Southwest Highways March 2013 | Page 31

March 2013 30

The small colored patches can be around the mouth, eyes, and ears, on the chest and on the flank, with some patches extending up the neck. The legs are mostly white but can occasionally have some colored patches as well. Toveros usually have either one or two blue eyes if the dark patches are not around the eyes.

Sabino is a pattern with white just on the lower barrel and usually some white on the face as well. The sabino gene is not very well understood, but horses with the sabino gene do not always have a lot of white, and sometimes only has a little snip of white on the face. In the Gypsy Vanner breed this coloring is also called “Blagdon”.

Rabicano has roaning on the flank and barrel, meaning there are white hairs mixed in with the base coat. Rabicano also has a white “skunk tail” at the base of the tail. Rabicano is usually displayed on a sabino, but sometimes on Arabians, Rabicano is not combined with another gene.

The overo group of patterns has become hopelessly complicated due to the lumping of several genetically distinct patterns under the single name of "overo." The key concept is that the term "overo" covers three genetically distinct patterns:

Bay Sabino Clydesdale

-Cgoodwin

Chestnut Rabicano

-Coreada

the Frame Overo, Sabino Spotting, and Splashed White. The usual appearance of the Frame Overo is white patches centered in the body and neck and framed by colored areas around them. The usual frame pattern has a horizontal arrangement, and does not cross the topline as does tobiano. The head is usually quite extensively marked with white, and the eyes are commonly blue.