Base Coat: Chestnut

Occurs as: ee aa | ee Aa | ee AA | ee Ata | ee AtAt | ee A+a | ee A+A+
Chestnut horses are reddish-brown in color, caused by the absence of the Extension (E) or “black” gene. In Nordanner, they may have any range of Agouti (A) gene, or be lacking it entirely. (aa form). Which form of agouti the horse carries has no impact on the shade of chestnut that a horse may be in Nordanner, meaning that the shade of chestnut is designer's choice!
Please note that this page is for Chestnut horses which have no dilutes or modifiers, please see the Color Chart and Design Guides main page to see other base coats. 

Horses with this gene CAN:
  • Be a reddish-brown hue that may range from a light nutty brown, to a deep red sorrel coat, to dark liver chestnuts. 
  • Optionally have grey skin on the muzzle, around the eyes, and at the flank/groin. 
  • Have slight shading and countershading, but not enough that it appears that the horse has pangare or sooty. 
  • Have white markings that are not caused by any form of genetic white. Please see the Natural White page to learn more about what is acceptable for non-genetic white. 

Horses with this gene CANNOT:
  • Have coats which are black, gray, bright red (resembling merlot or glimmer), or bright yellow.
  • Have any eye color other than brown, unless other genes are present which change eye color. 
  • Have a mane and tail color that is different than the body color, unless a gene which alters the mane and tail is present. 
  • Have points which are darker than the body of the horse. They may be slightly lighter, but must not be light enough to resemble pangare. 

See the color bar below for a range of acceptable shades.
The examples below show only a few of the accepted shades, for you to get an idea of the range of shades possible with chestnut. Overall, the color bar above should be your guide for the acceptable range of coloration. 
Please note: Nordanner genes may simplify certain genes from real life. Genes may not present in Nordanner the way they do in real life or in other ARPG breeds, and are as close to being realistic as possible while still maintaining standards within the breed. ​
How does chestnut pass to offspring?
As chestnut is determined by the lack of extension, and the agouti status can be so many different options, it is best to look at the parent's genotypes to determine foal outcome. In order to guarantee a chestnut foal, both parents should have ee in their genotype.
If at least one parent has Ee in their genotype, there is a chance that one allele of extension will be passed to the foal. The resulting foal has a chance that it will not be chestnut.
If at least one parent has EE in their genotype, all foals will have one allele of extension. The resulting foal will not be chestnut. 
Agouti status does not matter with chestnut, it can be any variation listed at the top of this webpage!