Markings and Dilutions Equine

Color over the back, dark legs, tail is solid color. Color pattern tends to be irregular/blotchy

Overo

Color with crisp lines. The color is usually on the belly or flank area and the legs are usually white. The tail is often a mix of two colors.

Tobiano

A mix of tobiano and overo characteristics due to horse having genetics for both patterns

Tovero

Spotting pattern often has white high on the legs, extensive white markings of the face and belly splashes.

Sabino

Double Dilution of Black

Smoky Cream

Single Dilution of Black

Smoky Black

Double Dilution of Bay

Perlino

Single Dilution of Bay

Buckskin

Double Dilution of Chestnut

Cremello

Single Dilution of Chestnut

Palamino

Two main colors of horse hair

Black and red

Variations of Bay

Light bay, dark bay (may resemble black), and dapples

Variations of Chestnut

Red or golden brown to dark liver brown; color of mane may be lighter or darker but not black

has black skin and usually born with solid color that eventually becomes white with age

Gray

Two ways a horse can be white (with pink skin)

Sabino gene or dominant white gene (rare)

yellow, golden, or tan body with dark points

Buckskin

Pale cream or light tan body color with slightly darker mane and tail (reddish tinge) and blue eyes

Perlino

Smoky black

very similar to perlino often only distinguished by genetic testing

Smoky cream

golden or tan coat with blond mane/tail

Palomino

pale cream body with mane/tail same color with blue eyes (often mistaken for white)

Cremello

White hairs mixed with horses base color; typically heads are solid color; do not change color throughout their lives

Roan

chestnut body color

Red (strawberry) roan

Black/brown body color

Blue Roan

body color is gold or yellow with mane/tail based on base color and typically have dorsal stripe and primitive markings on their legs and transverse stripe at their withers

Dun

Dun where horse is black and the coat color appears mouse-colored

Grullo (blue dun)

Horse is chestnut (tan body) with red mane, tail, and markings

Red Dun

Mix of colors caused by the leopard gene

Appaloosa

Horse that has both large white areas and another color

Pinto

Brown and white pinto horse

Skewbald

Black and white pinto horse

Piebald

wide white stripe down the center of the horses face, wider than 1 inch

Blaze

a narrow white line down the center of the horses face

Stripe or strip

a white marking between the horses eyes

Star

a white marking between the horses nostrils

Snip

when the white covers the entire face, including the eyes

White face

Coronet

Pastern

Fetlock

white that extends to the cannon area above the fetlock but below the hock or knee

Sock

white that extends to the knee or hock

Stocking