Palomino
You recognise a palomino by its golden coat with light, almost white mane and tail.
What does this colour look like?
A golden-yellow to golden-brown body with white to cream mane and tail. The legs are golden, not black.
- Body
- golden-yellow
- Mane and tail
- white to cream
- Legs
- golden, no black
- Skin
- dark
- Eyes
- brown
How does this colour arise?
A palomino is a chestnut in which a single cream gene dilutes the red to golden-yellow.
More about the genetics
Palomino = chestnut (e/e) + one copy of the cream allele (N/Cr). Cream dilutes red pigment to yellow. Two copies (Cr/Cr) give cremello, not palomino. Cream is dominant with a dosage effect.
What is this colour often confused with?
- Flaxen chestnut
A chestnut with strikingly light, almost blonde mane and tail.
- Gold champagne
Champagne on a chestnut base: golden, with pink/mottled skin and amber eyes.
- Cremello
An almost white, cream-coloured chestnut with pink skin and blue eyes.
Does the colour change?
Little. Can look lighter or darker by season (sometimes a chocolate palomino).
Which breeds show this colour?
Discover more
Sources: UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory · Sponenberg, D.P. & Bellone, R.R. (Wiley-Blackwell).