Breed of the Moment: The Pinto

By: Katy Driver & Kao Castle, PhD

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When you first mention the coloured Pinto horse in history, most people think about the American West and native Indians, and the coloured horses they rode, which were their favoured choice as war horses as they were thought to have magical qualities in battle. 

Various cultures throughout history appear to have selectively bred for Pinto patterns, which is a horse of any colour with large patches of white. Many breeds of horse carry the Pinto pattern and they are specific genetic traits, and not a result of cross-breeding, either body type or colour. 

The painted horse

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The word ‘Pinto’ comes from the Spanish word ‘Pintado’ meaning ‘painted’. Historically, Pinto markings had their origins in ancient times, being introduced to North America by European explorers, chiefly those from Spain, who brought their Barb stock that had been crossed with native European stock years before. Pinto markings appear in ancient art throughout the Middle East. However, evidence of the more dominant Tobiano pattern among the wild horses of the Russian steppes suggests the introduction of Pinto colouring to Europe possibly as early as during the Roman Empire.

After these European horses arrived and bred with the wild horses across America (what we now call Mustangs), large herds began to develop that showed the Pinto pattern. These were the horses domesticated by the native Americans. White man continued to import their popular and good quality horses as foundation stock but, over time, it became necessary to cross the popular, but less suitable, breeds of the Eastern seaboard with the wild Mustang stock to increase the size and availability of a horse that was better suited to the working conditions. A lot of these horses were uniquely marked Pintos and these Western-bred horses became a fixture of America. These horses, with a colourful presence in history and today, are a popular choice by producers of Western movies and in parades as they always add that little extra glamour. 

A colour, not a breed 

With its diverse history, it shows the Pinto is not a particular breed of horse, but rather a result of selective breeding to achieve a versatile horse with a broken coat pattern. There is no specific height or breed restriction - with Miniatures, Shetlands, larger ponies and horses over 14 hh all eligible for registration. They do not have a consistent conformation as they are recognised by their colour, but they should have conformation that is sound, attractive and shows good breeding quality, and is assessed on characteristics reflecting his or her own breed. There is a Pinto association in every state of Australia, except the Northern Territory - each with its own requirements and regulations on breed and colour.

Competing the Pinto 

Because of its varied breeding, you can compete in almost any equine discipline with a Pinto. Some of these activities include: 

• Trail and pleasure 

• Show jumping and eventing 

• Dressage and hacking 

• Western performance 

• Showring competition 

• Rodeo and cutting 

• Gymkhana and sporting 

• Harness and in-hand performance 

Popular patterns 

Pinto filly for sale VIEW ALL PINTOS FOR SALE ON HORSEZONE

The modern Pinto bears either Tobiano or Overo patterns. Tobianos are white with large, usually smooth, areas of colour on the head and upper neck, chest, flanks and tail. They almost always have white legs with irregular patches of white along the top line. Overos are a solid colour with irregular patches of white along the mid-section of the body on the neck, sides and flanks. They usually have solid-coloured legs, manes and tails, with colour all along the top line. In both patterns, the amount of white or colour varies tremendously. Although, the preferred standard is 50% each. The most commonly found coat pattern in Australia is the Tobiano. ‘Piebald’ and ‘Skewbald’ are terms that are well-known and commonly used. When a Pinto is Black and White, the horse is described as ‘Piebald’; any other colour and white is described as ‘Skewbald’.

Breeding the Pinto 

When it comes to breeding a Pinto, it is not as simple as putting a Pinto stallion over a Pinto mare and getting a Pinto foal. Genetics is the major factor in getting your coloured foal. A lot of people have been disappointed over the years, breeding colour to colour and out comes a solid-coloured foal, lucky to have a star and a small sock on its coat. While others breed a solid-coloured horse to a Pinto and get a well-marked foal. When choosing your horses for breeding, the first priority should be correct conformation and type. Make sure the horses you are breeding will produce the type of horse you want, regardless of colour. Colour is a bonus, except for when using an homozygous Tobiano horse. If either the stallion or the mare is homozygous for Tobiano, that means it will produce colour every time. It does not guarantee how much white, but at least you will get some white in the foal’s coat. It is known though for homozygous Tobiano gene-carrying horses to produce solid colour with just a star or blaze and sock, and still test positive for the Tobiano gene. 

