Horse Face/Leg Markings March 18th, 2017

Snip A snip is a patch of white on the horse's nose. It may be a small spot between the nostrils, or it may extend over the whole nose.

Star A star is a white spot on a horse's forehead, between the eyes. A faint star may only appear as a few white hairs, or the star can be large enough it covers the whole forehead area. Stars can be very symmetrical in shape, like spots or diamonds, or they may appear as irregular splotches. Some stars extend down bridge of the nose without connecting to any other facial markings.

Strip A strip is a band of white that extends in a more or less even stripe down the bridge of the nose. A strip may connect to a star at the top and extend to the white markings on the horse's nose. Or they may be broken so there are three separate facial markings on the face, a star, strip and snip. The strip is quite narrow, only an inch or two wide and stays on top of the nasal bone.

Blaze A blaze covers the whole bridge of the nose, from the forehead area, down to the nose. The difference between a strip and a blaze is much wider than the strip. Blazes can be very symmetrical, or they can wander down the face unevenly

Bald A bald face is covered with a much wider white marking than a blaze. The white areas extend from the forehead to the nose, and from side to side beyond the eye area to the cheek bones. The whole nose and muzzle area can be white. It's not uncommon to see bald faced horses with blue eyes. Horses with a lot of white on their noses may be more prone to sunburn.

Ermine An ermine is a small colored spot within any white area on the horse's face. Ermines may appear within a star or blaze. The may be round or very asymmetrical. Ermines also appear on leg markings.

Combinations Combinations of these markings result in horses' unique facial markings. Typical combinations include star and strip, star and snip, and star, strip and snip. If your horse suddenly develops white markings around the eyes these aren't likely to be permanent.

Coronet A small white band just above the hoof

Pastern A white marking that extends from the edge of the hoof halfway up the pastern

Sock A white marking that extends from edge of the hoof two-thirds of the way up the leg

Half Stocking A white marking that extends from the edge of the hoof halfway up the middle of the leg

Stocking A white marking that extends from edge of the hoof to the knee or hock