Date: february 2003
Q: I'm trying to find out what color genes exist in the breed. I know bay, black, chestut, cream dilutes, and gray genes exist, but what about dun?
I've seen some AT horses called "dun", but I'm wondering if they are just buckskins or bays with smuttiness/countershading, or if the dun gene really does exist in the AT?
Anyone seen dorsal stripes, leg barring, or other dun factors on an AT?

A: The D-gene does not exist within the Akhal-Teke breed. The dilutions are
caused by the Ccr-gene.
I have seen several Akhal-Tekes with dorsal stripes, zebra markings on the
legs, very clear "wings" over the shoulders, these markings are sometimes
called primitive markings and are considered to indicate that a diluted
horse that carries these markings is a D-dun. However, these so called
primitive markings are alse seen in bay and chestnut horses.
The only way check if a horse is a true D-dun is to look at a hair in a
microscope, the dun colored hair has the color of the hair concentrated on
one side of the hair that is not towards the body of the horse.