MARKINGS OF

HORSES and
TYPES OF
COMB
I. BAY

– Also known as kastaňo

– Light reddish or tan shades to dark brown and mahogany/auburn shades.
– Always have black points (legs, muzzle, mane and tail, and the tips of their
ears are black)
– Many bay horses have black legs that are covered by white markings.
I. BAY

DARK BAY BROWN

– Dark brown coat, reddish or black - Some breed registries use the term
highlight black points “brown” for dark bays
II. Chestnut

– Also known as alazan and sorrel

– Reddish brown; points (mane, tail, legs and ears) are the same color as the
horse’s body (with the exemption of their white markings)
– Ranges from light yellowish brown to a golden-reddish or dark liver color.
– All chestnuts have red shades in their coats.
– Has 3 types: Red Chestnut, Liver Chestnut and Flaxen Chestnut
II. CHESTNUT

RED CHESTNUT LIVER CHESTNUT

– Bright reddish and/or orange – Darkest of the chestnut colors
shades – Do not have black points
– Very appealing since it is usually
bright and shiny, and very
saturated
– Have red highlights that really
stand out
II. CHESTNUT

FLAXEN

– Chestnut in color but with light flaxen (cream/off-white) colored-mane and tail
– Legs and tips of ears are the same color as the body
– Often get confused with palominos and light chestnut
III. GRAY

– Also known as mono

– Often mistaken as white but their skin is dark, making them gray
– Born dark, sometimes black or brown
– Hair coat becomes lighter as they grow older
III. GRAY

DAPPLE GRAY FLEA-BITTEN GRAY

– Small, white “eraser” mark – Light gray body, but with little
– Have dapples throughout their freckles of black or brown
entire body, often with darker
colored points.
IV. ROAN

– Horses that have solid colored coats, but with white hair interspersed.
– White hairs are not actually spots, but with single hairs mixed with the darker
hair coat
– Two types: Strawberry Roan and Blue Roan
IV. ROAN

STRAWBERRY ROAN BLUE ROAN

– Also known as red roan – Black horse with roan gene
– A chestnut horse with roan gene – With interspersed white hair all
– Interspersed white hairs on horse’s over the body
body
V. BLACK

– Pure black coats with no brown or any other color

VI. PALOMINO

– The golden horse

– Gold-colored coat with white or cream mane and tail
– Coat color ranges from light-off white to deep shade of gold
VII. DUN

– Grayish-gold or tan, characterized by a body coloring ranging from sandy yellow

to reddish brown
– Always have a dark stripe down along their spine, a mane and tail darker than
its body coat and usually darker faces and legs
VIII. BUCKSKIN

– Tan or gold colored coat with black points in their mane, tail and lower legs
– Primitive markings include:
1. Dorsal stripes (dark stripes along the spine)
2. Zebra stripes on the back of forelegs
3. Shoulder blade stripes
4. Cobwebbing
IX. PINTO

SKEWBALD PIEBALD
– Coat have irregular patches of – Body coat consist of large patches
white or any color except for black of black and white
– Color demarcation is well-defined
MARKINGS OF HORSES
FACE
1. STAR

– Any white mark on the forehead

– Size, shape, intensity and position should be specified
2. STRIPES/STRIP

– Used to describe the narrow white markings down the face not wider than the
flat anterior surface of the nasal bone.
– In the majority if the cases, the star and stripe are continuous and should be
describe as star and stripe conjoined
3. BLAZE

– A white marking covering almost the whole of the forehead between the eyes
and extending beyond the width of the nasal bones and usually to the muzzle
4. BALDFACE/WHITE FACE

– A very wide blaze, extending to or past the eyes, some though not all bald-faced
horses have blue eyes.
– APRON FACE-especially wide bald face
5. SNIP

– An isolated independent white marking situated between or in the region of the

nostrils.
LEG MARKINGS
1. CORONET

– White markings just above the hoof, around the coronary band, usually no
more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the hoof
2. PASTERN

– White marking that extends above the top of the hoof, but stops below the
fetlock
3. FETLOCK

– Also known as sock, half-stocking or anklet

– White markings that extends higher than the fetlock but not as high as the knee
or hock, occasionally called a boot
4. STOCKING

– White markings that extends to the bottom of the knee or hock, sometimes
higher
5. ERMINE SPOTS

– Black spots on the area of the pastern

 TYPES of COMB

1. BUTTERCUP
- Has no blade and is divided sagitally, C-shaped with points arranged around the
cup
2. CUSHION
- A low, small, oval, smooth body with no points
3. PEA
- Has 3 blades with a row of points arising from each
 TYPES of COMB

4. ROSE
- A low elongated comb from which many small points arise; there is a backward
projecting spike in lieu of a blade
5. SINGLE
- Has all components without variations
- The standard comb
6. STRAWBERRY
- A small, oval, flattened comb with wrinkled surface
 TYPES of COMB

7. V
- Two large conical points diverge from a sizeable body