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Buckskin (A-CcE-) is bay diluted by the heterozygous effect of the c dilution gene. These horses are yellow, tan, or gold, with black points. Buckskin is similar to dun, but does not have primitive markings.
In the interest of clear terminology, I have to work in a little bit of politics here. Like dark brown vs. bay and chestnut vs. sorrel, buckskin vs. dun is a little controversial. Most people define buckskin the way I did above, but some reserve the term "buckskin" for buckskins or duns that are light in shade, whether they have primitive markings or not. But since the two colors are genetically distinct (A-CCD-E for primitive-marked duns and A-CcddE- for non-primitive-marked buckskins), there is little point in trying to differentiate them by degree of shading, since that's always subject to interpretation by the human eye.
Further complicating the issue is the existence of two color registries, the American Buckskin Registry Association and the International Buckskin Horse Association. Although buckskin, dun, and grulla are colors, not breeds, you can create a registry for just about anything and define your terms any way you want. ABRA and IBHA call "buckskins" almost any type of dilute except palomino (which has its own set of registries and controversies). ABRA and IBHA will register any buckskin, dun, red dun, or grulla, and if so registered, the horse becomes a Buckskin (capital B) and can be exhibited in Buckskin shows (i.e., shows affiliated with ABRA or IBHA). Calling such a horse a Buckskin does not make the horse buckskin-colored, it just means the horse is registered with one or both of those associations. The horse in the photo above, for example, is a Quarter Horse by breed, but is probably also registered with one or both Buckskin registries, since he's a buckskin.
Enough politics; on to the horses.
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At left, a dun mare (see the dorsal stripe?) with a buckskin foal. Since the colors are genetically distinct, a parent of one color can produce a foal of the other color, if the other parent adds the right genes. |
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These two horses are dark buckskins. They can be distinguished from bays due to their lack of reddishness in the coat.
The horse at left is a shade of buckskin called silver buckskin. Looks like grulla, doesn't it? The difference: Grullas have black faces and primitive markings; buckskins have neither.
The mare in the photo below is also a silver buckskin. The horse behind her is a grulla.
Buckskins have black manes and tails, but they often have a fringe of lighter hair at the top of the mane and/or tail. This is called "snowcap," because the lighter hair is usually whitish. The two horses below both have snowcap. The one at left has snowcap on his mane and tail, and the one at right has it at the top of his tail only. The silver buckskin in the photo above has a little bit of snowcap on her mane.
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