PLEASE NOTE: ALL COLORS ARE DETERMINED BY THE FRESHLY SHED SUMMER COAT. WINTER COATS AND FOAL COATS WILL BE DECEPTIVE AS TO COLOR.

GRAY-DUN This is the most common of the donkey colors. It is the original "wild" color found in the ancestors of the domestic donkey. Body color is some shade of gray or tannish gray ranging from very light oatmeal or light silver color, to a very dark charcoal color. Cross, dorsal stripe, ear marks and often leg stripes (garters) or black dots on the lower part of the neck below the jowls (collar buttons) are found. Gray-dun animals may have black muzzles and no light points (belly and legs as well as muzzle are usually lighter than the coat in all donkeys) and still be the gray-dun color. The name of the color is taken from the fact that the body color is a visual gray of some shade, but the whole color is a probable genetic dun. (Also, most laypersons when asked the color of a donkey would term it gray.) Foals and winter coats are often reddish/brownish but will shed off to some shade of gray. This color differs from other types of gray colors because the hairs are all gray, not mixed with white. We do not use horse terms but for horse-minded breeders, this color would be equal to the horse terms grulla, mouse or dove dun.

ROAN (GRAY, BLACK, BROWN & RED ROAN) - Roan is a color which is defined as a dark color of hair coat mixed with a moderate to large amount of light or white hairs. The hairs of the body color can be gray, black, red, red/gray, brown and occasionally (especially in mules) other colors, mixed with white hairs. Roan donkeys usually have lighter faces and legs. (Roan horses & mules often have darker faces and legs). If the colored hairs in the coat are black the donkey is a black roan (very uncommon) if gray a gray-dun roan, if red/sorrel a red roan, brown - brown roan, etc. The roan color is very common in mammoth jackstock, fairly common in standard donkeys and seen only rarely in miniature donkeys. NOTE: Donkeys, which appear to be dapple-gray, are always a dappled pattern of gray- or black roan. Dapples will appear "reversed", that is, dark dapples on a light coat. Roans may darken or lighten in winter coat, but will return to a shade similar to the previous year each summer. Mules from dappled-roan jacks have not been seen to turn roan or gray, but may have the dark reverse dapples on the summer coat. (See "True Gray" for more details) Dappled roans are dappled over the body and are most commonly seen in the larger donkeys. Only one bloodline of miniatures has been shown to be a form of dappled roan. Frosty Roans are commonly seen in miniatures, but usually only the face and legs will be roaned.

TRUE GRAY - True gray is a color which is documented in donkeys but is still under serious study. A form of an "aging gray" gene in donkeys does not act like that in horses, or mules. It is often mistaken for roaning. The aging gray in mules is common in animals, which have been bred from gray horses. "Gray" donkeys are often born with very light coats, and extensive roaning about the legs and face. Because donkey gray does NOT act like horse gray, the ADMS registries will not use horse terms. Aged "gray" donkeys will be listed as Frosted - the term Fully Frosted (followed by the base color) will appear on certificates. To be a true horse or mule gray an animal is born a solid dark color. This color progressively lightens with age, often going through a dapple-gray phase (rose gray is a horse term for a bay or red animal in an intermediate reddish-gray stage), until the animal turns pure white with age. The skin is dark. At time in the lifetime of a gray animal it will look almost identical with a black or gray roan. The difference is that the roan color stays the same (from year to year) while gray tends to lighten with each passing year. A gray donkey will lighten slightly from year to year but does not always turn completely white. The aging gray (frosted) is most commonly seen in other patterns with white -spotted or roan. See Frosted Spotted White.

BLACK - Black is often a difficult color to determine. If the donkey is "jet" black or "raven" black with no visible cross and stripe, it can be listed as black. If the coat appears black, but the cross, stripe, and lower legs are visibly darker black, it is termed Smoky Black. We will still use black (brown on animals whose coats are very dark brown in appearance with darker black cross, stripe and lower legs. (This terminology is short for "Dark brown or black" as used in the thoroughbred industry.) Charcoal is not a shade of black, but instead is the very darkest shade of gray-dun. These colors should all be updated at maturity, in the short summer haircoat. In horses the determination is sometimes made by the fact that a black horse will have a black muzzle not a brown one--but this does not hold true for mules and donkeys. Most black mules do have brown muzzles, sometimes up to the eyes, and lighter flanks. They are still black, as the modified point color is typical of mules. The color must be determined by body color.

WHITE - Due to many factors, white is not always snow white. Often it is yellowish. If an animal has blue eyes and pink skin it is registered as an albino white. Although there is no true pink-eyed albino in equines, the term albino-white is accepted in equine circles. These animals are more probably white-phase or "pseudo albinos" (like white tigers) than cremello or perlino as in horses, which are diluted colors. They often show a beige cross and dorsal stripe. No evidence has been seen to show that the white gene is a creme-type dilution.

