On this page I would like to clear up some misunderstandings, myths and non truths about breeding dilutes and paints. I will try answer many frequently asked questions. Please when reading this keep in mind that every horse carries two colour genes. They inherit one from each parent. I have tried to keep this simple and have based my results on true colour breeding horses ie: bay who carries 2 bay genes, not horses carrying other hidden genes as well ie: a bay who carries 1 bay gene and 1 chestnut gene.

A Palomino horse is one which carries a Dilute Gene and a Chestnut gene. To breed palomino's you can breed a chestnut horse with a horse that carries a dilute gene. Some examples are Chestnut x Palomino = 50% Palomino,50% Chestnut. Chestnut x Buckskin = 50% Palomino, 25% Bay, 25% Chestnut.Chestnut x Cremello = 100% Palomino. Chestnut x Perlino = 100% Palomino. Or you can breed Palomino to Palomino, I explain the results of this breeding below. All you need to remember is that when the Chestnut gene is matched with a Dilute gene, you will get a Palomino. Please Note: Chestnut horses always carry two Chestnut genes.

Palomino AQHA Stallion Extreme Colours owned by Morning Sun Ranch Western Australia

A Buckskin horse is one which carries a Dilute gene and a Bay gene. To breed Buckskin's you can breed a Bay horse with a horse who carries a Dilute gene. Some examples are, Bay x Buckskin = 50% Buckskin, 50% Bay. Bay x Palomino = 50% Buckskin, 25% Bay, 25% Chestnut. Bay x Perlino = 100% Buckskin. Bay x Cremello = 100% Buckskin. Or you can also breed Buckskin to Buckskin I explain the results of this breeding below. All you need to remember is that when the Bay gene is matched with the Dilute gene  you will get Buckskin. Please Note: some Bay horses carry the Chestnut gene as well as a Bay gene so by breeding a Bay to a Cremello or Perlino it may be also possible to breed a Palomino, It all depends on if the Bay horse has two Bay genes or a Chestnut and a Bay and which one it passes on to the foal. Note: Buckskins can also be achieved from breeding a Black horse to a dilute but you may also breed a Palomino from this breeding as Blacks can carry the Red gene.

Buckskin AQHA Stallion Dunit Out West owned by Toola Stud Western Australia.

  I am going to explain what makes a Cremello and what this colour is made up off and also what this colour will breed. A Cremello horse is one which has been bred from two Palominos. A Palomino carries a Chestnut gene and a Dilute gene. The Dilute gene is what changes the Chestnut gene to make it a palomino. When two Palomino horses are bred together you will get a 50% chance of a palomino,  (the foal is given a chestnut gene from one parent and a dilute gene from the other making a Palomino) or 25% chance of breeding a Chestnut (one Chestnut gene is given by each parent) or you will have 25% chance of breeding a Cremello which is a Double Dilute (the foal is given a copy of the Dilute gene from each parent making the foal a Cremello). You will never breed a Perlino foal from this breeding, no matter how creamy the coat colour of the Cremello is it is still Cremello not a Perlino! What does this Double Chestnut Dilute foal (Cremello) mean then? It means this foal can only ever pass on the Dilute gene and when the Dilute gene is present in its singular form and matched with the Chestnut gene you will always get Palomino's. The white coat colour of the Cremello is in no way, shape, or form a leathal white horse, it is also NOT a all white horse like the some times seen loud medicine hat sabino's, It is a colour just like a bay horse is a colour, and when a cremello is bred over a paint you will have 50% chance of breeding a palomino paint foal and 50% chance of breeding a solid coloured palomino.

Cremello QH stallion Fortunate Roc

Now i am going to explain what makes a Perlino. A Perlino horse is the result from the breeding of two Buckskin horses. Just like the Cremello, Buckskin is a single dilute. A Buckskin horse has a Bay gene and a Dilute gene. When two Buckskins are bred together you will have a  50% chance of  a Buckskin  (the foal is given the Dilute gene from one parent and the Bay gene  from the other parent) or 25% chance of a Bay (one Bay gene is given by each parent) and a 25% chance you will get a Perlino (the foal is given a copy of the Dilute gene from each parent). You will never breed a Cremello from this breeding. What does this double Bay Dilute foal (Perlino) mean then? It means this foal can only ever pass on the Dilute gene and when the Dilute gene is present in a singular form and matched with the Bay gene you will always get Buckskins. I must point out here that all bay horses carry the Black gene, the Black gene is just altered by the Agouti gene which they also carry which modifies the soft parts of there body making them a lighter colour, but that is a whole different story and we have just called this gene the Bay gene here to keep it simple! The Perlino, like the Cremello, is in no way, shape or form a lethal white horse, it is also NOT a all white horse like the sometimes seen loud medicine hat sabino's. It is a colour just like Chestnut is a colour, and when a Perlino is bred over a paint you will have 50% chance of breeding a buckskin paint and 50% chance of breeding a solid coloured buckskin.

