In addition to horse colors, facial markings are important aspects of equine individuality and may denote certain dominant and recessive genes. There are five basic marks on a horse's face, though there are variations that can create some unusual patterns.
Star
A star in horse facial markings is not necessarily (or even usually) shaped like a star, but is instead a relatively small splash of white on a horse's forehead. It can be located up near or under the forelock, but it usually occurs right between the horse's eyes.
Stars are among the most common horse facial markings and can bear some unusual shapes. It is often combined with a cowlick, or a change in the direction of the hair.
Stripe
The stripe is another of the more common horse facial markings, and is characterized by a strip of white running from the forehead to the top of the muzzle. A stripe is no wider than half the width of the face and is almost always white in color, though it can be light gray.
The edges of a stripe can be either smooth or jagged, but it must be a continuous strip of white along the horse's face. Horse facial markings that are broken by areas of facial coloring are not considered a full stripe.
Snip
There are essentially two types of snips in horse facial markings. The first is a splash of white color on the muzzle, usually shaped in a circle or oval. It might overlay a cowlick or cover part of one nostril, but it usually does not extend to both nostrils.
If the mark on the horse's face is along the lip, on the other hand, it can be called either a snip or a white lip, depending on the context. Riders will hear it called different things, but it is essentially the same marking.
Blaze
Wider than a stripe, the blaze is a length of white hair that extends from the forehead to the top of the muzzle, and spans from one eye to another, but does not cover either eye.
Bald Face/White Face
The fifth facial markings are called either white face or bald face, and essentially denote a blaze that extends to cover either one or both eyes. The white hairs might also extend to the jaw line and up toward the poll.
Star-Stripe-Snip
In some cases, horse facial markings will be labeled with a combination of the above. A star-stripe-snip, for example, refers to marks on a horse's face that contain all three. This is the most common combination, but others exist.
Laura Thompson - Laura Thompson is a horseback riding instructor and freelance writer living in Houston, Texas. She is proud to be the feature writer for ...
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