There has been much confusion about spots lately. Is your model horse an overo or tobiano pinto? What do the terms Piebald and Skewbald mean? And what is the difference between a paint and a pinto. I used to believe that the paint was a horse which was "painted" and had three colors - black, brown and white hairs. But then I came across a term called "bay pinto" - now doesn't that mean the same thing?? Also I find that some judges who consider a horse to have "too much white" to be a paint rather than a pinto! And we just had a little article about the colors of horses recently in the newsletter, and that barely scratched our pinto dilemma (or is it a paint dilemma... whatever).
The pinto is the most misunderstood equine color, and is believed by most to be a white patched with color. Most of us realize that there are distinct difference in patterns within the general definition of pinto, but few of us really understand where those differences lie. Most breeds carry pinto color genes, regardless of which breed they are. Shetlands and Clydesdales alike can have this pinto gene, and each coat will have similarities in basic appearance. There are four basic pinto coat patterns - Tobiano, Overo, Sabino and Splash White. The American Pinto Association uses only two of these terms. Though not really a pattern, "tovero" is a combination of Overo and Tobiano.
These are British terms applied to the colors. A black and white pinto is a Piebald, and white with any other color (as in bay, chestnut, etc.) is a Skewbald. These terms really have no meaning or place in American equine colors, and most British pintos are tobianos anyway. That brings us to the Tobiano, just what is Tobiano?
This horse will have a solid color head with the usual face markings, as a blaze or star, etc. Below the knee, all four legs will be white. As a general rule of thumb, the white will appear to "flow" from the horses topline down. A white-hipped horse will have a tail that is two-toned. This horse may not have identical or similar marking on both sides. To the extreme of this pattern, a white horse who has a colored head (or most of it's face's midline), a two-toned tail and small chest and/or flank patches. The edges of the color are generally smooth, but may have a roaned edge ("blue border"). A tail that is two-toned will aid in identifying whether the horse is chestnut or bay - a bay has black in its tail.
This horse will have an extensively marked white face - either bald or with an apron. A bald face is all white from the brow to the throat area and downward toward the nose. An apron is similar, but the eye area is not white, the white extending around the area of the eye and to the throat area. The white will appear on the horse's belly or midline, and spread up and out. There are secondary patches on the horse's neck. While the white can cross the mane and tail, it may not cross the topline or horse's back. At least one leg will be colored, and normal stocking may appear, but the mid area is colored. To the extreme, dark ears and a topline will be found and the horse will have color around the chest and flanks. Here you may find blue eyes as they are common with this pattern. A frame overo has hard and crisp edges to the color, while a rosette overo has jagged and lacy edges with roaning.
The "medicine hat" pattern is a sub-category of the overo pattern. It usually is an extreme-white overo. Tobianos, toveros and sabinos may also have the correct markings. The horse must have a "bonnet" and "chest shield," which is customary of the legendary and elusive Medicine Hat Pinto. The Native Americans once believed that these pintos had special magical powers. (See also Medicine Hat color.)
Often called Sabino Roan since it can have true roaning in the horse's coat. Clydesdales can be seen with this color. Sabino, like other pinto colors, can overlay any base color. Normally the face will have a wide blaze, and occasionally an apron or bald face may occur if the color is extensive or extends down onto the throat. The horse will have three or four stockings, which are higher than the midline. The white flecks, or roaned-edged patch of white, starts in the flank of the belly. To the extreme, "high white" occurs up past the midline of the horse, is flecked and roaned, and with the wide blaze on the face. Extreme sabinos are an acceptable color pattern in the American Quarter Horse Association, which considers a paint or "cropout" to have four white stocking, wide white on the face and small spots on the belly. An Arabian horse, especially one of Crabbet breeding, will display a similar pattern, and the American Paint Horse Association groups the sabino in the category with overo! That only confuses the two, but they are not the same - the white stockings are the quickest way to tell and overo and a sabino apart.
The rarest form of pinto, the horse literally appearing as if it has been dipped in white paint. There is extensive white on the head, as an apron or bald face, and the white seems to have a hard-edged line from the hoof up, and is usually in a single solid patch. Very similar to the sabino progression, stallions who carry this gene can sire overo, sabino or splash foals. It is in the extensive pattern of splash where there is a noticeable difference. Since the American Paint Horse Association lumps any non-tobiano color with the overo, genes from these three patterns may have become combined in recent years.
This is the combination of tobiano and overo patterns. On this horse you will find unusual markings, including white ears.
A pinto pattern that is unique to donkeys, just as the other patterns are unique to the horse. You can find a spotted donkey in any size from the Miniature to the Mammoth. These spotting patterns can overlay any base color. Mealy points, as the light belly, eye rings and nose, and crosses (which are the dorsal and shoulder stripes) will mostly be deepened. When compared to horse patterns, donkey spot resembles overo to an extent. There is also some resemblance to the spotting on Longhorn cattle! The donkey's color will remain around the eyes, on the ears, down the topline, and on at least one leg. Though a few donkeys may have a bald-looking face, the eye on one side will usually have a color patch around it.
Since there has been no actual research in the donkey spot pattern, we must learn by observing. Some folks believe that donkeys come in Leopard Appaloosa due to the actual spot-shaped patches. When you compare this to the actual Appaloosa, you will find that this isn't so. A small peppering of spots on a donkey is often called "Tyger-spotted."
Here you can through out your rule book on pintos and spotting patterns, as Mother Nature just wreaks havoc and has a ball. You will not usually find mules in true overo, sabino, tobiano, or donkey spot pattern. Enlarging or skewing of these patterns occurs on a mule. So you want color on a mule coat? Breed for an appaloosa pattern - spots will be huge or there will be hundreds! A tobiano pinto mare will rarely throw color to the colt, and a tobiano-spotted mule will generally have only four stocking and a white splash on the tail. A mule with more white will likely not have it in areas typical of the tobiano pattern.
For a spotted pattern on a mule, the donkey spot pattern is easily transmitted to the offspring, but skewing and blurring occurs. A spotted jack which is crossed with a solid color mare often produces loud "pinto" mules. Nearly all pinto-spotted mules have been found to be crosses of spotted jacks to solid color mares. A mule is often found to have both dark leopard-type spots on colored areas of the pinto-type patches. A spotted jack crossed with a Leopard appaloosa mare might produce colorful results, though a loud-colored mule can crop out of nowhere!
I only hope this hasn't added more confusion to the picture. Perhaps a discussion on appaloosa color should be made. There is more to the appaloosa pattern than just the blanket and leopard spots. Maybe next time. This information is based on the book Star, Stripes and Spots, by Leah Posey and Juanita Synder, ALES, and an article published in the Model Horse Gazette. For further information, please refer to this book - it may be more useful than this brief little article.
For more information on Pinto or Paint horses, visit:
Published August 1997 in the North West Breyer Horse Club newsletter.
© 1997-2019 NW Breyer Horse Club
& Refiner of Gold Creations
Equinealities in place since 1997, Section in place 2001, Updated 1/27/2019
