Paint Horses come in a combination of white and any color of the equine spectrum, which include black, bay, pearl, sorrel, palomino, brown, chestnut, buckskin or gray. The markings are located anywhere on the body of the horse and are of different sizes and shape. Tobiano, Tovero, and Overo are the specific Paint Horse coat patterns, although there are other variations.
Tobiano
Rounded markings characterize Tobiano, together with a white back between the horse’s withers and the tail’s dock. The four legs are usually white, especially below its knees and hocks. The tail and mane comprise of two colors. As for the head, it is often dark, such as that of a normal horse with either solid color or showing a snip, star, strip or blaze marks.
Overo
Overo has irregular markings and bordered spots, and generally, it is darker. The horse’s white color originates from its underneath and rarely crosses the back. The head has a lot of white, which can be apron-faced, bald-faced, or bonnet-faced, while some have blue eyes. All the four legs are colored. There are three Overo patterns, including the Frame, Sabino, and Splashed White.
The Frame has marks on the sides of the horse’s body. The ragged sharp white patches leave a well defined non-white color structure, even on the top line.
Sabino legs and the dock on the horse’s tail are white, with a white face and colored ears. It’s base coat is a mixture of dark and white hairs.
Splashed White means having white legs, face, and bottom portion of the body. The horse’s tail might be white or white striped.
Tovero
This is a combination of Tobiano and Overo. It might be confusing to identify the Tovero pattern horses since they look like both breeds. It can have a dark head with blue eyes, or the horse might be almost white with a bonnet-faced appearance, among other characteristics.
The terms pinto and paint are usually confused. Pinto refers to a specific breed of horses which is characterized by large white patches and any other color. Paint, on the other hand, refers to a particular kind of pinto horses, with Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse bloodlines .