FF S W - Fully Frosted Spotted (white) - Formerly Few Spot White. This is an apparent genetic cross of Frosted (Gray) and Spotted. The eyes are dark. The skin (especially around the eyes, muzzle, and genitals) is spotted pink and black. The body may actually show mottled (patched) gray & pink skin, but the color does not appear on the coat. A dark or partial cross, colored eartips, striped hooves, dark spots may be present in the foal coat, which fade out in the adult coat, leaving the spotted skin as the only indicator of the spotted pattern. These foals may have some faded spots, with no color around the eyes as the indicator of the frosting, or may be born nearly pure white, with dark speckled skin. Some spotted animals that are nearly all dark might appear at some stage to have a dark, roaned area over the back. Examination of the skin for mottled color can determine the presence of spots that might be very small or even of Masked Spotting Factor.

SORREL - Because even in horse circles opinion is divided on what separates a sorrel from a chestnut, we have decided to use sorrel for all the red shades which are not bay, red roan or reddish brown. Sorrel is a red color of the body in which the legs are the same color or lighter than the body. They can also be darker if they are a darker shade of the red of the body. If the legs are black or dark brown the color is russet or bay. (We do not use the horse terminology of black chestnut, or sooty chestnut. Red animals with black on the cross or lower legs will not be classified as sorrels - chestnut with black legs/mane and tail is BAY. It is the presence of black in these areas, which separates the sorrels from the other red terms.) Miniature donkeys sometimes have a pinkish/gray color, which is hard to define. Summer, adult coat photos are necessary to classify these animals, as they may be light sorrel, roan, or frosted. In rare cases we may list donkeys as Rose Dun if necessary. Foals in heavy coats will be listed as brown/sorrel Foal Coat if the color is not absolutely clear. If registering animals as sorrel, please list all colors of parts - legs, cross, eartips, eyelashes. This may help us to determine the overall color of the animal. Sorrel is a recessive color. Sorrel bred to sorrel should only produce sorrel. If any other color is produced, the parents need to be re-evaluated. Again, photos MUST show the correct color or the animal will be listed as the color seen in the photos. See also, Russet.

LIGHT SORREL/PINK - We do not use Pink as an actual color, but may include it in the Description of the animal. Please note if there are white hairs mixed in with the red hairs (sorrel roan) or just light red hairs and pink skin anywhere, especially on the muzzle. (An apricot coat all over, is a possible dilute). Be as detailed as necessary as to the colors of the body hair, cross & stripe upper leg, lower leg, and the lips and muzzle. Animals have been seen to be "Pink" in winter coat and completely gray-dun in summer coat-so be cautious buying pink animals in winter coat. There are some "pink" animals that are breeding like gray-dun with a recessive sorrel. Some might also be a diluted brown instead of true sorrel.

BAY - Bay is very common in mules but rare in donkeys. It has been recorded in mammoth, standard and miniature donkeys but is uncommon. The body is some shade of red; the mane, tail and legs are some shade of black. In donkeys this is usually a rather dilute black, in mules it can be very dark. Some gray-dun and brown donkeys have darker legs. Unless the body color is a definite red and legs true black, this is not defined as bay. The term's bay pattern may be used under the description field if the red tones in the body warrant. See also, Russet.

RUSSET - Russet is used for those donkeys, which are not a clear shade of bay, but are not clear sorrels. Light red animals with black manes and tails (but usually having light legs) were previously classified in with sorrels, or as light browns. Research is showing that they may be a form of bay, but the color does not act like horse bay. It is the presence of black paired with the red coat that separates the russets from sorrels. Although there are red tones in the coat, the shade is often not deep enough to carry the term RED, which has been suggested for donkey-bay. If the coat has light sorrel shadings, a black/brown mane and tail and light legs, the animal will be listed as russet. Animals with the above coloration and true black legs may be listed as russet/bay. Further research should determine whether or not the russet animals are true bays with extensive white points hiding the black legs, or another color unique to the donkey. Russet may also be used in with sorrel or bay as a modifier, such as sorrell/russet or russet/bay if exact shade is still undetermined.

BROWN - Brown covers all shades of brown from very light tan to very very dark brown/almost black. The legs are the same color or may be darker, even black. It includes the color known commonly as "chocolate'9 (a term not used in registrations.) The principal reason for this is that observers are unable to agree what color should be designated as chocolate. In all colors adjectives may be used to describe the colors. In brown the usual descriptions are light brown, medium brown, dark brown, very dark brown (usually used for chocolate) and if unsure whether black or brown--black/brown. Caution must be used not to register a brown donkey as black since this will deceive future buyers. A few of these 'chocolate" Brown (red-brown with true black legs) may be bay and can be listed as brown/bay. If the legs and cross are true brown, the animal is Brown.

