Jockey Club Interactive Registration

Leg Markings Help


Leg Markings

Markings found on the legs can be described by one or more of the following:

FEW WHITE HAIRS - can be found on any portion of the legs. When present, they should be noted and their exact location described.

SCATTERED WHITE HAIRS - can be found on any portion of the legs. The words "numerous," "heavy" or "faint" can sometimes be used in describing scattered white hairs.

PATCH OF WHITE HAIRS (Fig. No. 35) - can be large or small and is found on any portion of the legs, especially on the heels or coronet. The words "solid" or "mixed" can sometimes be used when describing a patch of white hairs.

INSIDE OR OUTSIDE HEEL WHITE (Fig. No. 21) - Only one of the heels on a leg is white.

HEEL WHITE (Fig. No. 22) - Both heels on a leg are white.

CORONET WHITE (Fig. No. 23) - The area immediately above the hoof (one inch or less in width) is white.

CORONET AND PART OF PASTERN WHITE (Fig. No. 24) - The white covers the coronet, extends up and includes part of the pastern.

HALF PASTERN WHITE (Fig. No. 25) - The white covers the lower one half of the pastern.

THREE-QUARTERS PASTERN WHITE (Fig. No. 26) - The white covers the lower three quarters of the pastern.

PASTERN WHITE (Fig. No. 27) - The white covers the entire pastern.

PASTERN AND PART OF ANKLE WHITE (Fig. No. 28) - The white extends up and includes part of the ankle.

HALF ANKLE WHITE - The whfte extends up and covers the lower one half of the ankle.

ANKLE WHITE (Fig. No. 29) -The white extends up to and includes the entire ankle.

WHITE TO ABOVE ANKLE (Fig. No. 30) - The white extends up to and includes the entire ankle and a small portion (less than one quarter) of the cannon bone.

QUARTER WHITE STOCKING - The white extends up to and includes the lower one quarter of the cannon bone.

HALF STOCKING (Fig. No. 31) - The white extends up to and includes the lower one half of the cannon bone.

THREE-QUARTERS STOCKING (Fig. No. 32) - The white extends up to and includes the lower three quarters of the cannon bone.

FULL STOCKING (Fig. No. 33) - The white extends up to and includes the entire cannon bone. It extends to the bottom of the knee on the front leg and to the bottom of the hock on the hind leg. If any white extends onto or above the knee on the front leg (Fig. No. 34) or onto or above the hock on the hind leg it should be so described.

DARK OR CHESTNUT SPOTS IN WHITE LEG MARKINGS (Fig. No. 26), (Fig. No. 27), (Fig. No. 28) - Sometimes coat color spots are present in the white marking. Usually they are found on a white coronet, however, they can occasionally be found in other parts of the marking. These spots should be described as to their color and location. If only one spot is present its exact location should be noted.

Irregular Leg Markings

If a white leg marking is too irregular to fall into one of the previously described classifications then a combination must be used to describe that marking. Thus, (Fig. No. 36) may be described as a half pastern white, extending on ankle in back; dark spot on coronet on outside; (Fig. No. 37) may be described as ankle white, higher in back; large triangular dark patch on coronet on outside, extending on pastern; dark spot on coronet in front; (Fig. No. 38) may be described as pastern and part of ankle irregularly white, extending above ankle in back; line of white hairs on cannon on outside.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: A majority of good, concise leg descriptions can be written by using only the terms as outlined in this section. Be sure to identify the major marking, use the descriptive phrases when necessary and state which area of the leg is being described.