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Palomino is a coat color
Equine coat color

Horses exhibit a diverse array of coat colors and distinctive horse markings. A specialized vocabulary has evolved to describe them. Color is one of the first things that is noticed about a horse....
 in horse
Horse

The horse is a hoofed mammal, a subspecies of one of seven extant species of the family Equidae. The horse has evolution of the horse over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, odd-toed ungulate animal of today....
s, consisting of a gold coat and white mane
Mane (horse)

The mane is the hair that grows from the top of the neck of a horse or other equine, reaching from the poll to the withers, and includes the forelock or foretop....
 and tail. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a single allele
Allele

An allele is one member of a pair or series of different forms of a gene. Usually alleles are coding region, but sometimes the term is used to refer to a junk DNA....
 of a dilution gene
Dilution gene

Dilution gene is a popular term for any one of a number of genes that act to create a lighter coat color in living creatures. There are many examples of such genes:...
 called the cream gene
Cream gene

The cream gene is responsible for a number of horse Equine coat color including palomino, Buckskin , cremello, perlino and smoky cream. It also creates the not-always-recognized smoky black....
 working on a red (chestnut
Chestnut (coat)

Chestnut is a Equine coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat....
) base coat.






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Silz Cheval1
Quarter Horse(refon)
Palomino is a coat color
Equine coat color

Horses exhibit a diverse array of coat colors and distinctive horse markings. A specialized vocabulary has evolved to describe them. Color is one of the first things that is noticed about a horse....
 in horse
Horse

The horse is a hoofed mammal, a subspecies of one of seven extant species of the family Equidae. The horse has evolution of the horse over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, odd-toed ungulate animal of today....
s, consisting of a gold coat and white mane
Mane (horse)

The mane is the hair that grows from the top of the neck of a horse or other equine, reaching from the poll to the withers, and includes the forelock or foretop....
 and tail. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a single allele
Allele

An allele is one member of a pair or series of different forms of a gene. Usually alleles are coding region, but sometimes the term is used to refer to a junk DNA....
 of a dilution gene
Dilution gene

Dilution gene is a popular term for any one of a number of genes that act to create a lighter coat color in living creatures. There are many examples of such genes:...
 called the cream gene
Cream gene

The cream gene is responsible for a number of horse Equine coat color including palomino, Buckskin , cremello, perlino and smoky cream. It also creates the not-always-recognized smoky black....
 working on a red (chestnut
Chestnut (coat)

Chestnut is a Equine coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat....
) base coat. However, most color breed
Color breed

A color breed is a term that refers to horses that are registered based primarily on their coat color, regardless of the horse's actual list of horse breeds or breed type....
 registries that record palomino horses were founded before equine coat color genetics
Equine coat color genetics

Equine coat color genetics determine a horse's coat color. All horses begin genetics with a base coat of "red" or "black." This base color is designated as "e" for the recessive gene red allele and "E" for the dominant gene black allele....
 were understood as well as they are today, and hence the standard definition of a palomino is based on the coat color visible to the eye, not the underlying presence of the dilution gene.

While the breed standard states the ideal color is that of a "newly minted gold coin" (sometimes mistakenly claimed to be a penny), some palomino registries allow a coat color that may range from cremello
Cremello

Cremello is a horse coat color consisting of a cream colored body with a cream or white mane and tail. It occurs when a horse is homozygous for a dilution gene sometimes called the cream gene acting on a red base coat....
, an almost-white color, to a deep, dark, chocolate color ("chocolate palomino"). Skin and eyes are usually dark, though some foals carrying the champagne gene
Champagne gene

The champagne gene is a gene that occurs in horses that produces a golden equine coat color and other distinctive features. It is a dominance relationship dilution gene that will produce the same color whether the horse obtains one or two copies of the gene....
 are born with light-colored eyes that darken as the horse ages. White markings
Horse markings

Markings on horses usually are distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base equine coat color. Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify the horse as a unique individual....
 are permitted on the legs, but must not extend beyond the knees or hocks. White markings are also permitted on the face, but must not extend past the eyes.

Colors that are not true palomino

Many non-palominos have a gold coat or a light mane, or both. Horses that have a gold body but a black mane and tail are Buckskins. Those that have a dull gold or tan body with a dark mane and tail plus "primitive" dark markings such as a dorsal stripe down the spine and zebra markings on the back of the forearms are called duns
Dun gene

File:Mesteno.jpgThe dun gene is a dilution gene that affects both red and black pigments in the equine coat color of a horse. The dun gene has the ability to affect the appearance of all black , bay , or chestnut -based horses to some degree by lightening the base body coat and suppressing the underlying base color to the mane, tail, legs...
. Horses with a chocolate-colored coat with a light mane and tail may actually be black
Black (horse)

Black is a equine coat color of horses in which the entire hair coat is black. Black is a relatively uncommon coat color, and novices frequently mistake dark Chestnut or Bay for black....
 horses expressing the rare silver dapple gene
Silver dapple gene

The silver dapple gene is a dilution gene that affects the black base equine coat color. It will typically dilute a black mane and tail to flaxen, and a black body to a shade of brown or chocolate....
. Many reddish-colored "palominos" with a light cream mane and tail are chestnut
Chestnut (coat)

Chestnut is a Equine coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat....
 horses that carry a flaxen gene. The Champagne gene
Champagne gene

The champagne gene is a gene that occurs in horses that produces a golden equine coat color and other distinctive features. It is a dominance relationship dilution gene that will produce the same color whether the horse obtains one or two copies of the gene....
 also causes a golden-colored coat on some horses, but the presence of pink skin, amber or hazel eyes in adulthood, and mottled skin suggest the presence of the champagne gene
Champagne gene

The champagne gene is a gene that occurs in horses that produces a golden equine coat color and other distinctive features. It is a dominance relationship dilution gene that will produce the same color whether the horse obtains one or two copies of the gene....
, not the cream gene. The pearl gene
Pearl gene

The Pearl gene, also known as the "Barlink factor," is a dilution gene that somewhat resembles the cream gene and the champagne gene, but is neither....
 or "Barlink factor," may also create blue-eyed palominos.

