Pinto is not a color, but a coat pattern, all horses have two color genes, one from each parent and two coat pattern genes, one from each parent. There are several coat patterns mentioned on this page. For coat color information click here to go to the coat color page.
Lil Lizajane HCA
Sabino Mare with belly spots
Crovka
Minimal expression Sabino Mare
Crovka & Spot-O-Bask SSF
Her 3/4 Arabian tovero pinto son
Sabino
A sabino is a purebred member of a breed that is not generally a pinto breed, such as the purebred Arabians shown here. Sabino can be minimally marked, such as Crovka, the chestnut mare shown who has a white muzzle, white flecks on her belly and flank area and three knee high stockings. They can have acutal pinto markings, such as Lil Lizajane, the bay mare shown, who has white over her front knee and large white belly spots with underlying pink skin or they can be a maximum expression sabino who is nearly all white. The sabino gene seems to be associated with the chestnut coat color gene and many sabinos, though not all, carry a chestnut gene. Horses who carry the sabino gene, when bred to a tobiano can produce wildly marked offspring, such as Crovka's tovero son, shown here.
PF Ready To Rumba
Is a homozygous pinto stallion. Notice his partially bald face and his blue eyes. He does not have all of the wild "paw prints", or secondary body markings though, that many homozygous have.
This Half Arabian
Displays an overo pattern
Homozygous Pinto
The homozygous pinto horse has two tobiano genes, one from each pinto parent, and no solid gene. Since the tobiano gene is dominant, the homozygous pinto horse will only produce pinto offspring, and can never produce a solid offspring. The homozygous horse often has wild markings, with paw prints, a partially bald face or blue eyes, also known as glass eyes.
Remember that a homozygous pinto can only come from two tobiano parents, so if a pinto horse has one solid parent, he or she is a heterozygous pinto, and should produce about 50% pinto offspring. The only way to guarantee that you will get a pinto foal is for one parent to be homozygous pinto.
Tobiano
The tobiano is a white horse with colored markings, even though some tobianos have more dark areas than white areas, and the white will cross the spine of the horse. Tobiano is a dominant pattern, so any horse who has a tobiano gene displays the pinto markings. The only way to get a tobiano foal is to start with at least one tobiano parent. At Summer Set Farms, we breed for the tobiano pattern.
Pryvate Dancer SSF
Displays a tobiano coat pattern
Overo
The overo is a colored horse with white markings, a bald face or apron face and often white legs. The white markings generally do not cross the spine of the horse. There are several different overo patterns, this horse displays the frame overo pattern.
Pinto Pattern Information
You've decided that you want a pinto foal from your solid mare, you have looked at pinto horses of various colors and coat patterns and have decided on your favorite. The first step is knowing how to get the pinto coat pattern that you prefer. Below are some facts about the pinto coat pattern and some guidence for getting the foal that you want.
More Information
If you would like more information on the pinto coat pattern and what type of pattern you would receive from your mare when bred to various stallions, email and I will provide more information to you.
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Ready To Rock N' Roll SSF
Is a homozygous pinto colt sired by PF Ready To Rumba. He has a bald face and lots of paw prints on his left shoulder
