Horses of the Old West: The Piebald

 

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G.B.S., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

 I love horses. I can’t imagine anyone who reads/writes Westerns that doesn’t. In my new release, Luke Geller is given a piebald to ride. A horse that both infuriates and charms him. So, in honor of ‘Ornery’ this post is about piebalds.

First, what is a piebald? A piebald isn’t a breed but a color pattern.  A white horse with black splotches or a black horse with white splotches. In the states they are often referred to as pintos. Pintos can have any color pattern. Horses with white splotches on a coat other than black, such as brown or chestnut, are called skewbalds. In America, piebalds are considered part of the American Paint Horse family.

This beautiful horse got its name from magpies—black and white birds—and the term bald, referring to the white splotches. 

 

Piebalds have one of three specific coat colors: tovero, overo or tobiano.

The overo pattern does not have white splotches on the back of the horse. The legs can be dark and usually at least one leg has no white on it at all.

The tobiano coat has large white spots found on the body and or the legs.

The tovero has a mix of the two patterns and is mainly white. They also normally have dark mouths and blue eyes or at least one blue eye. These piebalds can have spots at the base of their tail.

No matter what color pattern, these horses are all keepers in my book.

Got a particular breed of horse you’d like discussed on the next post? Just leave me a comment.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Sandra

 

 

He’s a history professor and part-time archologist. She’s a rancher from the 1800s.

#Timetravel #Western #Romance #Paranormal

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