The silver or silver dapple (Z) gene is a dilution gene that affects the black base coat color and is associated with Multiple Congenital Ocular Abnormalities. It will typically dilute a black mane and tail to a silvery gray or flaxen color, and a black body to a chocolaty brown, sometimes with dapples. It is responsible for a group of coat colors in horses called "silver dapple" in the west, or "taffy" in Australia. The most common colors in this category are black silver and bay silver, referring to the respective underlying coat color.
Black silver horse exhibiting strongly diluted long hair with darker roots and flat gray, dappled body color
The front two Rocky Mountain Horses have the silver dapple dilution.
Bay silvers retain their reddish body color with black points diluted to silver.
Eye disorders in horses with the silver dapple gene
A dilution gene is any one of a number of genes that act to create a lighter coat color in living creatures. There are many examples of such genes:
Two rats: left: agouti, right: coat lightened to blue by a dilution gene
Great Danes lightened from black to blue by the dilute gene.
Doberman: black with tan in the back, blue with tan in the front. The light brown areas were hardly lightened at all
Blue-light brown brindle dog
