THE BASIC COAT PATTERNS
Spotted Blanket
Dark forehand with white over loin & hips with round or egg shaped spots. Some/many of these have halos (ie roan tings edging the spots).
Spots may vary in diameter from half inch to four inches. Blankets maybe small or large patches on the rump.

Leopard
Base colour pure white with evenly distributed dark spots over the entire body from head to hoof. They are born with these spots and carry then throughout life.
White Blanket
Dark forehand with a blanket without spots, or nearly void of spots.

Snowflake
The base colour is dark with spots over the body.
The snowflake is usually born soild coloured and 'colours out' to this pattern, often becoming roan.
Frosted Hip
Dark base colour with either frost or white spots on the loin and hips.
Ths pattern can develop with age, or they can be born with this colouring.
Near Leopard
Born with leopard coloured body markings but with different coloured head and legs.
As it matures, the dark colouring often fades, the horse becoming a full leopard.
Marble (or Roan)
Base colour is usually red or blue roan. At times described as bay, brown or balck roan.
Marbles usually have 'varnish' marks (darker patches.)
Few Spot Leopard
Has basic colour of whitewith blue or red roan 'varnish marks' and just a few spots.
Solid (Plain coloured)
A few percentage of Appaloosas born solid fail to 'colour out' or develop characteristics in maturity.
OTHER CHARACTERISTICS
Parti-Coloured Skin (Mottled Skin) - This is one of the most tell-tale physical characteristics of the breed. This mottling of pink and black skin is always evident around the soft skin of the lips, muzzle, nostrils or eye. Some Appaloosas have a minimum of mottled skin. Others may have a lot.
White Sclera - This is sometimes called the 'human eye' as the white, which encircles the eye, is like a person's eye. Most other horses have a dark sclera.
Striped Hooves - Vertical stripes or laminations of the hoof. Not all solid Appaloosas will show these characteristics.
OTHER CHARACTERISTIC EXAMPLES