Horses have a very ancient lineage spanning millions of years and many different terrains. It’s not that surprising, then, to know that horses come in a variety of colors and patterns, with a host of different markings. By becoming familiar with the names of the horses’ colors, patterns, and markings, the two lists below will help you intelligently identify, name, and discuss horses among your peers. For beginning motorcyclists, it will be reassuring to know that when your trainer asks you to saddle up the buff glow you will never have a mocking look on your face, or wonder if you should ‘confess’ that you don’t know what she means.

Trademarks

The terms to describe markings on a horse can be divided into facial and leg areas. People around horses often describe these white markings as ‘chrome’, a rather amusing use of the word to refer to variations that look like attractive additions to a horse’s appearance.

Here are some descriptions of the facial chrome functions:

TO star it is a white spot on the horse’s forehead.

TO stripe It is a narrow white stripe that runs down the center of the horse’s face, from the forehead to the bridge of the nose.

TO cutoutI guess it’s part of a longer strip. It is a white spot on the muzzle, in or just below the area between the horse’s nostrils.

TO radiance The mark is a wide white area that begins at the horse’s forehead and ends along the bridge of the horse’s nose.

bald refers to a horse with a large amount of white on the face that begins above the forehead, runs along the front of the face to the muzzle, and extends past the bridge of the nose to the sides of the face .

The main types of chrome on the legs include:

Tea crown band it is a small white band just above the helmet.

Half a page means a white mark that begins at the edge of the hoof and extends to the middle of the pastern. Think of the pastern, the horse’s equivalent to the top of a human foot, and the white mark on the horse would be equivalent to a human wearing a white sock.

TO sock It is a larger white mark that begins at the edge of the hoof and extends approximately one-third the height of the leg.

TO half, then, it is a white mark that extends from the horse’s hoof to the knee, or hock if the stocking is on the hind legs of the horse.

Half barrel It is a white mark that begins at the edge of the hoof and extends to the middle of the leg. Consider it between the length of a horse sock and a horse sock.

Colors

Gray – A gray can be almost white to dark gray or everything in between. Many gray horses will have specks, which are indistinct, circular spots. In those cases, these horses are called ‘spotted grays’. Most gray horses are born dark and develop their gray color as they age.

Bay: Bay is a deep brown on the body with a black mane, tail, and legs. Bays can be dark tan to reddish brown.

Brown: In the horse world, the color brown describes a very dark brown animal, often with a lighter brown around the muzzle, flank, or inside of the upper part of the legs. The mane and tail of these brown horses are black.

Spotted: Spotted horses feature one of several different coat patterns that often consist of oval, egg-shaped spots. These spots can be distributed throughout the body or limited to the horse’s hindquarters and hips.

Black – For a horse to truly be considered black, it must be jet black with no light areas anywhere on the body, including the mane and tail. A beautiful black horse in a sunny meadow is truly a poetic sight.

Dun: A brown horse has a golden, reddish or tan body color and a black or brown mane and tail. All browns have a dark stripe on the back. Roan-colored horses are believed to exist within the brown family. A subset among the roans are the cranes described as a grayish-brown.

Buff: A buff looks a lot like a tan but without the dark stripe down its back. The color can be anything from light to dark tan, always with black legs on the underside, black mane and tail.

Roan – This term describes a horse that has a dark ground color mixed with white hairs. The head and lower legs of the roan are usually darker than the rest of the body. Roans come in different color patterns, most often red (white hairs mixed with brown or red hairs) and blue (white hairs mixed with black hairs). Many quarter horses fit this description.

Palomino: A golden yellow body with a white mane and tail is characteristic of palomino coloration. This colored horse comes in different patterns, depending on its breed.

Chestnut: Chestnut is a distinctive reddish color that covers the entire body. The mane and tail are usually the same color, although some chestnuts have what is called a blonde or blonde mane and tail. Chestnuts come in different shades, from very light (called Sorrel) to very dark (called liver).

Pinto: A pinto horse is marked with dark colored irregularly shaped spots against white or sometimes irregularly shaped white spots against a darker background color. Dark spots can be any color, including palomino, chestnut, laurel, buff, or black.

None of us were born a veteran on the ranch, rodeo, or show arena. If you find the above information helpful at this stage of learning, print a copy to keep close at hand. It will help you verbally understand what your teammates and coaches are saying.