SPOTTED - We do not refer to donkeys as paint or pinto, leaving this up to the horse world. Mule owners may do so, or may adopt the donkey term which is "SPOTTED". The spotting pattern in donkeys is unique and follows a distinct pattern, as do horse pinto patterns. For more information about spotting patterns, request our article "Seeing Spots") When registering a donkey we prefer to know all the colors on a spotted donkey. Many of them have three colors, black, brown (or gray) and white. (These colors do not include the colors on the cross or dorsal stripe. these are assumed to be black unless we are told otherwise.) Donkeys are considered to be spotted if they have even one of the "paint" type spots on a white background (spotted, mostly white, or also see F F S W) or if they have a lot of small black spots. Please note that animals are always listed as "color & white" (i.e. brown & white) and not as "white with (color) spots". There is one rare type that resembles the leopard appaloosa, but this is registered a spotted with the pattern of spotting listed in description. Donkeys do not show the true tobiano, overo, or tovero horse pattern, and these terms are not used on donkey papers. Mules may show modifications of these horse patterns, which may be listed as "modified (pattern)" under the Description field.

MASKED SPOTTED - Blaze faces with no other spots anywhere on the body are genetically spoiled, but do not have body spots themselves. One or more other spots must be present on the neck/leg (not a sock) body to be classified as spotted. This is taken from the ACOSA rulings, requiring a body spot. Blaze faces (not a star) are the minimum expression of the spotted gene. These animals usually have extensive white points as well as the blaze face. They will breed as any other genetically spotted animal, throwing spotted, blazed, or solids. Papers will read Gray-dun (or other color) */MSF to indicate the spotting factor in the Color section of the certificate. The description field will specify the location of the white markings. Please turn the face toward the camera, as the blaze may be combined with a snip ("ink between the nostrils) or other white markings on the muzzle (indicated by pink skin). Minor white leg markings such as low socks, stockings, or flashes of white on the legs are indicators of spotting and are not random as in horses. If an animal has a blaze over the flat of the face and minor white on the legs, it is genetically spotted, just without a body spot (genetically spotted horses of overo and sabino types that do not actually have a body spot are fairly common. Donkeys of this type are NOT solid; they are masked spotted factor).

UNUSUAL COLORS - Donkeys can come in some very unusual colors. We have one registered donkey named Neopolitan after the ice cream. Her body is 3 distinct areas of roan, front nearly white, barrel darker roan and rear black roan, one of the most unusual color in our records. If your donkey or mule does not fit any of these color descriptions listed above, please send accurate photos and written description so that the registry will be able to designate a color. Include color descriptions of things such as cross/stripe, face (if a blaze or roan), legs, eartips, skin around eyes, anything that can be of use. We will use as many designations as necessary to describe the animal.

MARKINGS - Markings should be CLEARLY SHOWN ON THE PHOTOS SENT IN WITH REGISTRATION. In non-spotted animals we rely especially on the shape of the shoulder stripe of the cross, this should show clearly. If the animal has facial markings (such as a star, often left off applications) turn the face toward the camera or send a separate photo of the facial markings. Small markings such as "collar buttons" and garters that do not show on the photo should be mentioned, as they are very useful for identification. Garters is our name for the leg stripes (rings) and collar buttons are small black spots on the neck near where the jaw joins the neck which are usually seen in the gray-dun color animals. Collar buttons are often overlooked in fuzzy foal coats. Check the throat of mature animals carefully. Some animals have only one button, or they may be of unequal size on each side.

FOAL COAT COLORS - In all equines but most especially in donkeys foal coat colors can differ from mature, summer coat color. The summer coat color is the one used for identification of an animal's true color. When the color is doubtful we will register a foal as "color" (foal coat) and will change the color along with the height and mature photos when we reissue the certificate after the animal's third birthday. One fairly reliable way of telling mature color is to shave off a patch of hair (usually on the neck) and see what the hair beneath it looks like. However a drawback to this is that shaved hair is often much lighter than properly grown out hair.

ADJECTIVES - The registry accepts adjectives such as light, dark, medium, very dark or light, etc. We do not use colloquial color terms such as pink, chocolate, seal etc. These are very useful in descriptions of animals between individuals but are not used in registration.

CORRECT COLOR IDENTIFICATION OF REGISTERED ANIMALS IS NECESSARY BOTH FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES AND FOR HONESTY WITH FUTURE BUYERS. If a color is found to have changed from that listed on the registration certificate the registry must be notified. To update the color on a certificate, please send: The ORIGINAL REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE; clear, correct color photos; description of any color changes as well as markings that might have changed or been overlooked in foal coat; mature height if the animal is over 3 years (we have many transfers of mature animals where people overlook this step); and a $3.00 update fee.

The color in the photos must clearly show the color described on the application. If the colors differ significantly in appearance and description, registrations may be held up while new photos are requested.

