Eye Colours
Acceptable eye colours for SOLID and DA Non-Solid Dilutes Australia Ltd registration
Acceptable eye colours for SOLID dilute registration
Single cream dilutes:
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Black eye  |
Brown eye  |
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Hazel eye A hazel eye is usually just a lighter brown eye with marbling. Foals are often born with a blue grey eye and these horses generally also have marbled or flecked skin.  |
Hazel eye showing marbling and blue lense.  Cloudy blue grey patch in top right is scar tissue. |
Light brown eyes
The outer rim of the pupil is clearly visible in these light brown eyes as a grey blue ring
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Dark grey eye
Amber eyes on dilute blacks
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Champagne dilutes:
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Hazel eye on amber champagne  |
Amber eye on amber champagne  |
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Light amber eye on amber cream composite  |
Blue eye on amber weanling  |
Double cream dilutes - glass eyes:
Only acceptable on double cream dilutes and cream pearl composite dilutes
Difference between glass eye and china eye....
- A glass eye is like glass - it is transparent and you can 'see' through it. It is still pigmented but the pigment has been diluted to clear blue, yellow etc. The pupil is usually the same colour as the iris.
- A china eye is like china - it is opaque and lacks pigment so the iris appears white and opaque like china. Some china eyes do have a ring of blue pigment around the iris but the outer area of the iris is generally white. The pupil is usually brown.
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Pale blue eye  |
Pale blue eye showing darker pigment strands  |
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Medium blue eye - most common  |
Bright blue eye - unusual  |
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Yellow eye on perlino |
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Pearl dilutes:
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Blue eye on cream pearl composite foal showing the way this combination mimics double cream.  |
Eye on same cream pearl composite foal as a yearling showing the way it changes with maturity  |
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Amber eye on homozygous chestnut pearl |
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Foal eyes:
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Grey eyes on very young foal  |
Light blue grey eyes on young silver foal  |
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Grey eye on smokey grulla foal |
Unusual:
These eyes are acceptable because the pink spots on the eyelids do not extend into the pigment of the eye itself.
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Left: scar tissue caused by eye injury. Lighter pigment in sclera also allowable so long as it doesn't extend into the iris. |
Unacceptable eye colours for SOLID dilutes (allowed on DA NSDs)
The following eye types and colours are not accepted on SOLID dilutes for the purposes of Dilutes Australia solid dilute registration but are acceptable on DA Non-Solid Dilutes.
China and wall eyes
 Note the white iris and dark pupil which has the appearance of bleeding into the white iris. |
 This eye has a distinct brown pupil with noticeable 'bleeds' of brown pigment. The pupil is rimmed by blue before becoming white |
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Multi coloured eyes Horse has one blue eye and one brown eye  |
Parti coloured eyes
Blue splashes or patches in an otherwise dark eye.
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