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Dun on Black: Grulla

Shaila, a 3 YO (in these pics) AQHA/NFQHA Grulla mare - Tested Ee aa, neg cream, neg LWO, and is Dd, with year-round brindle pattern (see pics below). Photo contributed by Tara, www.risingmoonranch.com

Grulla is the name for one or two dun genes on solid (non-bay) black.

It's a Spanish word, the name of a crane that's a mousy gray color like these horses often are. It's pronounced "groo-ya", correctly, though not always.

Because they are a dilution of true black, grullas will often be a "cooler" color (not warm/red/orange) than other duns. Their points will usually remain true black, as do their dun markings.

Many say that a mostly-black head is a good indication of grulla. Others go by a muted or dark body shade. For this page, however, I'm only showing genetically-proven examples. A horse is a "proven grulla" if it tests to have at least one E (black based), aa (no agouti/bay) and no cream gene ... plus it must have a dorsal stripe and leg markings on at least two legs.

I hope, by this method, to establish what a "real" grulla usually looks like, and what a "real" grulla can look like.

Study of "True Grulla" #1, "Shaila":

	See Shaila's main photo at the top of this section. Click this small version to see a collage of Shaila's dorsal stripe, leg markings, ears, etc.
These three photos show some of the variation in color that she has at various seasons and different lighting. This is a common characteristic of grulla: it looks so different in different lights, angles, seasons, and is at its best still difficult to describe.
	This photo of her body is included to show that horses - including duns - without a cream gene can have dapples. (She tested negative for cream.)
	Tara sent us these pics as a "bonus" ... a very good example of brindling, also on Shaila. It is not yet known whether brindling is related to dun.

Grullas can be any body color from slate blue to brown to silvery to nearly black. We don't know if this is due to variations in the dun genes, the base color (black), or both!

"True Grulla" #2, "Blue"

Tested (aa Ee) true grulla Morgan mare

Successful Outta The Blue

Owned and contributed by Nancy Nard of

Ragtime Morgans

here

True Grulla #3

This horse of Mary Hass' is a less expected color, yet did test true: E_aa, no cream! http://www.haashorsefarm.com

Im Half Show leftrun6-26-05.JPG (23249 bytes)

Here is my Kiger Stallion, Silver Bullet, shown here about 3 years ago, age 4. I refer to him as a silver grulla because it best describes the color he is...until the sun bleaches him in the summer. Until that time he is a gorgeous metallic silver. He has been color tested and has no cream gene. I even asked them to run the test twice to be sure.

Diane Pinney
Spanish Sage Ranch

Grulla

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