse

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Mustang

Everyone’s heard of the vehicle by the name, but there’s also a horse. It’s a Spanish or Iberian breed, which was then introduced to the Americas. These are reliable horses and are known for their intelligence and stability!

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Mustang

Mustang

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Friesian

Friesian breeds are natives of Friesland and are known for keenness and intelligence. Typically, they were chosen for wartime because they were able-bodied and had enough speed to get things going. Plus, their beautiful black coats camouflaged them.

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Friesian

Friesian

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Appaloosa

This horse is beautiful, and the spotted breed is well-known for having strong legs to be powerful runners. They’re also more intelligent than others and can live on less food. Plus, they don’t require a ton of maintenance, so they’re not expensive to own!

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Appaloosa

Appaloosa

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Shetland Pony

Who doesn’t love ponies?! Shetland Ponies are sweet but can have bad tempers. Therefore, you can expect some attitude if you’re not giving it attention. However, they are great for training, so beginners often start with them to gain experience.

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Shetland Pony

Shetland Pony

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Gypsy Vanner

The Gypsy Vanner offers a graceful jump like you’ve never seen before. They can hop over 4-foot fences without effort. Naturally, they’re the top choice for jumping competitions, but they’re also friendly and sweet, so they’re safe to own.

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Gypsy Vanner

Gypsy Vanner

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Clydesdale

The Clydesdale is a fun-loving horse. This intelligent breed competes in pulling, hitch, and dressage competitions. They’re graceful, cooperate well, and look good. Plus, they’re easy to train and have what it takes to make a great pet!

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Clydesdale

Clydesdale

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Morgan

Do you want a horse to do things for you? That’s one of the primary purposes of the Morgan breed. They’re excellent for doing errands and can pull heavy weights. Plus, you can ride them, and they’ve got an excellent jumping ability!

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Morgan

Morgan

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Standard Bred

There are tons of different horse breeds, and each one has various characteristics. The Standard Bred is a quality horse and has excellent cooperation skills. That makes them fantastic for beginners, and it doesn’t hurt that they’re gorgeous!

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Standard Bred

Standard Bred

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Dutch Warmblood

The Dutch Warmblood breed is excellent for many reasons. It can jump with the best and was bred specifically for that! Plus, they have beautifully large bodies and a nice temperament, making them ideal for beginners and young people.

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Dutch Warmblood

Dutch Warmblood

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Andalusian

The Andalusian breed is one of the oldest in the world, but they’re so easy to train! That might be from their intelligence, but some claim it’s just in their DNA. Regardless, they’re hardworking, have high stamina, and are majestic creatures!

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Andalusian

Andalusian

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