What is "tobiano"

n. A pinto horse with a spotted colour pattern consisting of white-haired, pink-skinned patches on a base coat colour.

Tobiano is a spotted color pattern commonly seen in Pinto horses, produced by a dominant gene. The tobiano gene produces white-haired, pink-skinned patches on a base coat color. The coloration is present from birth and does not change throughout the horse's lifetime, unless the horse also carries the gray gene. (see below) It is a dominant gene, so any tobiano horse must have at least one parent who carries the tobiano gene.

Other spotting patterns seen in Pinto horses include frame overo, splashed white and sabino. In the United Kingdom, Tobianos are frequently referred to as "Coloured" or as "Pied": Piebald if black and white, or Skewbald if white and any base color other than black. Sometimes "painted" is also used. Bay and white tobiano horses are also referred to as Tri-Coloured.