Identifying the Thoroughbred EQS 103

How Do We Identify the Thoroughbred? Why do we need to be able to identify a Thoroughbred? For the registration process For racing purposes For our own personal knowledge Identification Methods Coat color Head markings Cowlicks Leg markings Body markings Night-Eyes Tattoo How many types of identification can you spot on this horse?

Coat Colors of Thoroughbreds The Jockey Club, which is the official breed registry of the Thoroughbred, will only recognized certain coat colors This means if your Thoroughbred is not one of these colors it cannot registered with the Jockey Club and then it is not officially a Thoroughbred The selective breeding for Thoroughbreds has eliminated most anomalies and non-listed coat colors Recognized coat colors Bay Black Chestnut Dark Bay/Brown Gray/Roan Palomino White

Bay The entire coat may vary from a yellow-tan to a bright auburn The mane, tail, and lower portion of the legs are always black, unless white markings are present

Black The entire coat of the horse is black, including the muzzle, flanks, mane, tail and legs, unless white markings are present

Chestnut The entire coat of the horse may vary from a red- yellow to a golden yellow The mane, tail and legs are usually variations of coat color, unless white markings are present

Dark Bay/Brown The entire coat of the horse will vary from a brown, with areas of tan on the shoulders, head and flanks, to a dark brown with tan areas seen only in the flanks and/or muzzle The mane, tail and lower potion of the legs are always black unless white markings are present

Gray/Roan In order to reduce the number of corrections involving the colors gray and roan, the Jockey Club has combined them into one category This does not change the individual definitions of the colors Gray The majority of the coat is a mixture of black and white hairs The mane, tail and legs may be either black or gray, unless white markings are present Roan The majority of the coat of the horse is a mixture of red and white hairs or brown and white hairs The mane, tail and legs may be black, chestnut or roan; unless white markings are present

Palomino The entire coat is golden-yellow, unless white markings are present The mane and tail are usually flaxen in color Uncommon color

White The entire coat, including the mane, tail and legs, is predominantly white

Markings During the identification process, markings are commonly used to thoroughly identify a horse The terms we use for markings simplify the identification process and are standardized throughout the process used to register a Thoroughbred with the Jockey Club Types of markings Head markings Cowlicks Leg markings Body markings Night-eyes

Major Head Markings Star Stripe Any major white marking found on the forehead and/or eye level Can be various shapes and sizes Stripe A continuous vertical marking which can begin anywhere from the area between the eyes to just above the imaginary line connecting the top of the nostrils Can be various widths

Head Markings - Miscellaneous Bald Face = The star and stripe cover both eyes, both nostrils and the muzzle Snip = Any disconnected marking found between the nostrils

Cowlicks A cowlick is the center of a hair whorl They are permanent and cannot be brushed away or clipped out Cowlicks on the head and neck area are a useful means of identification There is at least one cowlick in the forehead, not counting the one at the foretop There is at least one cowlick on each side of the neck near the mane

Leg Markings Outside heel white Leg markings are described based on where on the body is the white hair covering Common leg marking terms include: Coronet white Pastern white Ankle white Stocking Coronet white Half stocking Half pastern white Ankle white Full stocking

Body Markings Horses may also have body markings ranging in: Dimples Color Size Location Dimples Indentations in muscles just under the skin Easily seen and permanent Commonly found at the point of one or both shoulders and in the neck muscles

Body Markings - Acquired Acquired markings Have been produced after birth Examples – tattoos, scars, firing marks Microchips Provide additional confidence when identifying a Thoroughbred Not required to register a Thoroughbred in North America Tattoo Consists of a letter and group of numbers applied to the underside of the upper lip Horse getting microchipped

Body Markings - Characteristics Horses are also born with specific characteristics that can help identify from each other Roman-nosed Convex area between the eyes and muzzle Parrot-Mouth Upper teeth extend forward beyond the lower Sway-Back Exaggerated concavity between the withers and rump Roach-Back Definite convex area in the loin region Various conformational faults Roman Nosed Sway-Back A – Optimum, B – Splay-Footed, C- Pigeon-Toed

Night-Eyes Also known as chestnuts Horny, irregular growths found on the inside of legs Forelegs Just above the knees Hindlegs Near the rear of the hock No two horses have the same set of night-eyes Similar to the human fingerprint Do not change in size and shape throughout the adult life