A pinto is a pony that has large patches of white on their body. The white is added to the pony's color. The pony will always be another color too, such as chestnut or buckskin. The white and the pony's color are inherited separately.

There are many genetically different types of pinto with currently around 50. Thankfully the pinto in Chincoteagues is not that complicated and we have confirmed there are 7 of the many. There's the possibility of a few more as four of them have been found in Chincoteagues in the past year.

The most common pinto in Chincoteague Ponies is tobiano. The second most common is splashed white; specifically splashed white 1. This version of splashed white is common in many breeds. Three of the Dominant White/White Spotting has been found so far: White 20, White 34, and White 35. These there generally creates "normal" white markings or increases (or boost) the amount that's coming from another pinto pattern. The last group is the newest discovery, Eden White that was discovered in 2024. Chincoteagues were part of the initial study and were found to have it. One pony has tested to have two of them, EDXW2 and EDXW3.

A pony can genetically have a pinto pattern but not have any big white patches on their body. They will usually have some white but not enough to visually call them a pinto. The version of splashed white in Chincoteagues does this when only one copy (heterozygous) of the pinto pattern is present. When there are two copies (homozygous) you get a unique looking pinto. Rarely there will be a tobiano with little to no white body spots, known as a cryptic tobiano.

Multiple pinto patterns can be together on the same pony. The combination can create some flashy and interesting pinto markings. Ponies that have both Tobiano and Splashed White are common in Chincoteagues.

Pinto patterns are genetic and they will have a similar look to them so related and unrelated ponies will look alike. Pinto patterns will put white in certain places which causes many ponies to look similar. There are also other modifiers, both known and theorized, that can change the look of a pinto pattern. Such as decreasing or increasing the amount of white. So while you may see some related ponies that have similar pinto markings, you'll also find ones that aren't. You'll also find horses of unrelated breeds with pinto markings that look exactly the same as Chincoteagues. The specific placement and shape of pinto markings isn't genetic and is from randomness.