What is the difference between a piebald suit and a variegated suit. Pinto

The piebald horse has always been in the spotlight, and this is not surprising, because its bright, even exotic color is different from the rest of the usual colors. Pied horses are called horses, on the coat of which there are white spots of various shapes and sizes. How did these painted beauties appear, what types of color exist, according to what principle is the classification carried out?

A piebald horse is a color with a bright color in the form of large irregularly shaped spots.

Scientists, investigating the emergence of a piebald suit, came to the conclusion that its roots go deep into antiquity. Spotted horses are mentioned in ancient Egyptian historical documents. Also, piebald horses were often found in the wild steppe herds of China and Mongolia.

But the question remains open: where does the piebald color, which is not typical for horses, come from? Experts tend to believe that this gene anomaly, inherited, leads to a violation of the pigmentation of the hairline. In addition, it has been proven that different genes are responsible for the location of the spots. Also, piebaldness is attributed to the manifestation of partial albinism, therefore, in horses of this suit, the iris of one or both eyes is often blue.

There is a theory that inbreeding with Mongolian horses, among which there were piebald individuals, was the reason for their wide distribution. This opinion is also confirmed by the fact that among factory breeds, piebald color is a rare phenomenon. Spotted horses are more common among outbred workhorses of unknown origin.

Experienced horse breeders are sure that the piebald color has the same ancient history like monochrome colors.

A bit of history

In Europe, spotted horses have long been treated with disdain. Back in the Middle Ages, they were considered "plebeian", "gypsy". The color was called "cow", its representatives were used for hard draft labor. The nobility preferred to ride horses of the usual colors, and no one was engaged in breeding skewbald.

A different attitude towards them was formed on the American continent. Horses were brought to America by the conquistadors. Part of the horses became wild, with time piebald colors appeared. Colorful handsome men conquered the indigenous population with their unusualness. There was a belief among the Indians that the spotted horse under the rider helps in battle, protects from wounds. The skewbald horse has become a symbol of the Wild West; over the years, the number of fans of the suit has only grown. Fans sought to create as many color options as possible, and the horses were called pintos. Later, a breed was formed - the American Paint Horse. The view is based on local quarterhorses and riding horses.

In the middle of the 20th century, lovers and owners of skewbald horses united into a single association. Horses are actively used on the ranch, in equestrian tourism, participate in demonstration performances amateur show jumping.

The piebald horse is a symbol of the Wild West. Unusual coloring captivated the indigenous population, who attached mystical significance to the suit of horses.

Appearance

Color options for skewbald horses include all existing horse colors and shades of color. White areas are small, and sometimes occupy almost the entire body of the animal, capturing the mane and tail, have even and, as it were, “torn” edges. On the territory of Russia, 4 types of piebald color are distinguished, the classification is based on the suit:

American Paint Horse

American horse breeders have a different classification:

Horses of this type are called Pinto (light), they include horses with multi-colored and blue eyes. By color, they are differentiated into two large varieties:

Tabiano. The species name comes from the dominant gene To. The horse has dark sides on both sides, less often on one side. The areas are rounded or oval, as a rule, arranged symmetrically, descending along the neck to the chest, forming a kind of shield. The legs are white below, approximately to the knees. There are 2 colors in the tail. The gene exhibits different intensities, so the offspring of this type sometimes appears from monotonous parents.

There is an assumption that another non-allelic gene appears here, which “gives the green light” to the manifestation of spotting. For example, when it is absent, then a monochrome horse - the owner of the Tobiano gene - will also give birth to plain foals, until this very starter gene appears in the genotype of its descendants, which will “allow” a piebald horse to be born.

Overo. A broad class to which horses with asymmetrical spots belong.

The species is further subdivided into 3 groups:

Frame overo. The origin of the name is hidden in the word frame, which translates as "frame". On the head of the horse there is the main color, less often, shapeless marks. On the case there are spots with uneven edges, edged with a frame. As a rule, light areas do not cross the back, except when the white suit predominates. The leading color belongs to the extremities, in extreme cases, at least on three legs it will appear exactly. The tail is monochromatic. Here, the Fr gene becomes the cause of piebaldness.
Sabino overo. White spots are located on the limbs, often covering almost the entire leg. They are found on the stomach, sometimes go on the sides. The head is also colored, the light area sometimes passes to the lower lip. The coat on the markings is pure white, there are also separate whitish hairs on the main suit, resembling a roan, but not related to it, since the gene for this color is absent.
Overo splashedwhite. The horse looks like he decided to walk through a puddle of white paint and stuck his muzzle in it. Light parts sometimes extend to the sides, leaving a dark color only on the neck and back. It is believed that the Spl gene became the reason for the location of the spots, and the intensity of the color manifestation is related to its number in the genome of the individual.

