Page 300 - Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals, 8th Edition

The Integument / 285

dorsal stripe. The American Quarter Spots are usually smooth‐edged and
rounded. The overo is a colored horse
Horse Association registers these horses as
VetBooks.ir buckskin only if they lack the dun mark- splashed with white. White rarely extends
over the midline of the back. Generally at
ings. The American Buckskin Registry
Association, on the other hand, registers least one and often all four limbs are the
(and actually considers ideal) horses as dark color. The head and face are often
buckskins with the dun markings. broadly marked with white. The markings
The term dun has been used loosely to are irregular and splashy. A further set of
describe a variety of diluted colors, but a descriptors used to describe pinto coat
more restrictive (and more common) use patterns distinguishes between black and
limits the term to mean colors that are white (piebald) and brown and white
characterized by the dun markings. These (skewbald) pintos. Overo and tobiano refer
“line‐backed” duns always have a dark to pattern distribution, while skewbald and
dorsal stripe running from the mane to the piebald refer to color combination.
base of the tail. Other, less universal mark- A Paint is a Quarter Horse with pinto
ings include a shoulder bar, transverse coloration. The Paint Horse Association
stripes on the caudal aspect of the forearm registers only horses with Paint or Quarter
and sometimes the hock (so‐called zebra Horse lineage. A Paint may be double‐
stripes), and concentric darker rings on the registered as a pinto, but not all pintos are
forehead (cobwebbing). There are many registrable as Paints.
shades of dun, described by a variety of The Appaloosa is also distinguished by
adjectives (e.g., yellow dun, red dun). One its characteristic coat pattern. The Nez
notable variety of dun is called grullo Perce Indians of northeastern Oregon and
(grew’ yoh) or grulla (grew’ yuh), the terms northern Idaho, particularly in the region
masculine and feminine, respectively. of the Palouse River, whence the breed
Grullos have black points, and the body is a derives its name, used selective breeding to
slate color, often with a bluish cast. develop the Appaloosa. In addition to the
Roan hair coats are composed of dark classic spotted hair coat, three distinctive
hairs mixed evenly with white hairs over pigmentation patterns are common in
most of the body. Unlike grays, roans do Appaloosas: (1) the visible sclera of the eye
not lighten with age, although the seasonal is white; (2) skin is mottled black and white
variation in a given roan’s appearance may around lips, eyes, and genitalia; and (3)
be considerable. The specific terms used to hoofs are striped vertically in black and
describe roans depend on the background white. The most striking thing about the
color into which the white hair is mixed. Appaloosa is, of course, its showy, spotted
The roan pattern on black horses, for hair coat (although not all registered
instance, may be described as blue roan, on Appaloosas have spots!). This may assume
bay as red roan, on the sorrel coat as straw- many patterns, each of which is described
berry roan. with specialized terms by aficionados of
The defining characteristic of the pinto the breed. Many Appaloosas feature a solid
is large, irregular patches of white against a body color with a white and/or spotted
solid color. This pattern can take one of two blanket over the hips and loins. White
basic forms, overo or tobiano. Distinguishing horses with dark spots over the entire body
between these two patterns can sometimes are leopard Appaloosas.
be difficult, and in fact, some individuals
have characteristics of both. The tobiano is
a white horse splashed with darker spots. Wool
White patches extend over the midline of
the back, and the head is solid colored, As the name implies, wool is composed of
although there may be white facial mark- the wool hairs, or undercoat, of animals
ings. Generally, all four limbs are white. bred for their ability to produce usable