Overview
From the use of the horse as a tool to the use of the horse as a status symbol and companion, mankind has been tied to horses for hundreds of years. Beginning in prehistoric times with cave paintings and drawings, people have always been fascinated by the horse. Few animals combine the rare elements of power, beauty, and intelligence, yet still have the humility and trust to allow a creature smaller than itself to ride on its back.
Horses have had many different uses throughout history, and have therefore been selectively bred to possess the traits required to fulfill the needs and desires of mankind. Years ago, horses were bred for unique colors and endurance by Native Americans to travel long distances and intimidate other tribes during periods of war. Miners during the Gold rush bred their horses to possess traits such as strength and
small size so that their horses could fit into the mines and still carry heavy loads of gold and other minerals. Farmers bred their horses to posses traits such as strength and even-temperament so that they could plow their fields with a horse that would willingly follow their directions. Following in the footprints of mankind's ancestors, today people continue to breed horses to possess desired traits. Today, horses are bred for speed and endurance in racing, conformation and temperament in showing, height and agility in jumping, quick reflexes and instinct in cow cutting, and beauty and grace in dressage. However, unlike color, these are traits that cannot be seen at first glance. Because it is an easily identifiable characteristic, coat color is one of the oldest traits that equestrians purposefully bred for.
Many of the phenotypes seen today would not be found naturally in wild horses for a variety of reasons. One of the main reasons phenotypes such as Paints, Appaloosas, and White coat colorings did not appear until after domestication is because humans bred for colors that would stand out and be unique; if wild horses possessed these "showy" phenotypes, they would be more easily seen by predators and their unique coat color genotype would not be passed on to future generations. After domestication, horses with unique coat color phenotypes, that would have originally been eliminated in the wild, were valued by people and therefore were protected from predators allowing the genes for colorful phenotypes to be passed on to new generations.
Similar to the anatomical evolution of the horse, the evolution of equine coat color can be traced from the periods prior to domestication with the appearance of base coat colors such as black and chestnut, to the periods following domestication with the appearance of more complex coat colors such as Tobiano and Sabino. Equine phenotypic evolution is directly related to the evolution of equine coat color genetics. In other words, the evolution of equine coat color is directly tied to the appearance and interaction between the genes present and expressed in the DNA of the horse. Over time, various mutations in the genes involved with coat color caused new phenotypic traits to emerge. As these mutated alleles mixed and combined due to migration and breeding (whether random in the wild, or selected through domestication), the phenotypes seen today were slowly created.
While this site is not designed to provide a comprehensive explanation for all coat phenotypes seen today, it is, however, designed to follow the genetic evolution and global distribution of common coat colors leading up to the Common Era.
Horses have had many different uses throughout history, and have therefore been selectively bred to possess the traits required to fulfill the needs and desires of mankind. Years ago, horses were bred for unique colors and endurance by Native Americans to travel long distances and intimidate other tribes during periods of war. Miners during the Gold rush bred their horses to possess traits such as strength and
small size so that their horses could fit into the mines and still carry heavy loads of gold and other minerals. Farmers bred their horses to posses traits such as strength and even-temperament so that they could plow their fields with a horse that would willingly follow their directions. Following in the footprints of mankind's ancestors, today people continue to breed horses to possess desired traits. Today, horses are bred for speed and endurance in racing, conformation and temperament in showing, height and agility in jumping, quick reflexes and instinct in cow cutting, and beauty and grace in dressage. However, unlike color, these are traits that cannot be seen at first glance. Because it is an easily identifiable characteristic, coat color is one of the oldest traits that equestrians purposefully bred for.
Many of the phenotypes seen today would not be found naturally in wild horses for a variety of reasons. One of the main reasons phenotypes such as Paints, Appaloosas, and White coat colorings did not appear until after domestication is because humans bred for colors that would stand out and be unique; if wild horses possessed these "showy" phenotypes, they would be more easily seen by predators and their unique coat color genotype would not be passed on to future generations. After domestication, horses with unique coat color phenotypes, that would have originally been eliminated in the wild, were valued by people and therefore were protected from predators allowing the genes for colorful phenotypes to be passed on to new generations.
Similar to the anatomical evolution of the horse, the evolution of equine coat color can be traced from the periods prior to domestication with the appearance of base coat colors such as black and chestnut, to the periods following domestication with the appearance of more complex coat colors such as Tobiano and Sabino. Equine phenotypic evolution is directly related to the evolution of equine coat color genetics. In other words, the evolution of equine coat color is directly tied to the appearance and interaction between the genes present and expressed in the DNA of the horse. Over time, various mutations in the genes involved with coat color caused new phenotypic traits to emerge. As these mutated alleles mixed and combined due to migration and breeding (whether random in the wild, or selected through domestication), the phenotypes seen today were slowly created.
While this site is not designed to provide a comprehensive explanation for all coat phenotypes seen today, it is, however, designed to follow the genetic evolution and global distribution of common coat colors leading up to the Common Era.