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Paint Pattern
Photo Gallery
Features photo
examples of Frame and Sabino horses
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Paint or Pinto
Words used to describe horses exhibiting patches of white
other
than the appaloosa spotting pattern. Following are
explanations of the Sabino and Frame Overo patterns.
For
sources of more in-depth explanations as well as the genetics
behind painted patterns, check out my
Books of Interest
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Sabino
Sabino (pronounced sah bee no) also known as calico
paint, is becoming commonly used to describe a pattern
of paint color. Although at one time the term pertained
to the chestnut/sorrel base color, it is now widely used
to cover all base coat colors of the sabino pattern.
Horses of the sabino pattern can range from minimally
marked with small amounts of white on legs and lower
jaw, to all white horses. The Medicine Hat pattern in
Spanish Mustangs is an example of the sabino pattern.
Clydesdales are a breed developed thru breeder use of
the sabino gene.
Commonly Sabinos have 4 white legs (high white), white
on the head, jagged or lacy white markings on the body.
White areas on the belly, extreme roaning and white chin
spots also go hand in hand with Sabino. Some sabinos
can be born appearing to be totally white, but later in life
developed small areas of color which seem to increase as
the horse grows older.
The Sabino pattern is valuable in a breeding program
working to produce painted color. Horses carrying only the
Sabino color gene can safely be bred without the worry of
a lethal white foal. Live white foals resulting from
Sabino
matings are common in Spanish Mustangs, and do
not die
after birth.
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Frame Overo
Frame Overo (pronounced
o-vear-o) are horses having
at least one parent carrying the frame overo gene.
Typically frame overos are horses of dark color along
the back from withers to tail, chest usually dark as well
as legs dark (having leg markings no more extensively
white than those expected of solid colored horses) and
a solid colored tail, with irregular white areas spreading
horizontally along the horses sides and neck. The head
often is marked by extensive white. Blue eyes are common
even if surrounded by areas of color. Overo can occur
with any coat color. Frame overo horses can range from
mostly white to minimal white individuals.
Breeding Frame Overo to Frame Overo may result in a
lethal white foal so called because the foal will die soon
after birth due to defects linked to the Frame Overo gene.
Usually the foal is born all white, but may have small areas
of color. Current research shows that all Frame Overo
horses carry the gene for lethal white foals. A test is
available to determine if a horse carries the lethal white
gene.
Frame Overo is most common in North America or in horses
of North American ancestry.
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So
called "crop-out" painted horses
from solid parents in
reality show that the sire and dam are minimally marked
sabino or frame overos. Horses may carry both frame overo
and
sabino genes.
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