Palomino is a genetic color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail, the degree of whiteness can very from bright white to yellow. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a single allele of a dilution gene called the cream gene working on a "red" (chestnut) base coat. Palomino is created by a genetic mechanism of incomplete dominance, hence it is not considered true-breeding. However, most color breed registries that record palomino horses were founded before equine coat color genetics were understood as well as they are today,
therefore the standard definition of a palomino is based on the visible coat color, not heritability nor the underlying presence of the dilution gene.