One of the most frequently asked questions to Pinto breeders and the most common misconception is calling a Pinto horse a ‘Paint’. A Paint is a breed registry limited to horses with documented and registered Paint, Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred breeding; whereas a Pinto is open to any horse meeting the colour requirements. The difference between them has nothing to do with colour or pattern, only bloodlines. Most Paints can be dual registered as a Pinto if they meet the colour requirements.

The genetics of colour 

The genetics of coat colour in horses can be really interesting, especially when it comes to Pinto markings. This is a quick overview of the most common genes that contribute to Pinto markings in Australian horses and ponies. 

The effects of particular white marking genes can be quite different between horses of riding size, including ponies on up to heavy horses, compared to Miniature horses and ponies. The descriptions here are for riding horses. Owners and breeders of Miniatures should take into account that their horses will often have white markings at the very minimal end of the range that is described. 

Horses with one copy of a coat colour gene (sometimes called heterozygous for that gene) have a 50% chance of passing that gene on to any foal they have. Horses with two copies of a particular coat colour gene (sometimes called homozygous for that gene) will pass on the gene to all of their foals. The inheritance of most coat colour genes is independent of the others so, for example, a stallion with one copy of the Tobiano gene and one copy of the Frame Overo gene (described below) could pass on Tobiano and Frame Overo, or just Tobiano, or just Frame Overo, or neither! If you are not confident in knowing what foal colours to expect from your horse’s genetics, you may want to try online coat colour calculators or contact Practical Horse Genetics (see below) with your query.

Tobiano (pronounced toe-bee-ah-no) 

White markings: Yes 

Blue eyes: No 

Lethal when inherited from both parents: No 

Testing available: Yes 

Tobiano is the most common form of Pinto markings and is very striking. Tobiano horses have patches of pink skin with white hair, with usually large, smooth-edged patterns on a different background colour coat. Tobiano horses often have white legs and, while their white patches can be anywhere, they usually don’t reach the horse’s face. White patches resulting from the Tobiano gene can cross the top of the neck and back. This is not the case for the Frame Overo (described below). 

Unlike many other genes, there is no obvious difference in appearance between horses with one copy of Tobiano (heterozygous Tobiano horses) and those with two copies (homozygous Tobiano horses). When it comes to breeding though, horses that only have one copy of Tobiano have a 50% chance of passing it on to each foal, while horses with two copies of Tobiano will pass on Tobiano to every foal they have. The colour pattern resulting from the Tobiano gene - by itself as opposed to in combination with other genes - is also called Tobiano. 

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Frame Overo (pronounced o-vair-o) 

White markings: Yes 

Blue eyes: Possible 

Lethal when inherited from both parents: Yes 

Testing available: Yes 

Frame Overo markings include eye-catching white patches, and often a white face accompanied by one or two blue eyes. The amount of white on a Frame Overo horse or pony can be highly variable - from a very discrete patch of white on the belly, all the way up to majority-white coat colours. The ‘Frame’ part of the Frame Overo name refers to the fact that markings on the main body rarely, if ever, cross the spine. So, if you squint a bit, you can almost imagine the body colour making a darker “frame” around the white markings when viewed from side on. It’s kind of a stretch, but people get a bit poetic about naming horse colours! 

Frame Overo is unique amongst white coat colour patterns, in that foals born with two copies of the Frame Overo gene are white or nearly completely white, and suffer from the heart-breaking and fatal Overo Lethal White Syndrome (OLWS). Testing helps breeders avoid crosses that could produce OLWS foals. No adult horses have been found with two copies of the Frame Overo gene. 

Frame Overo can “hide” quite easily. If a horse is Tobiano, as well as Frame Overo, it can have white legs and white patches that cross the spine, courtesy of the Tobiano gene. Some Frame Overos have so little white that their markings appear to be a standard blaze and socks. Genetic testing is the only way to be completely sure of a horse’s Frame Overo status and avoid OLWS. The colour pattern resulting from the Frame Overo gene - by itself as opposed to in combination with other genes - is also called Frame Overo, or just Overo, and sometimes just Frame.

