Horse Markings
On the face:
- Star (a white patch between the eyes)
- Snip (a white patch on the muzzle)
- Stripe (narrow white stripe down the middle of the face)
- Interrupted Stripe (a narrow white stripe down the middle of the face that is interrupted and not continuous)
- Blaze (broad white stripe down the middle of the face)
- White Face (sometimes called Bald Face)
- Glass Eye (blue eye, having a glassy look to it, also called China Eye)
- Mascara (the effect of a horse in contact with the Santa Cruz Tarweed or other sticky plant, which comes in contact with soil and creates a temporary mascara)
On the legs:
- Ermine marks (black marks on the white just above the hoof)
- Sock (white marking that does not extend as high as the knee or hock but is taller than a pastern)
- Stocking (white marking that extends as high as the knee or hock)
- Pastern (white marking that extends only a few inches above the top of the hoof)
Elsewhere:
Whorls, coloquially known as "cow licks" - are divergent or convergent patches of hair found anywhere on the body but mostly on the head, neck and just in front of the stifles.
For horse color and marking genetics see Equine coat color genetics. Another good resource for horse color is: Horse color, markings, and genetics. Another that has numerous photographs of various colors and markings is Equine color.