Frame overo
Horizontal white patches on the flanks, framed by colour, with the back mostly coloured.
What does this colour look like?
Irregular, horizontally oriented white patches on the sides and neck, as if framed by colour. The topline usually stays coloured, the legs often coloured, the head often has much white. Blue eyes are common.
- Body
- white on the flanks, coloured back
- Mane and tail
- mostly coloured
- Legs
- often coloured
- Skin
- pink under white
- Eyes
- often blue
How does this colour arise?
Frame overo gives white on the flanks, with the back and legs mostly coloured.
More about the genetics
Frame (O) is dominant for the pattern, but homozygous (O/O) is lethal: Lethal White Overo Syndrome (LWOS), foals born all white that die soon after birth from a non-functioning gut. Breeders therefore test for frame.
What is this colour often confused with?
- Tobiano
White patches that cross over the back, with rounded edges and usually white legs.
- Sabino
Irregular white markings with a lot of roaning on legs, belly and face.
- Splashed white
As if the horse was dipped in white paint from below: white legs, belly, chest and face, with blue eyes.
Which breeds show this colour?
Discover more
Sources: UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory · Sponenberg, D.P. & Bellone, R.R. (Wiley-Blackwell).