Everything you wanted to know about about coloured horses and the terminology used.
Coloured Sabino - Breeding and Genetics Information from Angrove Stud
Angrove Stud in Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, is set in beautiful park land in the North East of England. Leafy with enclosed woodland and meadows; secure stock fencing, and green pastures: Angrove Stud is the ideal setting to relax a mare ready for stud. Our facilities are safe and comprehensive. Our visiting mares receive the highest standard of attention and care.
Coloured Sabino
A Sabino is essentially an Overo that has a small amount of spotting in its coat. It may also have white on the upper legs, spots on the belly, and more white markings on the face.
In horse genetics, Sabino and Tobiano are known as "dominant" genes, meaning they have two different allele - see our page on homozygous horses for more information.
The Sabino has a widely accepted range of traits and therefore is the hardest type of coloured horse to define.
As well as the spotting, the Sabino may also feature a roaning pattern towards the edge of its white markings. It can have irregular face markings which cover a larger amount of the face and eyes, more white on the upper legs, and "splash" marks.
There is also a totally white Sabino, which genetically is still a coloured horse! Sabino-White is the term given to a Sabino that has at least 90% white covering its body.
There is also evidence that the Sabino exists in purebred Arab horses.
Read more about the other coloured horse types: Tobiano and Overo.