Horse Markings
Many horses have white on their faces and legs. Although these markings are hard to keep clean, many people prefer horses with lots of white. Foals are born with the markings they will have as an adult. These markings are called by specific names to allow adequate description when registering a horse.
As with the names of colors, the names and descriptions of the markings of the horse can vary from region to region and even from registry to registry. Generally speaking, the names of the facial markings are as follows:
Star: White on the forehead that may resemble a star or simply be an irregular patch of white.
Stripe or strip: A narrow vertical stripe of white running down the face. It typically starts below the eyes and stops short of the nostrils.
Blaze: A wide stripe of white running down the face, starting above the eyes and sometimes ending below the nostrils.
Snip: A small irregular patch of white in the nostril or lower lip area.
Bald face: This is a large, wide blaze that wraps around the eyes and extends down the entire length of the face, including the muzzle.
The horse's face may have one or more of these basic markings. For example, it may have a star and a stripe combined, or a strip and a snip.
The names of the leg markings are as follows:
Stocking: white covering the leg and extending from the hoof up to the knee or hock or beyond.
Sock: white extending from the hoof only halfway up to the knee or hock; also called a half-stocking.
Pastern: white from the hoof to the pastern.
Ankle or anklet: white from the hoof to the fetlock.
Coronet: a ring of white hair circling the area just above the hoof.
Of course, variations of these markings are possible. A horse may also have white marks on the heels or to the side of the heel without any of the markings.