The following areas are what are used mainly for color and identifying points in donkeys, and to some extent, mules. Unless otherwise stated, it is assumed that ALL donkeys have light points (muzzle, eye rings, belly and in some cases under the throat and inner legs), crosses and earmarks. When these are NOT present, then they are of definite use as identifiers. Colors, which may not have crosses, are dapple roans, dome dark browns or blacks, and the Frosted Spotted Whites. Some donkeys may have dark muzzles and eye rings, or intermediate dark muzzles where a tiny light patch remains on the side of the muzzle. Black muzzle refers to the area of short hair from the nostrils up to the mid of the face, not the lip area only all dark-skinned donkeys have black on the lips or end of the nose where the lips meet and around the nostrils. The entire area of short muzzle hair must be dark to qualify as an intermediate black muzzle or black muzzle. (Intermediate black muzzles can change color over time becoming full black or sometimes even light muzzles)

Garters encircle the leg and are commonly seen on donkeys marked with crosses. They may be faint, single, double, or full leg garters from the forearm down to the hoof. There may also be collar buttons at the throatlatch (they may not be on both sides or may be of unequal size), ladder marks (small, partial stripes that extend down off of the dorsal stripe), zippers (dark marks running down the inside of the foreleg from the chestnut) or anklets (large dark buttons on the ankles).

Shoulder stripes may be wide and tapering, long and thin, short and narrow, long and bold, odd, forked, fading, dashed, or fading. They may be longer on one side than on the other. In spotted animals, the cross is present only where there is a patch of colored skin underneath. If the donkey lacks a dark patch on one shoulder, it may have a partial shoulder stripe only on one side. The cross is referred to as Broken or Partial if there are small dark areas separated by white. In extreme cases of spotting, where the animal appears mostly white, the only areas that have dark color may be laid out on the animal in the basic shape of a cross.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) about Donkey Color:

Please realize that color research is ongoing in different fronts. The ADMS is conducting in collaboration with Dr. Phillip Sponenberg, DVM Ph.D. Our work is not complete, but there are some aspects, which have already been proven. If we can't answer one of your questions now, please feel free to contact us at the office and discuss it with us.

This information packet it copyrighted by the American Donkey and Mule Society and may not be reproduced in part or in whole without permission of the ADMS. © 1998

Defining the various colors - these will be based on the ADMS color definition sheet.

Can we use horse colors to describe donkey colors?

Horse colors and donkey colors are similar in many ways, but they are not the same. In order to understand donkey colors, we need to understand how horse colors work, and then how the donkey colors are similar or parallel, or totally different. Some horse terms can be used, others must be found that are unique for the donkey.

Horses have no exact equivalent for the gray-dun color. Dapples in horses have light centers, in donkeys the dapples are "reversed". We seem to have a true brown in donkeys, while brown in horses is usually modified black, chestnut or bay.

What are some of the distinguishing marks of the various colors, le eyelashes, hoof color etc.

The areas that should be looked at first in distinguishing the colors are first the body, for the base color. Then the color of the mane, tail and cross (the trim) should be noted as modifications of the body color. Lastly, the color of the lower legs is important. The lower legs might be covered up by the frosty pattern, in which we have to do a closer examination of different areas of the legs and also the trim to determine color. This is why we use the different descriptions on the registration certificates. We use the trim color and the lower leg color to help give a more complete color overview. A red body with black trim and roan legs is listed as russet, because the roan on the legs covers up where you might normally see black. A red body with red trim and roan legs is sorrel (and probably frosty roan). A red body with red trim and dark red or brown lower legs is sorrel or the red dun pattern. All three have a red body. Two have dark red trim. The combination of all of the parts has to be used, not just one main area.

How do you identify colors for registrations?

Again, we are referring back to the ADMS color guide. We must rely on both the breeder's observations, and also the color photographs we are sent. Unfortunately, it's hard to get photos with good color. However, foal coat color is the absolute worst indicator of adult color. We have records of donkeys that were pink in winter coats, but just as dark a gray-dun in their shed summer coat as you have ever seen. Genetically, the animal was gray-dun. It may be that all gray-duns have some degree of red in the coat. Black certainly bleaches out to red in the sun, and many brown foals have a gorgeous "redhead" foal coat that they loose as they mature. Actually, the notion of having one color in a baby coat that is lost at maturity is not at all farfetched. Zebra foals have red stripes at birth that darkens to black. Lion cubs are born with immature rosette markings that fade out in the adult animal. The red color in donkey coats may be of a similar nature. Donkeys are probably less removed from their primitive roots as wild asses than are horses, so the red color may be a "wild" protective coloration leftover.

Should one breed for color?