In its pure form, these suits are rare, usually there is a combination of species, which is called Tovero.

Tovero

The type combined the features of the Tobiano and Oveiro subspecies. When two varieties are mated, the offspring will carry the characteristics of both parents. Usually the foal inherits the color to a greater extent from the one in which the white color is more pronounced. But this is not always the case, you can never be sure that the expected suit will appear. After all, each parent passes on its spotting gene, so the result can be completely unusual marks, bearing signs of both species. Therefore, confusion often occurs in determining the type of horse. Because of this, sometimes the Tovero type is registered as Overo or Tobiano.

The horse Tovero bears signs of two subspecies: Tobiano and Oveiro.

Frequent misconceptions

The unusual coloring of pinto horses has given rise to a lot of myths and assumptions:

Myth 1. Only Overo horses become owners of light eyes. In fact, light eyes are inherent in all types of piebald suit. Often the coat has a white color around the eyes, and this also affects their color. The gray or blue tint of the iris does not affect the quality of vision. There are piebald individuals that are sensitive to sunlight, but vision has nothing to do with it.
Myth 2. In Overo, the white areas are spots, while in Tobiano, on the contrary, the predominant color is light, and the spots are dark in color. This is an incorrect reasoning: each type has a full set of colors, among them there are light and dark animals, with slight deviations in shades.
Myth 3. Light spots on spotted horses are shaded. It is true that some horses show some shade on the coat, but this does not happen too often. This is due to the dark skin, which is visible through the blond hair, which gives some shade.

The main color of a piebald horse can be any, there are even champagne, isabella and silver horses. Pinto has a rare pearl "lightening" gene. If he is in a homozygous state, the red suit will turn into apricot.

The drawings on the body of a piebald horse are extremely diverse - their palette includes shades from the minimum presence of a white color to its maximum presence.

Gene Issues

For decades, scientists have been studying the piebald genes, but all the secrets have not yet been revealed. Therefore, it is impossible to predict with accuracy what type the foal inherits. Sometimes a pair of colored horses can give a monochrome baby, but if he is spotted, then it is not a fact that he will become a copy of his parents. But this does not excite lovers as much as mortality among white foals of Overo's piebald parents, so breeders approach crossbreeding responsibly, carefully selecting pairs.

Piebald suit The horse has a complex inheritance system, which is associated with different levels of influence and expression of genes.

The weak link is the Frame type, when crossing horses of the species with a probability of 25%, the foal will be born unviable due to underdevelopment digestive system. This happens due to the fault of the Fr gene, which provokes the appearance of a lethal pathology. Therefore, at reputable stud farms, DNA analysis is done on horses to reveal the hidden gene, since it does not always appear in appearance a horse belonging to Tovero.

The genetic diseases of the piebald suit include skin problems (epitheliogenesis), periodic paralysis.

Summary

The manifestation of a piebald suit is characterized by the appearance of white spots in the color of horses.
Spotted horses are widespread in America.
In Russia, the species division occurs according to the main suit. In America, the features of the spots and their distribution over the body of the horse are taken into account.
There are several misconceptions about pinto horses.
Horses of the species have a complex heredity of genes, sometimes an unsuccessful combination of genotypes leads to the non-viability of offspring.

The piebald color of the horse is distinguished by the presence of large white spots (pezhin), as a rule, of irregular shape and large size, which can be randomly scattered over the main color. Sometimes these spots are so large that they can merge into the main color of the horse - white, and then it seems as if the horse itself is white.

There are also white spots on the legs, tail and mane of the animal, or the animal may be completely white. In spotted horses, the phenomenon of albinism is pronounced, due to which the iris of the eyes often has a blue color. And also blue eyes can be.

According to experts, horse spotting is not a pattern and pigmentation disorder. But this problem did not stop horse breeders from breeding white horse breeds. Otherwise, today we would not be able to meet piebald beauties and beauties in any corner of our world.

At all times, mankind has tried to establish a natural dependence of the temperament (working capacity) of a horse on the color. According to this opinion, the most reliable and hardworking are dark bay horses. And gray and white individuals, and especially albinos, have a more supple and gentle character.

Red horses are characterized by weak endurance, and the behavior of black horses is vicious and hot-tempered. An Arabic proverb says so that the horseman never buys red horse , if necessary, sold the black, he went to the bay and took care of the white. In addition, there is a prejudice about horses of exactly faded shades of color, which suggests that a red or bay horse has poor performance.