When a horse has inherited both the Tobiano and Frame Overo genes, it can be described as ‘Tobero’ or ‘Tovero’. An important warning here - some people use Tobero or Tovero for any majority-white horse with Tobiano patterns, so it’s very important when breeding to clarify whether or not the horse has actually been tested for Frame Overo if you are concerned about the possibility of OLWS. 

Splashed White 1 

White markings: Yes 

Blue eyes: Possible 

Lethal when inherited from both parents: No 

Testing available: Yes 

Splashed White 1 (SW1) colouring can sometimes appear to be Pinto. Splashed White markings have smooth edges, like Tobiano or Frame Overo markings, and typically appear to be splashed up from underneath the horse. They can range from minor facial markings and socks, to a white face with blue eyes, white legs and white belly. On some occasions, the Splashed White is more extreme and the white markings come so far up that most of the horse is white. These horses look like they’ve been wading in a dam of white paint! 

SW1 interacts with Tobiano and will significantly increase the amount of white on your horse. If you have a Tobiano that is 80-99% white, they are very likely to carry the SW1 gene, as well as Tobiano. It is not clear what extent this white-increasing effect also applies to Splashed White plus Frame Overo horses. 

SW1 is widespread and present in most horse and pony breeds. It can occasionally cause deafness when white markings extend to the inner ear. Horses with two copies of SW1 usually have more extensive white markings than horses with one copy of SW1. 

The appearance of Splashed White markings is ideally described as “Splashed White”. However, given the overlap between Splashed White, and both Tobiano and Frame Overo, many Splashed White horses get incorrectly classified as something else. And, remember, when a horse has inherited the Splashed White gene and the Tobiano gene, it will usually appear to be majority-white Tobero, even though it does not, in fact, carry the Frame Overo gene.

Sabino 1 

White markings: Yes 

Blue eyes: No 

Lethal when inherited from both parents: No 

Testing available: Yes 

Sabino markings are distinct from Tobiano or Frame Overo, in that they have lacy or roan edges. Sabino horses often also have some roaning or white ticking in their coat. Horses with Sabino 1 generally have high socks to above the knees and hocks, belly splashes and large white markings on the fact. They can also have intense roaming or spotting extending up their mid-section. 

When Sabino 1 is inherited in combination with another white marking gene, particularly Tobiano or a second copy of Sabino 1, the foal will be at least 90% white. These foals are completely white. The white marking pattern caused by the Sabino 1 gene is simply called Sabino. 

W20 and other new genes 

White marking: Yes 

Blue eyes: W20 - No; Others - Possible 

Lethal when inherited from both parents: W20 - No; Others - Unknown 

Testing available: W20 - Yes; Others - Not Yet 

Recent research has uncovered a number of new, rare white marking genes in horses and a relatively common white marking gene called W20. W20 is closely related to Sabino 1 and is a different version of the same gene. Early testing and research suggests that it is far more common and widespread than Sabino 1. The effect of W20 in combination with other white marking genes is still being determined. 

Other research is underway to identify new versions of Splashed White. It is not unusual to have a horse that appears to be Splashed White because of their markings, or because they have one or more blue eyes, that tests negative to all known genes that cause blue eyes in horses. New discoveries from this research should become known in 2015. 

This colour genetics information was brought to you by Kao Castle, BSc (Hons) (Advanced) PhD from Practical Horse Genetics, a laboratory that offers fast, high-quality genetic testing for owners in Australia: www.practicalhorsegenetics.com.au. 

Practical Horse Genetics can test for Tobiano, Frame Overo, Splashed White 1, Sabino 1 and W20 from $39 for a single test. It costs $63 to get two tests done at once (for example, Tobiano and Frame Overo) and an extra $9 per test for more. It costs $90 for five tests at once (for example, Tobiano, Frame Overo, Splashed White 1, Sabino 1 and W20). Other coat colour tests are also available and you can contact the laboratory for any enquiries.

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