Conformation and temperament should always be the first concern of a breeder. Size is of concern only when you are trying to make sure your animals fall within a LIMT (use donkeys under 34 inches if you want 30-33" donkeys, or make sure that the difference in height is not TOO great between the two parents (such as using 5 34" jack on a 28" jennet) but color should always be considered a bonus. Use the best jennets and especially the best jacks you can find of the particular colors you are striving for. For the betterment of the breed as a whole, it is better to use a 36" gray-dun jack with perfect conformation than the brightest of sorrels that is 30" tall but has dwarf characteristics or is roach backed and bow-legged.

How do you determine which cross will produce what color?

First, you must look at the visual color. Although some coat colors can fool you, most are a pretty good indicator of what dominant genes you are dealing with. To be able to project what combinations you would get from a pair, you would need to know their genetic makeup. You can tell some of this by looking at the pedigree or background. But the best way is to see what other colors those animals have produced. There is no absolute way to be able to look at an animal with no background, or one that is untried, and be certain what colors it will throw, even if is one of the darker colors, which are usually recessive. Too many factors may be masked or covered up. We have dark brown animals with recessive sorrel, and black/browns that seem to have a brown and black gene. You can narrow your chances down somewhat, but 100% certainty is difficult.

Explain Dominant and Recessive.

There are basically two types of genes - dominant and recessive. Dominant are the strongest. They win - they get expressed. Recessive are "weaker". They keep their head down and hide. They can hide for many generations. In order for a recessive gene to be expressed, it has to team up with a partner from the other side (the other parent). Once the recessive finds his "twin" on the other side, Recessive is now "stronger" than dominant and pushes dominant out of the picture. The color expressed is the recessive, and the dominant color gene is no longer present in the make-up for that animal - it gets left out entirely, just a memory.

We can use gray-dun and sorrel as an example. The jack is gray dun, but he has a recessive sorrel gene - let's say his mom was sorrel. (He has one dominant gene - the gray-dun, and one recessive, the sorrel) You breed him to ONLY gray-dun jennies. If these jennies have no sorrel gene, you will only get gray-dun (dominant color from the jennies, or even from the jack). But, if some of these jennies also have the recessive sorrel, you have a chance of it pairing up with the jack's sorrel gene. If this happens, and you get a sorrel colt, that colt will ONLY have the recessive sorrel gene to pass along. The gray-dun in his case is out of the picture. The same with spotted. Once the recessive Non-spotted animal jump out, it won 't matter how many spotted parents there were in the background. The dominant is lost and is not recoverable.

Dominant colors can be homozygous (meaning the same, or one identical gene from each parent). This means that every foal from that parent will have at least one Dominant gene. If that foal has a recessive gene, it's not from the homozygous dominant parent. Gray-dun can be dominant. If a jennet is homozygous for gray-dun, ALL of her foals will be gray-dun no matter what she is bred to.

Dominants may also be heterozygous, meaning different or mis-matched pairing of the genes (like that gray-dun/sorrel jack above). Each of these foals has, theoretically, a 50/50 chance of getting either the dominant or the recessive gene.

Recessives that are paired with a heterozygous dominant are passive. They are not expressed, but can be passed along.

True-paired recessives are the "surprise" colors that pop out of nowhere (like two gray-duns having a bright red sorrel foal). The animal is then homozygous for sorrel; it can only give a copy of the sorrel gene to its offspring.

How easy is it to get color?

Well, in a sense, every animal has color. "Color" means something different to everyone. There are breeders who LIKE gray-duns - getting a good gray-dun foal to them IS getting color. If we are asking how easy it is to breed for a dominant color - it's a roulette game. If that dominant color has an underlying recessive, you have that chance of it pairing with a matching recessive from the other parent, and then you get a surprise. If you are trying to get recessive colors, the only sure-fire way is to breed ONLY like color to like color. Sorrel is recessive and can only contribute sorrel. So breed ONLY sorrel to sorrel and you will come up with sorrels. Once we get past the point where many animals of confusing tones were inadvertently labeled as sorrel, (where their records have proved them to be brown or rose dun, etc) and these are NOT used to cloud the sorrels any longer, then you will eventually have true sorrel bred to true sorrel, and you will have tons of little red donkeys everywhere. Just remember, if you continue to breed for a recessive, you have blocked off all outside color, and you will end up with a gene pool that has only that one color - they can't contribute any other color factors. If everyone ignored gray-dun and tried only for sorrel you have to imagine this scenario. You breed a gray dun to a sorrel and get a gray-dun that has a recessive sorrel gene (it has to, the sorrel parent can only give sorrel). You take this number-one foal and breed it to another sorrel (again, remember you only have sorrel genes coming from that sorrel). So the number-two foal has the chance of being the dominant color, the gray-dun, or the sorrel. It's a dice game, and dice don't always roll the way you want. By chance, you get the sorrel you wanted. Again, you take this sorrel to a sorrel and get sorrel, and so on, ad infinim. If you never bred any of the gray-duns into the herd again, you would only ever get sorrel forever (okay, you could have a mutated gene, but that's another research project).