From time immemorial, white horses have been highly valued by North American tribes. namely the Indians. They believed that horses of a light white color invariably bring good luck to their rider and help to avoid trouble on the path of life, being a kind of talismans.

Gallery: piebald color of horses (25 photos)

Historical reference

Studying the emergence of the piebald suit, scientists concluded that it has existed since very ancient times. Evidence of the existence of skewbald horses is found in the historical documents of ancient Egypt. In China and Mongolia piebald horses occupied leading positions in horse breeding. But in Europe, skewbald horses, on the contrary, have developed a dismissive attitude. In the Middle Ages, a piebald horse was called a "gypsy horse." The color of such a horse was called "cow" and it was used specifically for hard physical work - draft labor. Due to this feature, no one was engaged in breeding skewbald horses in Europe.

But in America, a completely opposite attitude was formed towards the pinto color of horses, where they were brought by the conquistadors. Over time, piebald colors appeared among the feral horses. Among the Indians it was believed that the spotted horse helps the rider in battle and save him from failure. The piebald horse is a symbol of the Wild West. Number of horse fans piebald increased greatly over the years.

Against the backdrop of widespread affection and the emerging idol of the pinto horse on the American continent, amateur horse breeders sought to create as many color options as possible. Piebald horses there began to be called pinto (sometimes paint). A little later, a breed was created - the American Paint Horse, based on the American Quarter Horses and riding horses. The skewbald horse has been the most popular and easily recognizable horse on the American continent since ancient times.

Historians are still concerned about the question: where did the piebald color of the horse come from?. Experts are inclined to believe that this is caused by an abnormality of the genes, which leads to a violation of the pigmentation of the hairline and is inherited. There is an opinion that the reason for the wide distribution of spotted horses was incest with Mongolian horses. Among factory breeds, piebald color is a rather rare phenomenon, while among outbred working horses of unknown origin, this phenomenon is more common than usual.

In the middle of the 20th century, namely in the year 62 of this century, lovers and owners of skewbald horses united into a single American Association. A horse with any exterior and pedigree could join this association. The only and main condition is the possession of a piebald suit. Horses were actively used on the ranch, in equestrian tourism and in demonstration performances of amateur show jumping.

Types of spotted horses

Piebald horses (pinto) are divided into two types of spotted horses, depending on the color and location of the spots on the body of the animal:

tobiano;
overo 2.1. frame overo; 2.2. splashed white; 2.3. sabino overo; 2.4. tovero.

The piebald color of the horse has tobiano, dark sides on both, less often on one side. Legs below the knees of a certain white color. Plots of dark colored hair, round or oval in shape, as a rule, symmetrical and form a kind of shield on the neck towards the chest. The tail of such a suit often has two shades at once.

The Tobiano gene, which is dominant, is responsible for the formation of the tobiano suit. This gene manifests itself with varying intensity. For this reason, the birth of piebald foals from parents who are not piebald themselves can be explained. Geneticists have proven that, in addition to the To gene, the tobiano suit also has another gene called “non-allelic”, which is responsible for the manifestation of piebald color. It is this gene that allows the features characteristic of skewbald horses to manifest. In the absence of a "non-allelic" gene, only non-skewbald stallions will be born. Foals of this species can appear both from monochrome parents and from representatives of different breeds (overo and tobiano).

In overo horses, white spots are located on the lower part of the body, in particular, on the stomach, capturing the sides, and the area of \u200b\u200bthe back between the withers and the tail is usually not affected. In general, it seems that the horse has three multi-colored fields, where the first and third are of a dark solid color, and the second is white. Among the representatives of the overo suit, individuals with a white head are very often found, in which the limbs are dark in color.

Like the tobiano, the overo can come from crossing non-skewbald horses. It should be noted that Overo parents do not always produce offspring from piebald foals. In addition, the overo suit has several dominant allelic genes. For this reason, among the representatives of this suit there are white foals who die. Currently, to eliminate the possibility of this undesirable phenomenon, American geneticists use a biochemical method to test all pinto horses.

Varieties of overo suit

The overo suit includes three varieties:

Frame Overo;
Splashed White (Splashed Overo);
Sabino Overo.

. Frame literally from English. frame. On the body of the horse there is a spot of predominantly white (sometimes of a different) color, which is located, as it were, in the environment (frame) of its dominant color. In this breed, white color appears on the neck of the animal in the form of small spots. Rare individuals have white spots not only on the neck, but also partially on the back. Frame overo animals have blue eyes and generally white legs. Geneticists have noticed that at least three of the four limbs of the animal are white in color. The tail of the representatives of this suit is always one-color.

