What's Dun is really Dun
Written by Candi Rousseau
What makes a horse a dun? First and foremost, it MUST have a dun parent. There is no need to look further if neither parent is a dun. The dun gene is dominant and will always express itself by diluting the base coat. It will also always leave the points their natural color. For example a bay horse with the dun gene will still have black points, but the coat will be diluted to a tannish/yellow color. A chestnut will have darker red points and be diluted to a reddish/tan to an apricot color. A black horse will have black points and the coat diluted to a mousey/dove color. A brown (or seal brown) horse will be have dark points and be diluted to a tannish color similar to a bay dun and often has a darker face.
Bay dun mare WMS Laurel Sweet Sandy (Robbi-Sue's Sweet Success x WMS Laurel Lady Hanna)
Grulla mare HCTF Dove Song (Stormwashed x Kings Blazing Candle)
A red dun is yet to come :o)
The dun gene will always produce a crisp, unmistakable dorsal running from mane to tail with heavy frosting (or body colored hair) at the tail head making the dorsal appear to run right into and down the tail. The look-alike dorsal (or counter-shaded) will not be crisp or as distinct, but has fooled many into thinking they have a dun. Another trait you will always see to some extent is leg barring. They can range from distinct stripes to a more mottled affect. Mane and tail frosting will also always be present, but not necessarily heavy. Sometimes it is just minimal frosting.
Grulla stallion River Jordan (Stormwashed x Light Up Atlanta) is glad to show his dorsal and tail frosting.
Lineback Doubletake (Robbi-Sue's Success Story x Cushman's Melanie Dun Sue) exhibits the frosting typical of a dun.
Lineback Doubletake's (Robbi-Sue's Success Story x Cushman's Melanie Dun Sue) front leg bars and below, back leg bars.
There are several other dun traits commonly seen, such as a ventral stripe running from under the front legs down the belly. It is wider and less distinct than a dorsal stripe. You will commonly see cob webbing on the head, neck caping, dorsal barbs, and shoulder bars. A horse can have some or all of these characteristics.
Grulla gelding Tocara's Jericho Blue (FPS Success Made In Dun x Robbi-Sue's Dun Rose) shows what a shoulder bar looks like!
Grulla stallion River Jordan (Stormwashed x Light Up Atlanta), shown at three has a more mottled look to his stripes. Also this photo shows what a ventral stripe looks like.
My true dun foals have all been very easy to know they are a dun. I have had a couple foals that have had heavy foal counter shading that sure can fool one into thinking they are dun.
Tocara's Goldun Promise (Finally's Mr Amos Frick x Robbi-Sue's Dun Rose) had a faint dorsal and leg barring as a foal.
What inspired me so much to breed dun Morgans specifically is the fact that the gene was saved from being completely wiped out by the decision of one woman to purchase and breed one mare. That one woman was Julie Ploof and that one mare was the smoky grulla Pendleton Buck Missy. Missy produced only two offspring that went on to produce themselves. The most prolific was Robbi-Sue Misalert (or Peaches), producing 13 offspring 7 of which were dun (the most prolific is Robbi-Sue's Sweet Success), and the other was Robbi-Sue's Dun Ella who only produced two offspring, only one of which is producing registered Morgans today, that is Cushman's Melanie Dun Sue, the dam of our own Lineback Doubletake the first and so far only homozygous dun Morgan.
Photo courtesy and copyright Julie Ploof.
Missy (Pendleton Buck Missy) and Julie.
Photo courtesy and copyright Julie Ploof.
Another of Pendleton Buck Missy (King Richard x Cute) smoky grulla.
Missy runs strong and true in my dun mares. You can see the similarity.
Photo courtesy and copyright Julie Ploof.
This is a photo of Robbi-Sue Misalert (Robbi-Sue's Moralert x Pendleton Buck Missy), dunskin, just a few years before I met her, already aging.
She is the reason I chose the Morgan to breed and specifically the dun gene to preserve and carry on.
Photo courtesy and copyright Julie Ploof.
This is Robbi-Sue's Dun Ella (Applevale Monarch x Pendleton Buck Missy) seen at three months old. A lovely example of a red dun.
Where this awesome color will go from here, only God knows.