Is there such a thing as a jack or jennet that is a consistent color producer?
This is really an interesting subject. You have a spotted jack that manages to throw 75% spotted foals instead of the projected 50/50. That's a color producer. Why? Are the odds just good? Or is his spotted gene just "faster and stronger? And gets used more often? We don't know. However, if you are dealing with a straight recessive gene (like dark brown) there is really is no such thing. If you are getting a dark jack throwing dark foals, it's because the jennies also had the dark gene. Sorrel jacks can't give anything else, it's up to the genetic background of the jenny (is she gray dun with a recessive sorrel, recessive brown, or straight gray-dun across the board). She (the jenny) has the key when you are dealing with a recessive color from the jack.

Please explain how to get spotted donkeys.

The Spotted gene so far has proven to be a Partial or Incomplete Dominant, more properly termed heterozygous (meaning different, homo meaning the same). This means is takes only one dose of Spot to get the spots. We have not yet found any animal that is for certain Homozygous (two doses) for spotting. Although donkey color doesn't act the same as horse color, we need to look at one horse example to clarity. In the Paint horse industry, owners with tobiano horses have found that their horses can be homozygous for tobiano. Tobiano is dominant. If their stallion is homozygous for tobiano, ALL of his foals will be tobiano marked, no matter what the color of the dam is. (And yes, even if the mare was solid or appaloosa. There are such things as pintoloosas). The paint horse breeders are now marking in their stud advertisements if their horses are Tt or T'T marked. This way, if a breeder wants to make sure his sorrel QH mare has a paint foal, he goes to a T,T stallion. Now look at it this way. That foal will be tobiano, but since the mother had no matching tobiano gene, the foal will be heterozygous (tT). All of it's foals will have one chance to be spotted, and one not. That's the way it works in our spotted donkeys. Even using a spotted jack on spotted jennies sometimes results in the foal getting the short end of the "t" from both parents and coming out solid. You can't choose which gene they'll get, unfortunately, although we all wish we could. Take your best-spotted jacks and put them to good solid jennies and you get a 50/50 chance of a spotted foal.

What crosses produces black, brown, and sorrels?

We really have to go into visual charts here. We are dealing with two types that are straight recessives and one that is a partial dominant. Black and sorrel are true, paired recessives. The genes for either one will hide under gray-dun or brown. Of the recessives, brown is "stronger" than sorrel, and you can have a brown animal that has one sorrel gene and one brown. Therefore, sorrel, black or brown can "pop up" out of gray-duns, but if you breed sorrel to sorrel, you should only get sorrel. Brown can hide the sorrel, so brown to brown matings should give brown or sorrel.

Is there a deep red sorrel?

There is a deep red in donkeys, but it is not the rich, blood4oned red in a horse. Donkey red is different, and always seems to hedge toward the brown or mousey tones. The sorrel colors of Mammoth donkeys seem redder than those in the miniatures. Breeding paired-recessive sorrels (and not browns with one recessive sorrel) might be the answer to producing a more clear, rich red tone.

What colors were the originals imports, and are "pure" colors, not bred-in colors?

The original Sicilian, Sardinian, and Ethiopian Miniature sized donkeys that were imported to be the original gene pool were visually gray-dun and brown. They had both the familiar light points and the dark muzzles. We now know that Luigi 95, a prominent jack in many pedigrees, was the source of red (sorrel, russet, red dun, etc). in most of our pedigreed donkey population. There were obviously other donkeys with the recessive red as well. Brown is a recessive, and it's easy to see that the recessive for black came in the original imports. If you are asking if spotted is an "original" color or bred into the current population, there are two answers, Neither can really be proven so far. No spotted animals are recorded in the original registry records, BUT white blazes are often overlooked in donkeys! (13lue-eyed white is also a recessive, and can lie hidden, as can any recessive, for many generations. There is no reason to believe it was not carried in by one of the original donkeys. They were closely inbred for several generations, and inbreeding is one way to see the recessives start cropping up.) Also, there is some scientific proof that if you close-breed animals for enough generations, a mutation will crop up. Spotted hedgehogs, and spotted pot-bellied pigs are just two examples of inbreeding causing the partial-white mutation. The Przewaslki horse, the last true "wild" horse now has such a small gene pool they are being very closely inbred. There are reports of animals with white stars, white faces, and even white body spots beginning to show up. So are spots bred in from standard donkeys, or did we really have some minis with a crop-out spot pattern? We don't know.

What is the foal coat color of gray-dun, black, spots and sorrels, and can foal coat determine color?