Sabino overo. The limbs of representatives of this suit are most often completely white. The spots are light, white in color, often located on the lateral parts of the body and the abdomen of the animal. The head and lower lip are also white.

Overo splashed white. Individuals of this suit have a bright distinguishing feature - white ears and tails. And this makes them memorable and special animals.

Tovero. This is a species that combines the characteristics of both breeds - Tobiano and Overo. When such breeds are crossed, a foal is born that combines the characteristics of both parents. In most cases, the cub inherits the gene of one of the parents with the most white spots on the body. But horse breeders are aware of exceptions.

Representatives of the piebald suit, unfortunately, are not the owners of excellent health. Most health problems in animals are at the genetic level. It is generally accepted that representatives of the frame overo suit have the weakest health. It is highly undesirable to breed horses of the same color frame overo due to the fact that the offspring will have an underdeveloped colon. In this case, in addition, there is a high probability of death of the offspring.

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“Good horses are never bad colors.”
old Yorkshire proverb

“Sivka-burka, prophetic kaurka, stand in front of me, like a leaf in front of grass!” - this call from folk tale familiar to any Russian person. Probably, every child, listening to these words, asked adults a question, why does the name of a magic horse sound so strange? The answer is found if you read the material to the end.

The color is hereditary, it is a trait responsible for the pigmentation of the skin, pile, iris, mane, tail and brushes. Hippologists divided the horses into 4 suits:

bay,
black,
redhead
gray.

They are divided into several sub-suites. Such a systematization took place in Hellenistic Greece.

Bay horse color in terms of the set of genes, it is most similar to untamed relatives. considered one of the most tireless, obedient and fast.

Many nomadic tribes who know a lot about chose this suit. Today, the bay stallion Frenkel is reputed to be the most expensive horse, its cost is $ 200 million.

The first place among centenarians is occupied by the bay Cleveland gelding Billy. The old man lived for 62 years, that is, twice as long as the due date. All his life he worked, towing barges along the shore.

Where do they come from horse color names- a fascinating topic worthy of a separate story. "Gnidor" in Latin - "smoking flame". The bodies of bays are brown, and the mane and tail are black.

The bay suit is divided into apprentices:

light bay;
dark bay;
deer bay;
cherry;
golden;
chestnut;
mean;
Karak.

With the first six, everything is clear, but with the last 2 - a moot point. The mean horses have whitened, as if burnt, areas of the eyes, muzzle, groin and elbows. The word "podlas" is the opposite of "tan", dark places.

In the photo, a horse of a low-colored suit

Karak suit of a horse suggests a deep dark brown tone of hairline in combination with black legs, mane and tail. In Turkic, "black-brown" sounds "kara-kupa".

In the photo, the horse's caracal suit

black horse just right to call a dark-skinned girl: black eyes, skin and hair. Hot-tempered, wayward handsome men have long been in demand, including among the highest of this world. black horse in the form of an offering among nomads, it was known as a symbol of deep respect and even admiration.

But in many cultures, black horses symbolized something unkind. They were associated with hunger, death and otherworldly forces. So, the Komi people have an ancient legend about three horses, alternately carrying the world: if black is starvation and pestilence, white is enmity and death, red is peace and tranquility.

black horse

Black as pitch, the horse caused horror and awe on the battlefield. According to historians, Bucephalus of Alexander the Great was one of those. Have their apprentices:

black (blue-black);
black crow in tan;
silver-black;
ash-black.

The tanned crow is so named for the brownish sheen on the upper body. She seemed to have burned out in the sun, receiving a daily portion of ultraviolet radiation on pasture. By color of horses, suit this one is easy to confuse with karakova, they are recognized by their dark skin and hair roots.

Black horse color in tan

Silver-black is a catchy suit, where the light mane and tail contrast with the anthracite color of the body. Ash-black horse - with a reflection of the color of dark chocolate. They look especially advantageous in the rays of sunset.

Silver black

Blacks are found among many breeds, but there are those for which this is the only acceptable color - and arriegeoises. Red horse color- not a curiosity, in ancient times it was called "kissed by fire." Color varies from apricot to dark brick. The color of the mane and tail depends on the apprentice. The "solar" suit includes:

playful;
buckskin;
brown;
nightingale.

For playful color of the horse a reddish-brown color is characteristic, coupled with a light mane and tail, which have different shades: from sandy to creamy. If either the tail or the mane contrasts, the horse is also considered to be playful.