Note: Breeding buckskin to palomino may breed a buckskin, palomino, smokey black, chestnut, black, bay, cremello or perlino foal, it all depends on which colour gene is passed on and whether the dilute is passed on as well. This is where it gets tricky, If a perlino is bred from this breeding it can produce Buckskin, Palomino, Smokey Black, Bay, Chestnut or Black it all depends on the mare.

  

AMQH Stallion RFF Starbuck owned by Milynda Milam of America

Now i am going to explain the diferent paint patterns and i will start with the overo. The overo coat pattern is recognised by white markings which appears to spread horizontally along the neck, ribs and body, leaving the top line of the horse, legs and head still coloured. There may be irregular face markings and a overo MUST have at least one overo parent (they can have a parent who looks solid but carries the overo gene). There is no such thing as a 'crop out' overo. When the overo gene is doubled (overo bred to overo) you will have a one in four chance of breeding a homozygous overo which will be born all white and die shortly after birth ( OLW or overo lethal white). For this reason it is unadvisable to breed overo to overo. If you have a solid coloured paint which has overo breeding please have it tested for the lethal gene ( OLW test) befor breeding it to another overo.

Overo impoted  Paint stallion Ford Shamless Cowboy owned by Burke Stud

Tobiano horses are horses which have white markings which appear to spread down vertically from the topline and upwords from four white legs. The head is most normally a solid colour with normal face markings as on a normal horse. Tobiano's must always have one tobiano parent (they can have a parent who looks solid but carry the tobiano gene). When the tobiano gene is doubled (tobiano bred to tobiano) you will have a one in four chance of breeding a homozygous tobiano. This resulting foal will ALWAYS breed tobiano's. You can not breed a lethal from breeding tobiano to tobian, or from breeding overo to tobiano.
Update: Since writing this piece i have recieved a e-mail from a person who has told me that Tobiano breeders are now having to have there homozygous Tobiano stallions tested for the OLW gene. It seems that even though they are Homozygous for the Tobiano gene, somewhere in these horses past they have been crossed with a Overo. We know this as the Overo gene does not JUST appear it must be passed on by at least one parent to be present in the future offspring. As i have not been able to find any more research on this at the moment i am unable to give you any more details at this moment.

Tobiano Paint stallion Acres Showdown owned by Tahbrit paint stud South Grafton NSW

Sabino horses have white marking which run UP vertically from the legs and underbelly and underneck, accompanied by ragged splashes, spots and coat ticking. They always have a blaze with a chin spot. Sabino horses are very common in a lot of different breeds including Clydesdales, Arabs, Quarter horses (crop outs), Paints and Pinto's.Sabino horses are commonly mistaken for roan horses as they sometimes have white ticking through there coat which looks like roaning but is not. Sometimes when sabino horses are bred togethor will breed what looks like a white horse or  maybe even a lethal. These foals will be completely white with blue eyes and sometimes coloured ears. They are not lethals but just a 'over dose' of the sabino gene causing the 'loud' white markings.  Sabino horses are very good for breeding coloured horses from and the sabino gene is also commonly mistaken for the overo gene. Alot of overo registered horses are actually sabino's and you will not know this untill you have yor 'overo' tested for the 'OLW' gene.

Sabino Paint filly GPS Sweetestintention 

 I feel that it is now nescesary to explain the difference between Pinto's and Paint Horses. The best way to describe a Pinto is as a colour. There is a association for Pintos but it recognises everything from a Miniture and Shetland, through to Arabs and Stock Horses as long as they have Pinto markings on there body. The Pinto association will not register a horse that doesnt exhibit Pinto markings but has Pinto parents, but they will register a horse that does exhibit pinto markings but without any knowledge of the horses pedigree.
  Paint Horses are a BREED, a Paint Horse is a paint regardless of its colour, what makes it a Paint is its pedigree and breeding. The Paint Horse Association also excepts registered  Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds into there stud book. A Paint Horse should look like a Quarter Horse with  white markings (paint).  A Paint Horse can also be registered with the Pinto Association but a Pinto can not be registered with the Paint Horse Assosciation.

                            

      Pinto Pony Stallion                              Pinto Miniture Stallion Ace Of Hearts                     Pinto Arabian Mare Solitare Lady Jem

When breeding a paint over a solid coloured horse you will always have a 50% chance of a solid foal and a 50% chance of a paint foal unless the paint stallion you are breeding to is a paint homozygous stallion.In which case you will get a paint foal.
All these different paint marking can be bred togethor to create new markings. Tobiano to Overo = Tovero, Sabino to Overo = Sabero,  Sabino to Tobiano = Tobino
  I hope i have cleared up some of the unknowns out there when it comes to coloured horses and dilutes. Since owning both i have discovered how little people really understand when it comes to these colours, this is my contribution to helping people understand how colour genetics work! If there is anything else that you would like to know please don't hesitate to email me with your question, i will do my best to answer your query.

 This site explains coat colour in a lot more depth so if you think you are up for it go have a look!