Palomino

What is Palomino?

A Palomino is a horse color type characterized by a coat ranging from cream to gold, complemented by a white or silver mane and tail. Because this coloration does not breed true, Palominos are not a specific breed but rather a color classification that can appear in various light horse breeds, such as the American Quarter horse or Arabian.¹²³

To be registered as a Palomino, a horse must typically meet specific color standards and possess at least one registered parent from an eligible light breed. These horses are highly valued for their aesthetic appeal in pleasure and parade classes. The term itself is derived from the American Spanish word for a wood pigeon chick, and it is also used to identify a variety of white wine grape in Spain. Two primary organizations, the Palomino Horse Breeders of America and the Palomino Horse Association, oversee the registration of these animals.¹³

Why does the Palomino coat color not breed true?

The Palomino coat color does not breed true because it is the result of a specific genetic interaction rather than a fixed breed trait. The Palomino phenotype is produced by the presence of a single dilution gene acting upon a chestnut base coat.¹³

When two Palomino horses are bred, their offspring do not consistently inherit this specific combination. Instead, the genetic inheritance follows a pattern where the dilution gene may be passed on, doubled, or absent entirely. If an offspring inherits no dilution genes, it will be a chestnut; if it inherits one, it will be a Palomino; and if it inherits two, it will result in a “cremello” or double-dilute coat, which is a very pale, cream-colored horse. Because the dilution gene is incompletely dominant, the predictable outcome of breeding two Palominos is statistically split among these different color possibilities, preventing the Palomino color from being passed on to every foal.¹³

What other horse coat colors are caused by dilution genes?

Several horse coat colors are influenced by dilution genes, which lighten the base pigment of the coat. These genetic modifications create a diverse range of appearances from the primitive colors of early horses.³

Key colors influenced by dilution include:

• Cream: This is a diluted version of a sorrel or chestnut base, resulting in a very pale yellow or nearly white coat.³
• Buckskin: Emerging as a variant around 1,000 years ago, this color is produced by the action of dilution genes on a bay base.³
• Silver (or Silver Dapple): This specific dilution gene primarily influences and lightens the dark pigments of a horse’s coat.³
• Dun: Considered a primitive dilution gene, it is believed to have been present in predomesticated horses and is responsible for the characteristic lightening of the coat seen in many early equines.³

While these colors are defined by specific genetic interactions, most of the variation in modern horse coats appeared after domestication, largely driven by artificial selection performed by humans.³

How do Palomino horses differ from buckskin horses?

Palomino and buckskin horses are both defined by the action of dilution genes on a base coat color, but they differ primarily in their genetic foundation and resulting appearance.³

• Palomino: This color type is produced by a single dilution gene acting upon a chestnut base coat. It is characterized by a cream, yellow, or gold body color paired with a flaxen or white mane and tail.³¹⁴
• Buckskin: This color variant, which emerged approximately 1,000 years ago, is produced by the action of dilution genes on a bay base coat. Unlike the Palomino, which lacks black overtones, the buckskin retains the black points (mane, tail, and legs) typically associated with the bay color pattern.³

While both are popular color types, neither is a fixed breed; they are color classifications that can appear across various light horse breeds.¹