The adjective "playful" is a fusion of the Turkic "jeren" - that is, and the Russian "playful". Naming the suit, they apparently described the temperament of the horse: cautious and lively.

Playful color of the horse

Regarding buckskin suit of horses, among the Tatars "bulan" means "deer". The color of the horses is yellow-gold; legs, tail and mane are black. Dark brown horses are often mistaken for light bay horses.

In the photo a horse of a buckskin suit

The brown is confused with the dark bay, but its legs, unlike the tail and mane, have the same dark chocolate color as the body. The villi of black and red color, when mixed, give a juicy brown color.

The famous "cloak" was the Karabakh mare Lisetta - the famous mare of Peter the Great. It is she who flaunts in most of the paintings depicting the emperor on horseback, the same applies to the Bronze Horseman.

The legendary Lisette was a lady with a temper and listened to one sovereign, which made life difficult for the grooms. Once, in the battle of Poltava, a mare saved the king's life by dodging aimed fire. It is not known what would have happened to Russia if this wayward beauty had not been under the saddle of Peter. The effigy of Lisetta is exhibited at the Zoological Museum of St. Petersburg.

Brown horse

Nightingale horse color, so named from the ancient Icelandic "solr" - "dirt, yellowness", has an ocher-golden pile, the tail and mane can be the color of straw, milk, smoke. Eyes are brown or amber.

The fashion for nightingals falls on the 15th century - the era of the reign of Isabella of Castile, Queen of Spain. This monarch owes the name to a rare suit, genetically interconnected with the nightingale - isabella.

In the photo a horse of nightingal color

Isabella horse color surprises with its beauty and sophistication. Only they have pale pink skin, and the hairs on the body are a pleasant champagne tone. This suit is sometimes called cream.

But the unique color of the skin and pile is not their only advantage; horses of the Isabella suit have piercing eyes of the spring sky. Less commonly, specimens with emerald eyes are born. This rare color of horses occurs in (2.5%).

Isabella horse color

What color is characteristic gray color of horses, it's easy to guess. For many, a peculiar pattern appears - light circles on a darker background - these are “horses in apples”. This coloration is typical for.

The gray suit is characterized by a change in color during life. A black foal can molt to light gray in six months. Light horse color over the years, it is reborn into snow-white.

With a new molt of gray hair on the body of the animal remains, but the skin remains grayish. This suit is common among Arabian thoroughbreds. Count Orlov acquired just such a stallion from the Turkish Sultan to create his famous breed. The light gray horse Smetanka laid the foundation for a breed that has become a symbol of Russian horse breeding.

According to history, the Roman emperor Caligula, known for his eccentricity, had a light gray Incitat (swift-footed) as his favorite. He became the only horse to be granted the seat of senator.

gray suit horses

White horse color- fiction. These are either greys, brightened with age, or albinos. The latter can be born from absolutely any suit, being a genetic anomaly in which melanin is not produced by the body.

White horses are prone to various ailments. How beautiful they are in the photo, just as vulnerable and vulnerable in life. They are often sterile, and foal mortality is at least 25%. It is for this reason that a truly white horse is a great rarity.

The favorite of Napoleon Bonaparte was a white stallion named Marengo. He went a long way with the great commander until he was captured by the British at the Battle of Waterloo. Like his crowned master, Marengo had unique qualities. If the emperor slept for 3 hours a day, then Marengo could gallop without slowing down, as much as 5 hours in a row.

white horse

An interesting variety of gray suit is “gray in buckwheat”. It manifests itself with age: small dark spots appear on the body of a gray horse. Instances with red speck are classified as "trout".

Domestic horse breeders, among others, distinguish one more apprentice gray horses- ermine. In addition to the lead shade of the body, it has a darker mane and tail.

The color of the horse is gray in buckwheat

Roan horse color- the result of the admixture of white hair to the main suit. The head and legs do not actually have light, retaining the original color throughout life. In the Turkic dialect "chal" - "gray hair". Russian experts distinguish the gray color of the horses- this is black with gray hair.

In the photo a roan horse

Savrasu horse color often referred to as "wild". Horses living in the wild tend to have this coloration. Savraska has a dull reddish-brown body coloration, with a dark stripe along the ridge. The lower legs, scruff and tail are darker than the base color.

In Russian, there is a catchphrase "run like a savras". In Rus', such horses were noted as frisky, swift and strong. Many saw in the zoo - an unsightly squat ocher-colored horse with dark legs, a mane and a tail. These animals fully fit the description of the savras.

Savras horse color

Famous apprentice savras - brown horse color, in which redness prevails. Mouse-colored horses are characterized by an ash-colored color with a slight brownish coating.

