Parts of the horse and markings of the horse

Top Row: Left to Right

* Blaze, Stripe, *Stripe (or thin blaze) and snip, *Irregular Blaze, * Interrupted Stripe, *Bald Face.

Bottom Row: Left to Right

*Faint Star, *Star, *Star and Stripe, *Irregular Star, *Snip, *Lip Marking

Facial markings are usually described by shape and location. There may be more than one distinct facial marking and if so, will be named separately. Sometimes a horse with a facial marking that extends over an eye may have a blue eye rather than a brown eye, though this is not consistently seen in all cases.

Common Facial Markings.

*Blaze: A wide white stripe down the middle of the face.

*Stripe: A white narrow stripe down the middle of the face.

*Bald Face, A very wide blaze extending to or past the eyes. Some but not all bald faced horses also have blue eyes.

*Star, A white marking between or above the eyes. If a stripe or blaze is present, a star must be significantly than the vertical marking, to be designated separately.

*Snip: A white marking on the muzzle between the nostrils.

Additional terms used to describe facial markings include the following:

*Faint: A small yet permanent marking that usually consists of white hairs without any underlying pink skin.

*Interrupted: A marking, usually a stripe or blaze that is broken and not solid for the entire length of the face.

*Connected: Occasionally used to describe distinctively different markings that happen to be joined together to one another.

*Irregular: A marking, usually a stripe or blaze that does not have a more or less straight path.

*Lip Marking: They have no specialised name but are usually described by location, such as 'lower lip or chin', etc. Lip markings may indicate the presence of the 'Sabino' colour pattern.

Leg markings are usually described by the highest point of the horses leg that is covered in white. As a general rule, the horses hoof beneath a white marking at the coronary line will also be light coloured. If a horse has a partial marking or ermine spots at the coronary band, the hoof may be both dark and light, corresponding with the hair colour immediately above. Where the Appaloosa gene is present (LP, Leopard gene), the hoof may be striped even if markings are not present in the coat or are not visible at the coronary band.

From the tallest to the shortest , the common leg markings are:

*Stocking: White marking that extends at least to the bottom of the knee or hock, sometimes higher.

*Sock: White marking that extends higher than the fetlock but not as high as the knee or hock. This marking is sometimes called a boot.

*Fetlock or Sock: White marking that extends above the top of the hoof but stops below the fetlock.

*Coronet: White just above the hoof around the coronary band. Usually no more than 1" (2.5cm) above the hoof.

Additional terms used to describe white leg markings include:

*Irregular: A marking within the broad confines of a given height, but with significantly uneven edges. Indicated by the highest point of the white. Most often used to describe certain types of stockings.

*Partial: An irregular marking that only extends up part of the leg to the height indicated, sometimes with the other side of the leg dark. Usually used to describe socks and other short markings.

*High White: White stockings that extend higher than the knee or hock, sometimes extending past the stifle onto the flank or belly. These are considered to be characteristics of the Sabino colour pattern.