Seal Brown
Seal brown is a very dark variation of bay, sometimes appearing almost black at first glance. This colour is also sometimes called seal bay. Both names refer to the same coat.
Looks Like (Phenotype)
Seal brown horses have a dark brown body with (almost) black shading along the back, neck and upper legs. The softer areas, like the muzzle, around the eyes, flanks and the inside of the upper legs are noticeably lighter, often tan, reddish or yellowish in tone. Every season when the horse sheds its coat, it may appear darker or lighter than the previous time.
To tell a seal brown from a black horse, look at the softer areas of the horse. Is the muzzle and area around the eyes lighter? As well as the flanks, then it's likely a seal brown rather than black. It's not easy though! You might need genetic testing to be sure if the horse is bay based or not.
Variations
Seal brown horses can appear slightly darker or lighter depending on the season. Some may have visible dapples. It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish seal brown from a sooty bay. A helpful guide is that seal brown foals are usually born dark, while the sooty pattern tends to develop more strongly with age.
Foals
Good to know is that seal brown foals are born with their dark colouring, while sooty is a trait that increases darkness with ageing. The older a horse becomes, the darker it'll become.
Bay horses come in many shades, but there are three types commonly used to describe their looks. All are bay-based with the E-allele and A-allele present.
- Wild bay: very light or golden body; black on the legs is limited to the lower part.
- Bay: reddish or brown body with black points; black on the legs reaches roughly to the knees and hocks.
- Seal Brown: very dark bay that can resemble black; the softer areas, such as the muzzle, eye area, flanks and inside upper parts of the legs stay tan, reddish or yellowish. Sometimes genetic testing is needed to confirm whether a very dark horse is black or seal brown.
Behind the Colour (Genotype)
Seal brown is a variation of bay, so the horse needs at least one E-allele and one A-allele. Once there was a gene believed to be linked to this colour, but that was later retracted as the tests were sometimes indecisive. If new studies clarify the cause, we will update this page.