What is the difference between a overo and a tobiano paint horse?

Answer 1

Overo is a white spotting pattern characterized by white body spots on a primarily

colored body at it's lowest expression and at it's highest expression level can produce a nearly white horse.

Horses with moderate white markings generally have color along their top line and on their legs, resulting in the frame version of the pattern.

The OvOv (homozygous dominant) form of this trait results in white offspring that die or have to be euthanized after birth due to a failure in intestinal innervation that prevents normal gut function.

Answer 2

Tobianos most commonly will have a solid colored head with any combination of star, strip, blaze and/or snip or may have none of these. They usually will have color on the chest, flanks and/or rump and commonly have white that crosses the back anywhere from the withers to the dock of the tail. Many times the tail will have two colors, white and whatever color their bodies are. Example: A chestnut tobiano's tail will be white and chestnut. Usually there will be four white legs at least from the knees/hocks down but many times the entire legs will be white.

Overos many times have bald or apron white patterns on the head. Instead of a narrow blaze or strip the white may extend over the eyes and nostrils. Many times the entire head will be white or may exhibit color on just the ears (medicine hat). Many times there will be no white that crosses the back between the withers and the dock of the tail. Tails are usually just one color. Leg markings may be solid or may have tall stockings that extend over the knees and hocks.

Both tobianos and overos may have blue eyes. The tobiano pattern can vary in the degree of white/color displayed on the coat but they have just a single pattern type as described above. The overo however has many different sub-catagories within the overo classification. The different patterns include calico, frame, splash, sabino or can be a combination of these. The offspring of a tobiano and overo may have characteristics of both patterns and is called a 'tovero'.

*For more information on Paint coat patterns check out the APHA websight.

Answer 3

An overo horse is a solid colour with splashes of white. These splashes rarely reach over the back. The opposite is tobiano, which is a white horse with coloured patches.