Golden History of the Palomino Color

Palomino horses have been around for thousands of years. We know this because their likeness has appeared in ancient tapestries and paintings from Asia and Europe, and in more recent centuries, artwork from Japan and China.

Equine historians believe that Palomino coloring was present in Arabian and Barb horses, which allowed it to spread through Europe as these breeds moved to the west. When the Spaniards came to the Americas with horses in tow, they brought Palominos to the New World.

Since then, this golden color has been seen among horses that descended from the original Spanish equines that populated North America. The breed with the most Palominos today is the most numerous in the USA, the American Quarter Horse.

What Is the Palomino Horse?

According to the Palomino Horse Breeders Association (PHBA), a Palomino has an ideal body coat that is close to the color of a United States gold coin. The color must be solid.

Not allowed are horses with a brown or black dorsal stripe along the spine; alternating bands of lighter and darker hairs running around the legs (zebra stripes) or across the withers (wither or neck stripes); spotting and/or coat characteristics typical of Paints, pintos, Appaloosas, cremellos and perlinos; or horses with white hairs interspersed within the coat that is associated with gray.

The horse’s skin must be dark-colored, and the mane and tail must be a minimum of 75 percent white. The iris of the eyes may be black, brown, blue or hazel, if those colors are allowed by the horse’s breed registry. Both eyes can be different colors.

Palominos also have a height requirement: To be registered with the PHBA, horses must stand between 14 and 17 hands tall.

Of course, Palomino is a color, not a breed. The PHBA recognizes dual registration among the following breed registries, relative to the regis­tration of Palomino horses: Holsteiner, American Paint Horse, American Quarter Horse, American Saddlebred Horse, American Warmblood, Andalusian, Lusitano, Appaloosa, Arabian, Half-Arabian, Missouri Fox Trotter, Morab, Morgan, Mountain Pleasure Horse, Pinto, Quarab, Racking Horse, Rocky Mountain Horse or Thoroughbred.

Palomino genetics can be found in each of these breeds. But a Palomino horse that is not registered with the associations above can still receive PHA registration if certain color or other requirements are met. The PHBA will register Palominos of any breed as well as grade horses, as long as they have Palomino coloring.

Showing Off That Palomino Color

Palominos are attention-getters, which is probably why they are popular as parade horses. You’ll see them every year in the famous Rose Bowl Parade on New Year’s Day among the horses of mounted posses, drill teams and equestrian clubs. Because Palominos are such a visually striking horses, they are naturals for the show ring. Shows exclusively for Palominos are regularly held by the PHBA throughout the United States.

A PHBA World Show is held annually, and a registration and transfer special is held at the beginning of each year, featuring many Amateur, Youth and Novice events. The club’s Palomino Incentive Program is designed to reward Palomino owners with cash payouts for achievements their horses make in the Open and Amateur divisions.

To help encourage owners to spend more time with their Palominos, the PHBA also sponsors the Recreational Horseback Riding Program, which recognizes those who ride and drive Palominos in any discipline. Owners log the time they spend riding and driving, and receive certificates based on the number of miles covered in a year.

For many people, Palomino is the quintessential horse color. It’s the horse of parades, of mounted officers and of ancient art. Combine that stunning color with the genetics of each breed the Palomino represents, and you have a golden steed that captures the imagination of all who see it.

Palomino Horse Desktop Wallpapers>>

This article about the Palomino horse appeared in the July 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post All About the Palomino Horse appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Buckskin Color

The first unique horse coat color is buckskin. If you’ve ever seen the animated movie “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” or the Netflix original series “Spirit Riding Free,” then you’re already familiar with the most famous buckskin horses of recent history. Spirit’s color is one of the things that makes him so distinctive and able to stand out from the herd.

Buckskin horses are striking with the combination of a light coat and dark mane, tail, ears and legs. Many buckskins are cream-colored, but some are more golden or tan—it’s the dark points that count. Genetically speaking, a buckskin is a bay horse that has a cream gene, which lightens its base coat to that creamy buckskin shade.

It’s easy to get confused by the terms “dun” and “buckskin,” but duns often have additional dark markings called “primitive” markings. These can include a dorsal stripe along the backbone and stripes above the black points on their legs.

Buckskins can be found in many different breeds, but they can also be registered with the American Buckskin Registry Association, Inc. (ABRA) or the International Buckskin Horse Association (IBHA). Duns and grullas are also included. Grulla (pronounced “grew-yah”) is a mousy grayish-brown shade of dun.

Palomino Color

Our second unique horse coat color is palomino. The golden stars of the horse world, palominos always manage to catch your eye with their flashy coats and flaxen manes. It seems as if they were made for the spotlight. After all, palominos have long been a top choice for TV stardom: Trigger was cowboy Roy Rogers’ constant companion, and kids in the 1960s loved to tune in to watch the lovable Mister Ed.

Like buckskin, palomino is not actually a breed but a color, and palomino horses that meet the requirements can be registered with the Palomino Horse Breeders Association (PHBA).

In the olden days, breeders wanted to develop a breed of horse that was always born with a palomino coat, but they discovered that color genes just didn’t work that way. Remember how we said that a buckskin is essentially a bay horse with a cream gene? Well, a palomino is a chestnut horse with a cream gene.

Palomino coats can range in color from light buttery cream to a darker golden yellow. In fact, the PHBA says that “the ideal body coat color is approximately the color of a United States gold coin.” But I think we can all agree that any shade of palomino is a good shade!

Pinto & Paint Coat Color Patterns

Finally, our third unique horse coat color or pattern is pinto and paint. Be careful not to use these words interchangeably—even though pinto and Paint Horse markings look similar, there’s actually a distinction when it comes to bloodlines and registration. The American Paint Horse is a breed of horses known for their striking patterns of white markings that have Quarter Horse breeding, while the word “pinto” can refer to horses of many breeds (including Paints) that display patterns of white markings.

Like palominos and buckskins, pinto horses have their own registry, the Pinto Horse Association of America, Inc. (PtHA).

Pintos and Paint Horses display a variety of beautiful, colored coat patterns, but two of the most well-known are tobiano and overo. A tobiano can usually be identified by minimal white markings on the face, four white legs, and white markings on the body. Overos, on the other hand, often have a lot of white on their faces, sometimes even possessing completely “bald” (white) faces.

The PtHA registers horses and ponies in five different size classifications and six different type classifications, so there’s truly a pinto horse to suit anyone’s fancy!

Learn More About Unique Horse Colors!

Check out the groups that register, show and promote these colorful horses.

◆ American Paint Horse Association
◆ American Buckskin Registry Association, Inc.
◆ International Buckskin Horse Association
◆ Palomino Horse Breeders Association
◆ Pinto Horse Association of America

This article about unique horse coat colors originally appeared in the March/April 2019 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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