Dr. Sponenberg states that foal coat colors are the worst indicator of color. Foal coats can fool you. Have you ever heard of leopard appaloosa horses that are born dark, then turn into leopard spotted? Guess what!!! That's foal coat and that "protective coloration syndrome" we discussed earlier. Foal coats and winter coats are fine as descriptions for what the animal looks like at that stage. The freshly shed adult summer coat should be used as the true coat color. Freshly shed, because the sun can bleach colors. Even with the summer coat, we have some donkey colors that just won't be defined one way or the other. We have smoky blacks (because you CAN see a cross) and brown/gray-duns, because they show both mixed together. We can do breeding trials to see what colors they throw when they are adult.
To answer the question - gray-dun foals may have dark charcoal coats, gray-dun coats, brown coats, brown/tan, rose, or pink hair. Black foals usually have dark hair, black, although black Mammoth foals usually have red winter coats their first year. Spotted foals will keep the spotted pattern the same as the when they were born - the spotting doesn't change, but the base color (the dark hair) will act the same as if the spotting wasn't there - the gray-and white spotted foal could the foal coat in the spotted areas any of the color we just mentioned (such as dark gray-dun, brown, rose, etc). If the animal is a frosted spotted white, the colors may be dark and will lighten up. The frosted spotted white foals you can sometimes tell when they are born because even though they have spots, they already have lost the color around the eyepatches, with only dark "mascara" showing. Other frosted foals are born with the dark patches already gone. (We are researching to see if there is some other factor that makes them fade faster - we'll publish when we know).

If foal coats can't really be trusted for color, why do you change foal colors on registrations?

First, the photos and the description given by the breeder have to match. We're not implying that people don't recognize the colors - too many of the donkey colors hedge into a funny zone of not-really-one but-not-really-the other (see the overlap chart). But if photos are of a gray-dun animal, and the breeder says it's brown, we need to see why. Also, we can look at some of the parent crosses and see if those come close to what the foal color should be. Two browns should NOT produce a gray-dun animal. If we get this on a registration, we have to check a number of things - Is the foal really gray-dun in the picture, or can we even tell? Are both parents really brown? One might be that funny on the edge brown-gray-dun - and we can check to see what that parent's pedigree shows as well. If everything is right but the photos, then we contact the breeder and go from there. The photos are our backups to make sure we have the classifications right. And most important of all, those photos are an ID record. You wouldn't want to buy a foal as brown when it is a genetic gray-dun if you were breeding for brown.

Why are black and white spots so rare?

We're dealing with a two-strikes against situation. Black is recessive. This means both parents have to carry black or be black. Then you have to get the spots, which, as discussed earlier, you are getting 50/50 chances. If blacks spotted animals are only bred to gray-dun, then you have taken away the necessary factor to match up the black. If you want to try for black-and white spotted (or dark brown) you have to take your black and white spotted (say a jack) and breed him to a select group of jennies. This is your grouping: Group 1 - black jennies (in which you have a 50/50 chance of getting black solid or black spotted)- all foals should be dark. Group 2 you should use spotted jennets - they need to be black and white spotted. You have a 50/50 chance for each of the parents to give a spotted gene) and all of your foals should be dark Group 3 - the jennies should be gray-dun with one black parent. They should be carrying a recessive for dark (we'd rather say dark than black, or black/brown, or smoky, because of all the other factors on top that might cause black to come out looking brown, etc). If you take these black-carrier jennets and breed to your black spotted jack, you have the chance of gray-dun (since it's dominant) in either solid or spotted, and black if the recessives pair up (in both solid and spotted, that 50/50 chance). The same thing applies to your gray-dun spotted jennets - if they have a black parent, you've got those chances for gray-dun or black, spotted or solid. You just have to hope that the genes pair up right and you manage to get the dark spots.

Is black with black points more dominant than black/light points?

This is a two-part question. The point color (the muzzle, eye rings, and belly) color is totally separate from the body color.

Black body color is recessive whether the points are light are dark. Are dark points recessive or dominant? They are recessive to the white points. The white points are dominant, which is why you see them more often. The donkeys with the dark points (termed no light point) have two recessive genes for the dark points. The donkeys with light points can carry one recessive gene for No light points. You get the two recessives together and the surprise black-muzzle foal pops out.

Are there any health problems inherent in 'various colors?

We need to break this question down into parts. They question most important is that of the lethal white gene. This is a complicated subject, so bear with us. In Paint horses with Overo patterns (if you are unfamiliar with horse patterns and would like to know more, please contact the ADMS office and ask for article #111, Seeing Spots) there is a gene defect, now discovered to be a recessive, that causes foal death. The foals are born white or nearly white, with blue eyes (with spotted parents) and are either stillborn, or die shortly after birth because a vital part of the colon is incomplete. Researchers have now located the gene in the overo horses. The question has been asked if we have this gene in donkeys. We will say this simply, but the statement is very important. We do not know if we have the lethal white gene because no one has reported any such incidents in donkeys. The only way we will ever know if this fault exists if for people who lose foals at birth to keep records of the foals' color, to have a post-mortem done on the foal, and to record the parent color. A dead foal from two spotted parents - but you have no idea what it died from and therefore no way to help any research team find out if the flaw exists. We know it's embarrassing to have foals die - from whatever cause - but until we - or any researcher - are given some kinds of figures on foal deaths, then no one will ever be able to determine if these deaths are accidental, or due to some genetic factor. We'd love to be able to know if this is a possibility or if we can say it doesn't seem to exist in donkeys, but until we have numbers from breeders, no one will ever know. We have enclosed a form for breeders to keep on file in the event that something like this should ever happen. Please remember it is for the donkeys, and encourage everyone you know to keep records and report incidents.

