Bay Blanket with spots
Base Colour: Bay
Pattern: Blanket with spots over loin and hip
Face markings: Star, snip, snip lower lip
Leg markings: Lightning marks left fore, half stocking left hind, lightning marks right fore, half pastern right hind
Dark bay roan over body and hips
Base Colour: Dark Bay
Pattern: Roan over body and hips
Face markings: Star
Leg markings: Lightning marks left fore, partial-pastern left hind, lightning marks right fore, partial-pastern right hind
Brown (solid)
Base Colour: Brown
Pattern: None
Face markings: Star
Leg markings: Half stocking left hind, partial-pastern right hind
Black Blanket with spots
Base Colour: Black
Pattern: Blanket with spots over loin and hips
Face markings: Bald face, snip lower lip
Leg markings: Stocking left hind, stocking right hind
Buckskin with roan blanket
Base Colour: Buckskin
Pattern: Roan blanket over loin and hips
Face markings: Star and stripe
Leg markings: Partial half-pastern left hind, partial-pastern right hind
Breed Characteristics
Identification of Appaloosa can be carried out through genetic testing as well as through unique characteristics of the breed.
Examples of typical base colours, coat patterns and other distinctive characteristics are below. More information about identifying characteristics can be found in the Breed Handbook.
Chestnut white with spots
Base Colour: Chestnut.
Pattern: White with spots over back and hips
Face markings: Star, stripe, snip
Leg markings: Stocking left hind, partial-stocking right fore, partial half-stocking right hind
Dun with Blanket
Base Colour: Dun
Pattern: Blanket over back and hips
Face markings: None
Leg markings: None
Grulla Blanket
Base Colour: Grulla
Pattern: Blanket with spots over back and hips
Face markings: Star, stripe, snip
Leg markings: Partial-pastern left front, partial-ankle left hind, partial half-pastern right front, partial half-stocking right hind
Palomino Blanket
Base Colour: Palomino
Pattern: Blanket with spots over loin and hips
Face markings: Blaze
Leg markings: Stockings all four
Red Roan Blanket
Base Colour: Red roan
Pattern: Blanket with spots over back and hips
Face markings: Star and snip
Leg markings: Pastern left hind, partial half-pastern right front, lightning marks right hind
White with pattern over entire body (Leopard)
Base Colour: White
Pattern: Pattern over entire body (Leopard)
Face markings: None
Leg markings: None
Bay Roan
Base Colour: Bay Roan
Pattern: Spots over body and hips
Face markings: None
Leg markings: Pastern right fore, ankle right hind
Striped Hooves
Many Appaloosas will have bold and clearly defined vertically light or dark striped hooves. Light coloured horses tend to have thin stripes in their hooves. As a result, all striped hooves do not necessarily distinguish Appaloosas from non-Appaloosas.
Mottled Skin
Many Appaloosa have mottled (speckled) skin on their muzzle, around their eyes and also on the genitals. Mottled skin is different from commonly found pink skin in that it normally contains dark areas of pigmented skin. The result is a speckled or blotchy pattern of pigmented and non-pigmented skin.
White Sclera
The sclera is the area of the eye that encircles the cornea (the coloured portion). The Appaloosa sclera is white (known as the ‘human eye’) and usually more readily visible than other breeds. It should not be mistaken with the visible white shown when the eye is rolled or stretched wide open.