FEI marking vocabulary: stars, snips, socks and whorls explained
Passport charts are written in a controlled vocabulary. A clerk in a PIO office who has never seen the horse must be able to reconstruct it from the words alone, so the words have precise meanings. This guide covers the core FEI identification terms and the usage rules that keep descriptions unambiguous.
Head markings
A star is any white mark on the forehead, described by its size, shape and position: small irregular star to left of midline. A stripe is a narrow white band running down the nasal bones, described by width, direction and whether it is connected to the star. A snip is an isolated white mark between the nostrils. A blaze is a broad white band covering most of the width of the nasal bones, and white face describes white extending beyond the eyes and nostrils.
Combinations are described in sequence from the top down: star, conjoined narrow stripe inclined to the right, ending in a snip into the left nostril. The sequence convention matters because it lets two different readers produce the same sentence for the same face.
Leg markings
White on the legs is named by its upper limit. White coronet, white heel, white pastern, white fetlock, white sock reaching to mid cannon, and white stocking reaching to the knee or hock. Always state which leg, using the horse's left and right, and describe the boundary if it is irregular or higher on one side: white sock to lower third of cannon, higher on the inside.
Ermine marks, dark spots inside a white marking near the coronet, must be noted, as must any striping of the hoof. These small features are exactly the ones that distinguish two otherwise similar animals.
Whorls, the fingerprints of the horse
A whorl is a spiral deviation in the direction of hair growth. Because whorls are permanent and effectively unique in combination, they are the primary identifier for animals without white markings. Each whorl is located relative to a fixed landmark: forehead whorl above the level of the eyes on the midline, crest whorl in the middle third on the left side.
Distinguish simple whorls from linear and feathered whorls, and record compound arrangements exactly: two adjacent whorls left of midline, the lower clockwise. On the diagram a whorl is a black X placed at the centre of the spiral.
Acquired marks and the Nil rule
Scars, freeze brands, hot brands, tattoos and saddle marks are acquired markings. They are drawn with an indicating arrow and described with position and character: irregular scar 4 cm, lateral aspect of left hock. Congenital colour features such as a flesh mark on the muzzle belong with natural markings, not acquired.
Where a body region carries nothing at all, write Nil. A blank box is ambiguous, it may mean nothing to report or an incomplete examination, and ambiguity is what gets charts returned. EquiSketch applies these vocabulary rules automatically, and its reference model learns the exact phrasing each PIO prefers from previously accepted charts.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a sock and a stocking?
Both are white leg markings named by height. A sock reaches part way up the cannon, a stocking extends to the knee on a foreleg or the hock on a hindleg. If in doubt, describe the exact upper limit in words.
How do you describe left and right on a horse?
Always from the horse's own point of view, never the observer's. The horse's left foreleg is on your right when you face the animal head on. Getting this wrong is one of the most common chart errors.
Do grey horses need markings described?
Yes. Grey animals may lose visible white markings as the coat lightens, which makes whorls, ermine marks and acquired marks even more important. Record the coat colour as grey with the birth colour if known.
What does Nil mean on a marking chart?
Nil is the standard entry for a body region with no markings to report. It confirms the region was examined and found unmarked, which is different from leaving the box blank.