d25 horse colors and markings some of the pictures and text contained in this material have...

D25 Horse Colors and Markings

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Infovets Educational Resources – www.infovets.com – Slide 2

The Five Basic Body Colors

Brown Chestnut Bay Black White


Brown

The animal should have an all brown body. The mane & tail may be darker but not black or with a reddish tint to it.


Chestnuts

A chestnut is a horse with a reddish coat with non-black points (mane, tail, legs, ears).

There are basically three types of chestnuts: Liver Chestnut Chestnut Sorrel

Sorrel and chestnut both generally refer to the same color. Chestnut is the English term, while sorrel originated in the west as the cowboy term.


Chestnuts

Generally, when both chestnut and sorrel are used, chestnut is restricted to darker reds and sorrel to light reds.

Liver chestnut, the darkest of the red shades, is a distinctive murky red/black. Very dark shades can look almost black.

Chestnut is a deep red color. Variations include dark chestnut and red chestnut, sometimes called cherry sorrel.

Sorrels have a clear orange coat, often with lighter colored legs. They are often called light chestnut in those breeds that don't use the word sorrel. It is difficult to distinguish a sorrel from a true light chestnut, which is more yellowish, showing little or no red. The mane and tail are often the same as the body, or can be flaxen.


Chestnuts

Liver Chestnut


Red Chestnut


Sorrel


Bay

Dark Bay

Medium Bay


Black


White

Albino Champaign


White Variations

Cremello Perlino


Major Horse Color Variations

Roan Buckskin Palomino Dun Grey Grullo Appaloosa Paints & Pintos


Red Roan


Blue Roan


Bay Roan


Buckskin


Palomino


Typical Dun Characteristics

Dorsal Stripe: a stripe running down the center of the back varying from reddish to black

Leg Barring: reddish to black stripes on the legs, generally at the knee and above

Spider Webbing: Color "running" off from a face mask. Face Masks: A darker coloration generally up the front of the face

and forehead. Ear tips: Ear tips may be a darker color and cover the tip of the ear

or edging will outline the edge of the ears.


Dun


Dun Markings


Dun

Zebra Dun Leg Bars on Dun


Spider Webbing on a Dun


Grey

Dapple Grey


Grey

Flea Bitten Grey


Grey

Light Grey Steel Grey


Grullo

Body color varies from ash and mouse to slate gray with gray to black points and a black dorsal stripe.


Grullo


Appaloosa


Appaloosa

Appy Leopard


Appaloosa

Appy Blanket Appy Marble


Pintos & Paints

What is the difference between Pintos and Paints? The Paint Horse is limited to horses of documented and registered

Paint, Quarter Horse, or Thoroughbred breeding. The difference in eligibility between the two registries has little to

do with color or pattern; only bloodlines. While most Paints can be double registered as Stock or Hunter

type Pintos, PtHA also allows for the registration of miniature horses, ponies, and horses derived from other breed crosses, such as Arabian, Morgan, Saddlebred, and Tennessee Walking Horse, to name a few.


Tobiano

The dark color usually covers one or both flanks.

Generally, all four legs are white, at least below the hocks and knees.

Generally, the spots are regular and distinct as ovals or round patterns that extend down over the neck and chest, giving the appearance of a shield.

Head markings are like those of a solid-colored horse--solid, or with a blaze, strip, star or snip.

A tobiano may be either predominantly dark or white.

The tail is often two colors.


Overo

The white usually will not cross the back of the horse between its withers and its tail.

Generally, at least one and often all four legs are dark.

Generally, the white is irregular, and is rather scattered or splashy.

Head markings are distinctive, often bald-faced, apron-faced or bonnet-faced.

An overo may be either predominantly dark or white.


Tovero

Toveros have dark pigmentation around the ears, which may expand to cover the forehead and/or eyes.

One or both eyes are blue. There is dark pigmentation around the

mouth, which may extend up the sides of the face and form spots.

There may be chest spot(s) in varying sizes, which may also extend up the neck.

Toveros have flank spot(s) ranging in size. These are often accompanied by smaller spots that extend forward across the barrel, and up over the loin.

There are spots, varying in size, at the base of the tail.


Horse Facial Markings

Bald Face



Blaze Face



Face Muzzle



Snip



Star



Stripe


Horse Leg Patterns

d25 horse colors and markings some of the pictures and text contained in this material have...

Documents

sorrel slide

black slide

palomino slide

buckskin slide

red chestnut slide

infovets educational

red roan slide

bay roan slide