Horse Colors - Page 3

Paint

A "Paint" horse is not a color of horse. Instead, it is a horse registered with the American Paint Horse Association (APHA). Horses registered with the APHA, however, do have color (as well as bloodline and conformation) requirements, and Paint horses are characterized by their colorful, spotted coat patterns. The spots and large, and are a combination of white and any other color or colors.

While the term "Paint" horse technically means a horse registered with the APHA, the term is used more casually than that by many horse people to simply refer to a spotted horse with a stock-horse type build.

Palomino

Palominos have a body color that varies from a light tan or yellow to darker and/or more golden shades. They have manes and tails that are flaxen (lighter) or white, sometimes with a little black mixed in. Because the palomino body color can vary dramatically, some horse people refer to the different shades as "yellow," "chocolate palomino," or "golden palomino" to denote the differences. However, they are all palominos.

Perhaps the most famous palomino horse in the world was a horse named Trigger. He belonged to the cowboy singer/actor Roy Rogers, and together they became one of the most beloved and famous duos in entertainment history. You can read Trigger's biography here (<<< this link will open in a new window).

Piebald

A piebald colored horse is colored with black-and-white spots. The spots are large and irregular in shape. The mane and tail can be black, white, or a mixture of black and white.

The term piebald is more common in European countries than in the United States. In the United States the terms "pinto" and/or "Paint" are more commonly used to describe a horse with large spots.

First published in 1935, author Enid Bagnold wrote a book about a piebald horse and the young girl that loved him. Titled "National Velvet," the book tells a charming and thrilling story of the girl, Velvet Brown, and her dreams of winning the Grand National Steeplechase aboard a rogue piebald horse she wins in a raffle. Clearly and repeatedly described throughout the book as a piebald, when the book was made into a movie in 1944 starring Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney the horse was portrayed by a bright chestnut-colored horse, not a piebald.

Pinto

A pinto horse has a spotted coat made up of white and any other color or colors. The spots are large and irregular in shape.

There is a breed registry for pinto-colored horses, the Pinto Horse Association. The Pinto Horse Association is a color registry only, meaning that while a registered Pinto does have to meet certain color requirements, it does not have to meet any bloodline or conformation requirements. A Pinto horse can be any breed or combination of breeds, and have any type of conformation.

Red Dun

Red duns have bodies, manes, tails, and dorsal stripes of varying shades of red or reddish yellow.