The term leopard is used in connection with horse breeding in two directions and therefore sometimes leads to confusion. The presence of an apploo agent is referred to as LP (leopard). The drawing of such a horse is called a pattern. Horses that have PATN1 are also called leopards.
The presence of LP acts like a main switch and ensures that the respective drawing is visible. The drawing as such is caused by a pattern. This means that there are also single-colored horses that do not have a pick-up switch and that still have a pattern. PATN1 has no direct connection to the other patterns. It is inherited dominantly, ie at least one parent must also have PATN1.
If you want to know more, I recommend "The Breeders Guide of the Leopard Complex" from the Appaloosa Project in Canada. It is important to know that the genotype cannot automatically be deduced from the phenotype. Due to the presence of the brakes, which is now recognized, there are probably several of them, the white coloration can be significantly reduced and the optical blanket is actually a few spots.
rdf ti kha atta rain, fewspot
In the meantime, we also know that such a perfect fewspot must also have elements from PATN2 ff., As PATN 1 alone is only enough for white drawings of 60-70% (Q .: The Appaloosa Project).