Sooty
Sooty is a trait that darkens a horse’s coat. It can appear in many different ways, often making the horse look as if darker hairs have been brushed across parts of the body.
[image]
Looks Like (Phenotype)
Sooty is expressed differently between chestnut and bay-based colours, often displaying darker hairs in the coat.
On chestnut-based horses, sooty often:
- Darkens the lower body and legs
- Can deepen the whole coat into a rich brown shade
- Sometimes makes the mane and tail darker than the body
Very dark chestnuts affected by sooty are often called liver chestnut. When sooty appears strongly on palomino, it may be called chocolate palomino.
On bay-based horses, sooty usually appears:
- Along the top line (neck, back and hindquarters)
- Sometimes making the horse appear darker from above
- Occasionally giving the look of a faint dorsal stripe
This darker shading along the upper body is called countershading.
Variations
The amount of sooty showing can increase with age. Some horses only have a light shadowing, while others become very dark. If you have played Horse Reality, you may have seen this trait appear strongly on several chestnut and bay coloured horses.
Behind the Colour (Genotype)
The genetic cause of sooty is not yet known in real life. Research suggests it may involve multiple genes. Because of this, there is no simple test for sooty.
What do we know?
- Only affects red and bay-based coats
- Does not change black-based coats in a noticeable way