Brown suit

At pinto horses whitish spots of irregular shape, called pezhin, are scattered all over the body. They can be so large that it looks like a white horse with dark spots. valued by Indian tribes, they were considered lucky.

In Europe, piebald stallions were called "gypsy", "cow" and even "plebeian", the demand for them was small. You will not find this suit among breeders, it is typical for ordinary outbred hard workers.

pinto horse

Extremely rare are gray-piebald horses, in which snow-white asymmetric blots are scattered on a silvery background. In Russia, such horses were called porcelain.

Grey-piebald horse color

Other motley horses are dappled. Here nature has had its fun. Chubaraya color of horses It is distinguished by small egg-shaped spots scattered throughout the body. Color can be anything, like specks. The name is also taken from the Turkic "chubar" - "spotted".

There are also quite a few apprentices here: snowy, leopard, spotted-black-black, chubaraya in hoarfrost. It is worth mentioning the breed, for which the chubar suit is the norm. This is a knabstrupper, they have black or dark brown spots appearing on a white background. What can I say, and among the horses there are!

In the photo a horse of a chubar suit

Astrakhan suit of horses(it is called curly, curly), it is distinguished by dense hair in curls. Genetics is an interesting thing: in these “lambs” curly hair can appear not only on the body, but even on the eyelashes, tail and mane.

Astrakhan horses- meek, docile and friendly. They are ideal for the village children's sports and various presentations. They are also used for hippotherapy. The smell of "insulated" horses, like sheep. Two breeds with "fur" are known:

Transbaikal curly;
american curly.

Astrakhan suit of horses

Summing up, I want to believe that many wonderful names are now quite understandable, and everyone can imagine both a gray gelding and a piebald mare. With regard to the fabulous Sivka-Burka, it can be assumed that the horse was gray-brown-red in color, and then - who has any imagination.

Nature endowed horses with a huge color variety, and artificial selection only emphasized the beauty of these animals. Each breed, like the suit, has its admirers.

Do not get tired of being surprised by wealth suits of horses. Photos and names such graceful creatures leave absolutely no one indifferent, because as one of the classics said: “There is nothing more beautiful in the world than a galloping horse, a dancing woman and a sailing ship ...”

The piebald color is characterized by the presence of large white spots (most often irregular in shape), distributed throughout the body on the main color. From this, its individual types are distinguished, for example, crow-piebald, red-piebald, bay-piebald, etc. The spotted suit is not entirely considered characteristic of horses, therefore experts call it a violation of color pigmentation. Today, skewbald horses are distributed throughout the world, but were originally associated with North American Indian horses.

A piebald horse can also be partially albino, so it sometimes has blue or different-colored eyes. Such uniqueness does not affect the quality of animals' vision. Also, the piebald suit is characterized by white legs, a light mane and a tail with partial pigmentation, if the main color is present in this area.

Origin

It is believed that the piebald suit is as ancient as all monochrome ones. In particular, unique spotted mares are mentioned in the works of art of Ancient Egypt. However, geneticists cannot say for sure whether these horses are descended from ordinary monochromes or if they are a separate type. Today, spotted horses are obtained by crossing the same piebald representatives. And in America, these spotty beauties arose thanks to the conquistadors.

Their freedom and wild life did not last long. An interesting coloring did not go unnoticed by local cowboys, who eventually began to domesticate horses. This is how their favorite paints and pintos appeared.

Appearance

We figured out that the piebald suit is distinguished by the presence of various white spots on the main color. But the spectrum of colors includes all shades known in the horse world. Patterns range from a minimal white blotch to an almost completely white coloration with isolated colored areas, as shown in the photo. From this, several types of piebaldness are distinguished. Note that in America there are much more of them than in our country, but more on that later.

Basic types by main color

Today, depending on the main color of the horse, four types are distinguished.

Red-piebald - against the background of the red color, white spots are scattered, the shape of which is fuzzy. Most often, such horses have white legs and the same mane, which can be clearly seen in the photo.
Bay-piebald - the basis is a bay suit, on which there are several white spots. Tail, mane, legs - light or combined red and black strands.
Crow-piebald - the base of the suit is black, on which there are several white spots.
Grey-skewbald is the rarest color, which is notable for its white legs and gray-white mane. See the photo above for more details.

American piebald types

In America, horses with such a unique pattern on the coat, as we have already said, are called paints or pintos. However, there are two main types with several subspecies. They no longer depend on the main suit, but on the location of the colored areas on the horse's body.

