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Description
The dun gene is a dilution gene that affects both red and black coat color pigments. It is associated with primitive markings and can lighten the base body coat of black, bay, or chestnut (“red”) horses to some degree.
The dark stripe down the middle of the back is the most recognizable marking of a dun horse. Other markings include a darker mane and tail, as well as a darker face and legs. The classic dun is a gray-gold or tan color, ranging from a sandy yellow to a reddish-brown body. Depending on other coat color genes, a dun horse may appear as a light yellowish shade or a steel gray. The mane, tail, primitive markings and other dark areas are usually the shade of the undiluted base coat. Dun colors include classic dun, bay dun, red dun, blue dun, mouse dun, grullo (grulla) and zebra dun.
The Dun allele is dominant, so a horse with either one copy (heterozygous, D/nd1 or D/nd2) or two copies (homozygous, D/D) will show dun coloring. Unlike the silver gene, which affects only black-based coats, or the cream gene, which is incompletely dominant and needs two copies to be fully expressed, dun affects both black- and red-based horses.
Dun is characterized by markings that are darker than the body color. These include:
- A dorsal stripe down the center of the back, along the spine. This is seen on almost all duns.
- Horizontal striping on the back of the forelegs. This is common on most duns, though sometimes faint.
- Shoulder stripes. These are the least commonly seen of the primitive markings.
Possible results
| Genotype | Description |
|---|---|
| D/D | Dun: Horse has two copies of the Dun allele and will pass one copy to every offspring. |
| D/nd1 | Dun: Horse has one copy of the Dun allele and one copy of the nd1 allele associated with primitive markings. |
| D/nd2 | Dun: Horse has one copy of the Dun allele and one copy of the nd2 non-dun allele. |
| nd1/nd1 | Non-dun: Horse has two copies of the nd1 allele associated with primitive markings. |
| nd1/nd2 | Non-dun: Horse has one copy of the nd1 allele associated with primitive markings and one copy of the nd2 non-dun allele. |
| nd2/nd2 | Non-dun: Horse has two copies of the nd2 non-dun allele. |
Reference
[PMID: 26691985]