Sabino is Spanish for "pale red", as in a roan….or a sorrel or chestnut horse with flecked with a white sabino markings. Outside the Paint Horse breed, a horse displaying this pattern may be referred to as "speckled", "parti-coloured" as a "Spanish roan" or as "with roaning" or "flea-bitten".

The Sabino pattern is widespread in that it occurs in nearly every breed of horse, at least as minimal white markings, such as "socks". It is often deemed responsible for "crop outs" (horses born with white markings despite having seemingly solid parents) for breeds that do not recognise horses with so-called "excessive white" on the body.

The pattern variation for Sabinos can be confusing – particularly as there is no test for the gene. Some of the more distinctive patterns can readily be mistaken for Frame Overos or even Tobianos. Others are mistaken for roans. Some carriers of the gene may simply display white Sabino socks.

A common characteristic of Sabino markings is that the white patches tend to run vertically up the legs and under the belly, neck and nose, as if the horse was flecked or pelted with bits of white paint from the ground. At one end of the spectrum, a minimal Sabino may have long "socks" running up its legs and a few belly spots. A loud Sabino may appear completely white. Some have colour only on their ears and/or poll, commonly called "Medicine Hats".

• Head: The head often has a blaze and a distinct white chin spot.

• Top line: The white will approach, but almost never cross over the top line except in maximally marked horses and in flecked patterns. White markings generally get smaller as they approach the top line.

• Tail and mane: These are usually fully coloured, though they may be streaked, particularly in "loud" horses.

• Hooves and lower legs: Hooves are generally white or striped. At least one leg will usually be white, with the white often terminating in a "peak" towards the top of the leg.

• Eyes: These are often brown….but can be blue.

• Body patterns tend to be irregular, with the colour speckling or fading into the white, rather than contrasting against it. Horses with a more uniform ticked pattern can often be mistaken for a roan. Distinctive white patches tend to be jagged against the colour.

Despite being so widespread, little is known about the Sabino gene, whether it is dominant or recessive, or whether its dominance and pattern type are influenced by polygenetic factors. The latter seems to be the case in at least some – but not all -- horse families. For example, a horse with only Sabino socks is likely to pass on only his "socks". Loud or speckled Sabinos tend to pass on these patterns onto their foals. But there are occasionally noteworthy exceptions. For example, a Sabino with socks may throw a very loud, even a white Sabino foal, when bred with a solid horse. This makes some geneticists postulate that not only is there more than one Overo gene, that there is also more than one "Sabino" gene. It is also still unclear whether some horses' white markings are simply "white markings", or whether these are caused by the Sabino gene(s).

The likelihood of a Sabino parent passing on the Sabino gene(s) + related characteristics when bred with a solid horse ranges from about 50% to 100%. The higher pass-through rate seems to correspond with the amount of white on the Sabino parent. The greater the percentage of white on the parent, the more likely it is that the Sabino characteristics will show up in the resulting progeny.