Tobiano (dark color covers one of the sides, legs are white, dark spots on the chest form a “shield”).
Overo (the photo shows that the light spots on the horse's body are not symmetrical, the legs are dark in color, the tail and mane are plain). This variety includes:

frame overo - in this case, the white spot is surrounded by the main color, as in a frame. In addition, these horses often always have a painted head;
sabino-overo - clean light spots with ragged edges that look like signs of a roan breed. The most common in America, their color resembles spots on cows, which are located on the sides and legs (see photo);
oversplashedwhite - whitish spots spread from bottom to top, capturing the muzzle.

Successful and unsuccessful crosses of the suit

If the horses had piebald relatives in the family (Tobiano), then there is a possibility that the foal will be spotted. When crossing Tobiano and Overo, young animals can be born, the characteristics of which will be mixed. However, breeders should be extremely careful when crossing different colors to avoid the death of foals.

The following table shows the crossover result different types piebald suit.

Type	Sabino	splashedwhite	Frame overo	Tobiano	Tovero	normal pigmentation
Sabino	1	1	2	1	1	1
splashedwhite	1	1	2	1	1	1
Frame overo	2	2	3	2	3	2
Tobiano	1	1	2	1	1	1
Tovero	1	1	3	1	1	1
normal pigmentation	1	1	2	1	1	normal pigmentation

Explanation:

Green color (1) means that the crossing is safe and there will be a minimum of stillborn foals.
Yellow color (2) is a risky cross, in which you can bring out a beautiful suit. This mixing of blood rarely produces dead babies (about 1 in 4).
Red (3) marks completely unwanted pairs, because according to statistics, 25% of the offspring of these horses will die.

Photo gallery

In these photos you can see representatives of the beautiful spotted, as well as see their varieties in more detail.

Video "History of spotted suit"

In the video you can see different types such a horse as piebald and find out what exactly this suit is remarkable for.

Kira Stoletova

A piebald horse is any individual that has markings of various shapes on its body. Depending on the places of localization of the marks, several apprentices are distinguished. A piebald horse is an individual in which, against the background of any shade, white marks are located, sometimes reaching such sizes that it seems that white is its main color. Piebald is considered partly a form of albinism. The result of this feature is blue eyes.

Classification

In the USA, Pinto horses are officially registered as Paints or Pinto horses, which are divided into 3 types:

tabiano;
overy;
tovero.

The piebald color of the horse is divided into types, determined by the location of the piebald spots on the body. Most often, representatives of the piebald suit have blue irises. Both eyes can have irises of different colors, that is, one is blue and the other is brown or half blue.

Type Features

For Piebalds of the first type hallmark is the presence of a dark shade in color, covering both sides at once or only one. Limbs below the knees are snow-white. Often all dark spots are symmetrical, differ in a rounded shape. The spots are located along the entire perimeter of the body and descend along chest, drawing a kind of shield. The tail in most cases is painted in 2 shades.

The genotype can manifest itself with varying degrees of severity, so skewbald horses can appear from individuals that are not skewbald themselves. The overo suit is divided into several types. The first type is frame-overo, which means "frame" in translation. The title is true. If you look closely, the piebald mark is framed in a different color, as if in a frame.

On the main background, white marks of a torn shape with edges are arranged in random order. White spots very rarely pass along the line of the back. The exceptions are cases of massive predominance of white or when shapeless spots pass through the head area. With this color, the eyes of horses always have a blue tint. Limbs or at least 3 of them are similar in color to the main color, the tail is solid.

The sabino overo type is characterized by the location of white spots on the limbs, which very often rise almost to the sternum. The characteristic location of the spots is the peritoneum. In the head area, a similarity of a bald head is noted with the capture of the lower lip. The piebald suit appears in the form of white spots with uneven edges or in the form of a snow-white pile mixed with the main shade, which together resembles a roan, but has nothing to do with it in terms of genotype.

The type of overo splashed white is characterized by the arrangement of white pile from the bottom to the top. In the photo, such an animal looks like it ran through white paint. White pile is also located in the muzzle and ears. Tovero combines the features of the two previous types. When crossing overo and tobiano, individuals with a mixed color very often appear.

tovero features

In the photo, the representatives of the color look simply dazzling. They combine all the features of overo and tobiano. During the registration process, confusion often arises as to what color a foal should be assigned to. For the most part, the similarity of a bald head is a feature of the tovero.

Serrated markings are also referred to as tovero's distinguishing marks. Under great doubt are overos with a predominantly white pile in the mane. Often the color of the limbs of a pinto horse is of a dark suit. Sometimes it is so difficult to determine the piebald color of the tovero that you have to study the entire pedigree and characteristics of the offspring.

