Black

Icelandic: Svart, brúnt. In Iceland we don't call a horse black unless there isn't one hair on it that isn't coal-black. Description: The horse is either totally black (svartur), or as is more common, with a brown or reddish shade in the mane and tail (brúnt). Sometimes the body-colour is light-brown with red hairs in the mane (móbrúnt). Black. Garđur from Litli-Garđur Black with star and snip. It is rather rare that black icelandic horses have blazes. Glanni from Kelduland at Langhús Š-LUKKA Black (svartur) Orri from Ţúfu being ground driven at Landsmót 2000. Š-Betty Grindrod Often black horses have sunfaded hairs in their mane, those hairs become red. This is so common that a horse is never called black (svartur) in Icelandic exept if actually every hair on it's body is coal black. All other horses are called brown (brúnn). Hnappur from Kelduland. Š-LUKKA Pale black (móbrúnt) Snerra from Ketu in summercoat, at Langhús. Š-LUKKA Pale black is like a mix between black and liver chestnut, as there are red strands of hair in the mane. The body color is with a bit of chocolate color in it, not true black. The genetics working behind this are not totally defined, sometimes it seems that these horses are in fact smoky black (glóbrúnt, causeb by creme gene), but sometimes it seems it's simply a version of black. Snerra from Keta, wintercoat. Š-LUKKA A pale black horse in summer-coat, ready to go on a trek with his happy owner at Barđ. The chocolate body color is easy to see on this picture. Š-LUKKA Foal color: The foal color is quite different on a black foal than on an adult black horse. The foal is greyish looking, and often people think that the young foal is blue dun. The back is even a bit darker along the dorsal. But this color will become darker later. A foal that will become pale black is lighter inside the ears than a foal that will become black, but some experience is needed to distinguish between those two shades on a foal. The foal is Eva from Langhúsum, one of our broodmares, in her greyish foal hairs. Eva is coal black today Š-LUKKA This is the son of our Fála and Hrynjandi from Hrepphólum, born 2000, 2 weeks old. The insides of his ears are a bit whitish, so he'll become pale black. Š-LUKKA I'm often asked whether the foals people have, are blue dun, when they're in fact black. A black foal is born so light, that it looks like a blue dun, and even has the eel stripe and all. This foal is newborn, black with a stocking. Š-Julia Head. Here is the same foal, showing the light steel grey color well. The baby's mother has bropably looked the same when she was newborn, even though she is black now. Š-Julia Head Some genetics: The black colour is on the B-locus. You need one dominant gene B in the horse so it has black in it. Other genes in the horse can change the black colour. In fact, all Icelandic horses have a BB gene-combination, but they only look black if no other genes lighten up the black colour (for example, a black horse has to have aa in the A-locus, which is the bay locus. The color in different languages: Norway: Sort/svart Denmark: Sort Germany: Rappe USA:Black UK: Black Dutch: Zwart Swedish: Svart BACK TO COLORS

Icelandic: Svart, brúnt. In Iceland we don't call a horse black unless there isn't one hair on it that isn't coal-black.
Description: The horse is either totally black (svartur), or as is more common, with a brown or reddish shade in the mane and tail (brúnt). Sometimes the body-colour is light-brown with red hairs in the mane (móbrúnt).

Black. Garđur from Litli-Garđur

Black with star and snip. It is rather rare that black icelandic horses have blazes. Glanni from Kelduland at Langhús
Š-LUKKA

Black (svartur) Orri from Ţúfu being ground driven at Landsmót 2000.
Š-Betty Grindrod

Often black horses have sunfaded hairs in their mane, those hairs become red. This is so common that a horse is never called black (svartur) in Icelandic exept if actually every hair on it's body is coal black. All other horses are called brown (brúnn). Hnappur from Kelduland.
Š-LUKKA

Pale black (móbrúnt) Snerra from Ketu in summercoat, at Langhús.
Š-LUKKA

Pale black is like a mix between black and liver chestnut, as there are red strands of hair in the mane. The body color is with a bit of chocolate color in it, not true black. The genetics working behind this are not totally defined, sometimes it seems that these horses are in fact smoky black (glóbrúnt, causeb by creme gene), but sometimes it seems it's simply a version of black. Snerra from Keta, wintercoat.
Š-LUKKA

A pale black horse in summer-coat, ready to go on a trek with his happy owner at Barđ. The chocolate body color is easy to see on this picture.
Š-LUKKA

Foal color:
The foal color is quite different on a black foal than on an adult black horse. The foal is greyish looking, and often people think that the young foal is blue dun. The back is even a bit darker along the dorsal. But this color will become darker later. A foal that will become pale black is lighter inside the ears than a foal that will become black, but some experience is needed to distinguish between those two shades on a foal.
The foal is Eva from Langhúsum, one of our broodmares, in her greyish foal hairs. Eva is coal black today
Š-LUKKA

This is the son of our Fála and Hrynjandi from Hrepphólum, born 2000, 2 weeks old. The insides of his ears are a bit whitish, so he'll become pale black.
Š-LUKKA

I'm often asked whether the foals people have, are blue dun, when they're in fact black. A black foal is born so light, that it looks like a blue dun, and even has the eel stripe and all. This foal is newborn, black with a stocking.
Š-Julia Head.

Here is the same foal, showing the light steel grey color well. The baby's mother has bropably looked the same when she was newborn, even though she is black now.
Š-Julia Head

Some genetics:
The black colour is on the B-locus. You need one dominant gene B in the horse so it has black in it. Other genes in the horse can change the black colour. In fact, all Icelandic horses have a BB gene-combination, but they only look black if no other genes lighten up the black colour (for example, a black horse has to have aa in the A-locus, which is the bay locus.

The color in different languages:
Norway: Sort/svart
Denmark: Sort
Germany: Rappe
USA:Black
UK: Black
Dutch: Zwart
Swedish: Svart

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