Although deafness is also a factor linked to blue eyes or spotted genes in other breeds (paint horses, blue-eyed white cats, Dalmatian dogs), again, no one has reported any such occurrences in donkeys. More information from breeders is needed before these statements can be answered.

Other health problems?

There are genetic health problems, but more are conformation-related than color related. Since we can't say anything about lethal White, the only other real color4elated problem is sunburn on pink skin. Blue eyed whites and spotted donkeys with lots of white may get badly sunburned on the pink areas, especially the nose. Sunscreen! Are light hooves (like those on some spotted animals) softer than dark? That's an old debate, and since most miniature donkeys do not wear shoes and work on hard surfaces, probably not as much of an issue as they would be in a work horse or mule. Does white line disease affect one color of hoof more than others do - this is probably related more to outside conditions than to the color of the hoof.

Do ALL donkeys have a Cross?

Not visually. Some donkeys appear not have a cross, in others, the shade of the cross is so close to the shade of the body (as in some sorrel Mammoths or in some very dark almost black animals) that it is hard to tell. There is one, complicated breeding trial, involving horse mares, that MIGHT prove yes or no to this question. For now, we have to say, you can't see a cross on all of them, and we list this on the papers as No visible Cross and Stripe.

Is the demand for certain colors cyclical and/or regional?

Regional, we don't show any evidence of Cyclical, definitely. Brown was first, then spots, then black, and now sorrel.  We know that some breeders would eventually like to come up with a true sorrel spotted donkey, but so far, that elusive bright red-and-white hasn't shown up.

Overlapping areas (all of these can be visually confused with one another) - brown/black, brown/bay, bay/russet, russet/ rose, russet/sorrel, sorrel/brown, rose/"champagne" dil, sorrel/red dun, rose/slate, slate/grulla, grulla/silver, smoky/grulla, smoky/black, charcoal slate/smoky.

There is no apparent cream dilution in donkeys. There is an apparent recessive Blue-eyed white (white phase or psuedo-albino).

For many years, the Lethal White gene has plagued Paint horse breeders. White or nearly white blue-eyed foals from Paint horse breedings were dying at a day or two old, from incomplete intestinal structure implications linked to the color gene. Recently that gene has been isolated, and it has been determined that the faulty gene is a recessive, requiring one dose from each parent.

It has been asked in the past, and now recently brought up again, if anything like the lethal white gene .exists in donkeys. In order to conduct any research into this matter, figures of any foal deaths need to be recorded. No one has so far informed the registry of documented cases of foal deaths. In addition, autopsies should be performed on the foal to determine the actual cause of death. Having a foal that died of unknown causes will not let anyone find out if this fault exists. The horse foals all die of the same thing - we need to know if the donkey deaths have something in common. If the deaths are all random, from different causes each time, it will probably mean that the same lethal white in horses is not present in donkeys. If there were any kind of similar) problem, all of the foals would have to have similar backgrounds (spotted parents, etc) and have died from the same cause (like the incomplete colon in the horse foals).

If you are breeding spotted and or frosted spotted donkeys and have had any of the foals born dead, or die within 3-4 days of birth, please inform the registry. This is most important especially if this occurs more than one time with any one single jack or jennet - the sire is bred to related females and several foals have been lost. This would indicate there might be a faulty gene. Until we have some kind of records to work from, this is an issue that will remain unresolved.

We cannot complete much of this research without your information. This is one of the reasons we ask so often that you make sure your records - registration of new foals, transfer records and mature updates - are kept in order. All this information may not be of great importance to the next person, but in the long run will help the entire breeder, owners, and most importantly, the animals.

If you need the handout defining the different color terms, please call, write, fax or e-mail the ADMS office.

We are asking anyone that breeds spotted or frosted spotted white donkeys to keep this form on hand. We are sending this flyer to everyone who registers a spotted or frosted/spotted donkey. You or your animals have not been singled out - we are hoping everyone will simply keep this form in mind should this ever occur. We hope no one has lost a donkey foal, and we are not suggesting that you or anyone else we know has lost foals. However, as stated above, if you should have something like this happen, it is vitally important to the breed to know if this is a possibility. We all want to have the perfect jack and perfect foals, and learning about issues before they become problems can only be done with your help. We will not use the names of any donkeys who might have a lethal gene - which will be up to you, later, as breeder to disclose.

Thank you in advance for helping with this issue.