The piebald color of a horse makes members of the species more susceptible to sunlight than others. Many believe that if a horse has blue eyes, then it is blind. This is an erroneous opinion. What color scheme the iris of the eye will be in is absolutely in no way related to the quality of vision. Any of the pinto subtypes can have a full range of color palettes, which starts from completely snow-white representatives and ends with dark solid horses.

Breeding problems

When breeding pinto horses, it is simply impossible to calculate which genotype the foal will inherit. For example, when crossing two overos with pronounced external signs, the chance of stillbirth is very high if they both carry the genotype responsible for the frame overo suit.

What selection will provide a positive result? If both parents carry the splashed wye gene, the chances are minimized. When crossing individuals carrying the sabino gene, the chances of getting dead offspring are also minimized. Safe crossbreeding between pinto horses by genotype:

sabino - sabino, splashed white, tobiano, tovero;
splashed wat - sabino, tobiano, tovero;
tobiano - sabino, splashed white, tovero;
tovero - sabino, splashed yat, tovero;

Crossing all genotypes with frame overo gives a high percentage of stillbirth.

Diseases

Health problems are inherent in pinto horses at the gene level. As mentioned above, the weakest representatives of the species are carriers of the frame overo gene. The main problem is the pathology of the development of the colon. Foals suffer from severe pain and swelling. In the vast majority of cases, this pathology leads to death.

Such problems can be avoided by carefully monitoring the pedigree and crosses within the species by genotype. The most dangerous connections within the genus are between the two frame overo and frame overo-tovero. Although some experts believe that the offspring will be healthy if a carrier of the frame gene is crossed with a different genotype, however, when crossing with a frame overo, there is always a risk of getting stillborn foals or offspring with intestinal pathologies.

All horse diseases are divided into infectious and non-infectious. In the first case, this is an infection with bacterial infections, this also includes infection with worms. In the second case, horses start to get sick due to improper care, insufficiently balanced feeding. It is very important to carry out annual preventive measures to remove worms. Usually such events are carried out before vaccinations, otherwise the vaccine will be ineffective.

Vaccination is the key to good horse health. Many diseases cause irreversible pathological processes in horses. Some past diseases increase the risk of developing abnormalities in offspring.

Care and breeding

A piebald horse is a fairly common color in our territories. In general, the breed has good immunity. Special skills for growing this species are not needed. The only nuance in breeding is the collection of information on the pedigree and offspring. Data monitoring will help avoid bad breeding experiences.

The diet is practically no different from the nutrition of other horses. A piebald horse should receive enough vitamins and minerals. Representatives of the breed love warmth and comfort, so the premises for their maintenance should be insulated and protected from drafts. Pinto horses do not tolerate infectious diseases. pledge good health horses is regular exercise and proper dressage. Optimal exercise stress has a positive effect on the development of the cardiovascular system. Foals need special care. It is very important to vaccinate offspring in time and show pets regularly to the veterinarian.

In order for your horse to be as beautiful as in the photo, regular cleaning and shoeing is necessary. Bathe pinto horses once a week. Frequent bathing can provoke the appearance of dermatitis, so this should not be done more often than the indicated period. After washing with a special shampoo, the coat is rinsed with clean water and wiped dry, then combed out with a brush.

A horseshoe is necessary if the horse is used in hard work or is a participant in the race. Shoeing can be carried out only on the front or hind limbs, as well as on all four. Which hooves to shoe is determined by which limbs the impact force will fall on.

Conclusion

Pinto horses have always been associated with the Indians. Ancient American tribes believed that a skewbald horse brought good luck. The breed of horses is considered very ancient. The first mentions of animals are found in ancient Egyptian records.

Many do not quite understand the definition of a piebald suit, how it looks. It is a mistake to think that white is the basis of color. These are white spots located on the main background of any other color. White markings can have a different location and the most interesting shape. Tails can be two-color and one-color, piebald marks can also be traced on the mane.

There is an opinion that blue-eyed horses are born only in representatives with the overo genotype. However, blue-eyed foals can be born to mothers of any type. This feature does not affect vision in any way, but the sensitivity to sunlight in blue-eyed people is increased.

The second misconception about the color of the Tobiano: it is believed that the Tobiano is spotted and the spots are scattered all over the body, while the Overo has the opposite. However, the color of the piebald is different in that the main color can be any, and the piebald spots are white. It's just that sometimes they reach such sizes that it seems that the white background is the main one. In each genotype, there are individuals of various textured colors, from snow-white to pure black.