Galop 3Knowledge
Contents
- 01WelcomeOverview
- 02Life in natureKnowledge
- 03Bedding and waterCaring for the horse
- 04The points of the horseKnowledge
- 05The hoof and shoeingKnowledge
- 06A full groomingCaring for the horse
- 07Tack and bridleCaring for the horse
- 08The walk and the trotKnowledge
- 09The diagonal at trotIn the saddle
- 10Markings and whorlsKnowledge
- 11Coat colour variantsKnowledge
- 12BreedsKnowledge
- 13The aids to turnKnowledge
- 14The canter strike-offIn the saddle
- 15Position and balanceIn the saddle
- 16Controlling the gaitIn the saddle
- 17Curves and half-voltesIn the saddle
- 18Approach and jumpIn the saddle
- 19GroundworkOn foot
- 20The disciplinesKnowledge
- 21Revision and examRevision
The variants of bay and chestnut
Bay and chestnut each have a family: lighter, darker or more golden coats that keep the features of the base colour. To tell them apart, always look at the mane and tail and at the points.
In the exam programme
- Recognise, name and describe the variants of bay — dun and mouse dun — and of chestnut — liver chestnut, café au lait, palomino.Common module B
A reminder from Galop 1: you name a coat colour by looking at the colour of the body hair, of the mane and tail and of the points. A bay has brown to reddish hair with a black mane, tail and points; a chestnut has reddish hair with a mane and tail of the same colour or lighter, never black. Each family keeps this rule in all its variants. For the light coats, the IFCE adds two clues: the colour of the skin, which shows around the eyes and the nostrils, and that of the eyes.
Dun
Sandy-yellow body, black mane and legs, often a dorsal stripe.
Mouse dun
Mouse-grey body, black mane and legs, dorsal stripe.
Liver chestnut
A very dark chestnut, almost brown.
Café au lait
A very diluted chestnut, the colour of milky coffee.
Palomino
Golden body, white or very pale mane and tail.
The bay family
Bay family
Dun
Yellowish hair, from pale yellow to fawn; black mane, tail and points; black skin, dark eyes. Some duns have a dark line along the back, the dorsal stripe.
Bay family
Mouse dun
Ash-grey hair, the colour of a mouse, all one shade; mane and tail ash-grey to black, black points; black skin, dark eyes. A dorsal stripe and dark bars on the legs are common.
The chestnut family
Chestnut family
Liver chestnut
Very dark hair, mane and tail, the colour of roasted coffee; in the sun, red or chocolate glints give the chestnut away. Dark skin, dark eyes.
Chestnut family
Café au lait
Hair, mane and tail all the same milky-coffee colour, light and even; light skin but not pink; dark eyes.
Chestnut family
Palomino
Golden hair, from light fawn to gold; silvery-white mane and tail, clearly lighter than the body; black or grey skin, never pink; dark eyes, never blue.
| Coat | Not to be confused with | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|
| Dun | Palomino | A black mane and tail; the palomino’s are white. |
| Mouse dun | Grey | Solid hair, with no white hairs mixed in, and black points; a grey turns whiter with age, a mouse dun does not. |
| Café au lait | Palomino | A mane and tail the same colour as the body. |
| Palomino, café au lait | Cream | Dark skin and dark eyes; the cream has pink skin and often blue eyes. |
| Liver chestnut | Black | A mane, tail and points that are not truly black. |
Remember
Black mane, tail and points: the bay family — bay, dun, mouse dun. Mane and tail never black: the chestnut family — chestnut, liver chestnut, café au lait, palomino.
Did you know?
Foals often change colour as they grow, and the winter coat is duller than the summer one. To name a coat colour with certainty, look at an adult horse, in the sun, with a clean coat.