Horse Coat Color Visualizer: Explore DNA Results

Turn DNA results into a color story without inventing the markings

Creatures brings the supported color and pattern genes together, then shows examples of what they can look like. When exact markings or a chromosome arrangement cannot be known from a lab report, we say so plainly.

One example of this color — not a prediction of one horse’s exact shade or markings.

Start with the lab report

Your horse’s lab results

Enter the results from your horse’s lab report. Use the report itself rather than judging by appearance.

Your horse

If a gene does not appear on this horse’s lab report, choose “Not tested / not included on report.” Creatures will keep it unknown rather than treating it as N/N.

Lab report progress: 0 of 25 filled in

Horse’s sex

This lets Creatures read the Brindle1 result correctly.

Color basics

Agouti

Choose what the lab report lists for this gene.

First allele

Second allele

Cream & Pearl

Choose what the lab report lists for this gene.

First allele

Second allele

Dun

Choose what the lab report lists for this gene.

First allele

Second allele

Gray

Choose what the lab report lists for this gene.

First allele

Second allele

Extension and PATN1

Does the report group Extension and PATN1 results by chromosome?

Choose “Yes” only when the report shows which Extension and PATN1 results sit together on each chromosome.

More color genesNot started

Champagne

Choose what the lab report lists for this gene.

First allele

Second allele

Silver

Choose what the lab report lists for this gene.

First allele

Second allele

Mushroom

Choose what the lab report lists for this gene.

First allele

Second allele

Frame Overo

Choose what the lab report lists for this gene.

First allele

Second allele

Coat pattern genesNot started

White patterns at KIT

Does the report show which KIT variants are together on the same chromosome?

Choose “No” when the report lists KIT variants but does not group them by chromosome.

Leopard Complex

Choose what the lab report lists for this gene.

First allele

Second allele

Splashed White families

MITF Splashed White

Choose what the lab report lists for this gene.

First allele

Second allele

PAX3 Splashed White

Choose what the lab report lists for this gene.

First allele

Second allele

Brindle1

Males have one X chromosome and females have two. Choose the Brindle1 result shown on the report.

After choosing whether the report groups Extension, PATN1, or KIT variants by chromosome, select “Show the right lab fields” before continuing. If a gene has two menus and was not tested, choose “Not tested / not included on report” in both.

Curious what a future foal could inherit?

Take the tested results for two horses into the pairing calculator, or save this horse in Creatures to keep DNA results, pedigree, and breeding records together.

Explore a pairing Create a free account

A laboratory report can reveal far more than a color name. Enter your horse's results to explore the colors and patterns they support, then see beautiful examples that bring those possibilities to life. This educational tool is not all equine genetics, does not diagnose a horse, and the pictures are not an exact portrait of shade or markings.

What you can explore

The visualizer brings the color and pattern families found on published VGL and APHA panels into one clear, illustrated result. That naming helps you match a laboratory report and does not imply endorsement or a partnership.

Core coat-color tests: Extension, Agouti, Cream and Pearl, Dun, Silver, Gray, and Frame Overo
Champagne at SLC36A1
Mushroom at MFSD12
KIT-region families, including Tobiano, Roan, Sabino1, selected Dominant White alleles, and Camarillo White W4
Leopard Complex at LP
Pattern-1 modifier at PATN1
Splashed White families at MITF
Splashed White family at PAX3
Brindle1 at MBTPS2, with sex-linked inheritance handled for you
Gray stages for the pictures; they show changes in appearance, not a horse's exact age or timetable

How to read your horse's result

DNA can reveal a color family without drawing every individual marking.

Copy each DNA result exactly as it appears on the laboratory report
Read visible, variable, and carried traits together
Use the Gray stages as a visual guide rather than a horse’s exact age
Expect shade, pattern extent, and marking placement to vary from horse to horse
Read the explanation when a report does not show which linked variants sit together
Use health notes as educational context, not a diagnosis for an individual horse
Use the two-parent calculator when you want to explore a pairing
Confirm important health and breeding decisions with the testing laboratory and a qualified veterinarian

Frequently asked questions

Which horse color genetics can I explore?

The visualizer covers core coat-color tests, Champagne, Mushroom, selected KIT-region families, LP and PATN1, MITF and PAX3 Splashed White families, and sex-linked Brindle1. It uses published VGL and APHA panel names where they help you match a report. It is not all equine genetics and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either organization.

Will the visualizer show exactly what my horse looks like?

No. DNA can support a color family without fixing every shade, marking boundary, roaning density, seasonal coat, or stage of development. Each picture is an example, not a portrait of your horse. Gray stages describe visible progression rather than a precise age or timetable.

Can the visualizer diagnose a health condition?

No. Any health note is educational context connected to the DNA results you entered. It does not diagnose a horse, confirm a laboratory result, or replace advice from the testing laboratory, a veterinarian, or another qualified professional.

Why might the result show more than one possibility?

Some reports do not show which linked variants sit together on the same chromosome. That relationship is called phase. Creatures keeps the supported possibilities separate rather than turning missing information into one falsely precise answer.

How is this different from the two-parent calculator?

The visualizer helps you explore one horse's laboratory report. The calculator combines results from two parents to show what their foal could inherit. Any foal combination that cannot survive remains part of the main conception odds rather than being hidden.

What should I do before making a breeding or health decision?

Keep the original laboratory report and read any uncertainty note beside the result. Ask the testing laboratory whether more phase or linked testing is available, and use a qualified veterinarian for health or welfare decisions. This educational tool cannot replace either source of advice.