Color breed

The palomino is considered a color breed
Color breed

A color breed is a term that refers to horses that are registered based primarily on their coat color, regardless of the horse's actual list of horse breeds or breed type....
. Unlike the Appaloosa
Appaloosa

The Appaloosa is a list of horse breeds known for its preferred leopard complex-spotted coat pattern and other distinctive physical characteristics....
, which is a distinct breed that also happens to have a unique color preference, any breed or type of horse usually may be registered as palomino if they are properly golden-colored (though, for some registries, horses may also meet a conformation or type standard). The palomino cannot be a true breed, however, because palomino color is an incomplete dominant
Dominance relationship

In genetics, dominance describes the effects of the different versions of a particular gene on the phenotype of an organism. Many animals and plants have diploid in their genome, one inherited from each parent....
 gene and does not breed "true;" A palomino crossed with a palomino may result in a palomino about 50% of the time, but could also produce a chestnut (25% probability) or a cremello (25% probability). Thus, palomino is simply a partially expressed color allele
Allele

An allele is one member of a pair or series of different forms of a gene. Usually alleles are coding region, but sometimes the term is used to refer to a junk DNA....
 and not a set of characteristics that make up a "breed."

Because registration is based solely on coat color, horses from many breeds or combination of breeds may qualify. Some breeds that have palomino representatives are the American Saddlebred
American Saddlebred

The American Saddlebred, formerly known as the American Saddle Horse, is a breed of horse that was developed in Kentucky by plantation owners. Today, in the horse show world, they are most commonly seen under saddle in Saddle seat style riding, and in various types of driving , including pleasure driving and various types of fine harness comp...
, Tennessee Walking Horse, Morgan
Morgan horse

The Morgan is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the stallion Figure , later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, the breed excels in many disciplines, and is known for its versatility....
 and Quarter Horse
American Quarter Horse

The American Quarter Horse is an American Horse breeds of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name came from its ability to outdistance other breeds of horses in races of a quarter mile or less, where some individuals have been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph....
. The color is fairly rare in the Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds best known for its use in Thoroughbred horse race. Although the word "thoroughbred" is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed....
, but does in fact occur and is recognized by The Jockey Club. Some breeds, such as the Haflinger
Haflinger (horse)

The Haflinger, also known as the Avelignese, is a breed of horse developed in Austria and northern Italy during the late 1800s. There are several theories as to this breed's origin, but its current conformation and appearance are the result of infusions of Arabian horse and various European breeds' blood into the original native Tyrolean poni...
 and Arabian
Arabian horse

The Arabian horse is a list of horse breeds of horse that originated in the Middle East. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world....
, may appear to be palomino, but are genetically chestnuts with flaxen manes and tails, as neither breed carries the cream dilution. However, in spite of their lack of correct DNA, some palomino color registries have registered such horses if their coat color falls within the acceptable range of shades.

Due to their unusual color, palominos stand out in a show ring, and are much sought after as parade horses. They were particularly popular in movies and television during the 1940s and 1950s. One of the most famous palomino horses was Trigger
Trigger (horse)

Trigger was a 15.3 Hand golden palomino, made famous in U.S. Western films with his owner/rider, cowboy star Roy Rogers. He was originally named Golden Cloud....
, known as "the smartest horse in movies," the faithful mount of the Hollywood Cowboy star Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers

Roy Rogers , was a singer and cowboy actor, as well as the founder of the famous Roy Rogers Restaurants chain. He and his third wife Dale Evans, his golden palomino Trigger , and his German Shepherd Dog, Bullet, were featured in over one hundred movies and The Roy Rogers Show....
. Another famous palomino was Mr. Ed (real name Bamboo Harvester
Bamboo Harvester

Bamboo Harvester was the name of the Palomino horse which portrayed Mr. Ed on the 1961-1966 comedy series of the same name. Foaled in 1949 in El Monte, California, the gelding was trained by Will Rogers' protege, Les Hilton....
) who starred on his own TV show in the 1960s.

See also

  • Equine coat color genetics
    Equine coat color genetics

    Equine coat color genetics determine a horse's coat color. All horses begin genetics with a base coat of "red" or "black." This base color is designated as "e" for the recessive gene red allele and "E" for the dominant gene black allele....
  • Equine coat color
    Equine coat color

    Horses exhibit a diverse array of coat colors and distinctive horse markings. A specialized vocabulary has evolved to describe them. Color is one of the first things that is noticed about a horse....
  • cream gene
    Cream gene

    The cream gene is responsible for a number of horse Equine coat color including palomino, Buckskin , cremello, perlino and smoky cream. It also creates the not-always-recognized smoky black....
  • dilution gene
    Dilution gene

    Dilution gene is a popular term for any one of a number of genes that act to create a lighter coat color in living creatures. There are many examples of such genes:...
  • cremello
    Cremello

    Cremello is a horse coat color consisting of a cream colored body with a cream or white mane and tail. It occurs when a horse is homozygous for a dilution gene sometimes called the cream gene acting on a red base coat....


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