What Is A "Paint"
Horse?
◙
Click Here for Paint Horse Coat Colours
◙
Click Here for Paint Horse
Markings
While their colorful coat pattern is
essential to the identity of the breed, the
"American Paint Horse" is a breed that combines
patterned color, strict bloodline requirements
and a distinctive stock-horse body type - which
makes a "Paint" different than a "Pinto".
To be eligible for registry, a Paint's sire
and dam must be registered with the American
Paint Horse Association, the American Quarter
Horse Association, or the Jockey Club
(Thoroughbreds). At least one parent must be a
registered American Paint Horse. To be
eligible for the Regular Registry, the horse
must also exhibit a minimum amount of white
hair over un-pigmented (pink) skin.
Each Paint Horse has a particular
combination of white and any color of the
equine spectrum: black, bay, brown, chestnut,
dun, grullo, sorrel, palomino, buckskin, gray
or roan. Markings can be any shape or size,
and located virtually anywhere on the Paint's
body.
Although Paints come in a variety of colors
with different markings, there are only three
specific coat patterns:
Tobiano,
Overo and Tovero. These colors,
markings and patterns, combined with
stock-type conformation, athletic ability and
agreeable disposition, make the American Paint
Horse an investment in quality.
Paint or Pinto?
A Question Of Bloodlines
The terms "Paint" and "Pinto" are often
confused when referring to a horse with a
light and dark coat pattern. In fact, the two
terms have different meanings.
As noted above, "Paints" are American Paint
Horse Association (APHA) registered horses
that can prove parentage from one of the three
approved registries:
American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA),
The Jockey Club (Thoroughbreds),
American Paint Horse Association.
In addition to their coloration and
bloodlines, Paints are also exhibit the
stock-horse body type.
In contrast, a "Pinto" can be almost any
breed as the
Pinto Horse Association is a registry for
coloration but not specific bloodlines. While
a loud-colored horse can be double-registered
if it meets the standards specified by each
registry (for example, a Paint can also be
registered as a Pinto based to its colorings),
the two registries are independent of each
other.
History of The
American Paint Horse
Let your imagination carry you back to a
simpler time. A time when wide open spaces under
clear, crisp skies beckoned to come explore the
wild frontier. Rediscover those basic values and
simple pleasures on the back of a colorful
horse. Celebrate this chance to return to the
roots of the North American West with a unique,
living legend - the American Paint Horse.
Decorated by nature, the origins of the
Paint Horse in North America can be traced
back to the two-toned horses introduced by
Spanish explorers, descendants of horses from
North Africa and Asia Minor.
In 1519 the Spanish explorer
Hernando
Cortes sailed to the New World to find his
fame and fortune. Along with his entourage of
conquistadors, he brought horses to help his men
search the vast land for riches. According to
the Spanish historian Diaz
del Castillo, who traveled with the
expedition, one of the horses was described as a
"pinto" with "white stockings on
his forefeet." The other was described as a
"dark roan horse" with "white
patches." These were the first known
recorded descriptions of early Paint Horses in
the New World.
Inevitably, some of the Spanish horses
escaped to create the wild herds of horses
roaming the Great Plains. By the early 1800s,
the western plains were generously populated
by free-ranging herds of horses, and those
herds included the peculiar spotted horse.
Because of their color and
performance, flashy, spotted horses soon became
a favorite mount of the American Indian. The Comanche
Indians, considered by many authorities to
be the finest horsemen on the Plains, favored
loud-colored horses and had many among their
immense herds. Evidence of this favoritism is
exhibited by drawings of spotted horses found on
the painted buffalo robes that served as records
for the Comanches.
Captured and gentled, they raced alongside
the vast herds of buffalo and traveled
hundreds of miles on cattle drives. Cherished
by the finest horsemen of the Western
frontier, both Native Americans and cowboys
sought the hardy horses loudly splashed with
color. Throughout the 1800s and late into the
1900s, these spotted horses were called by a
variety of names: pinto, paint, skewbald,
piebald.
Over time, breeders gradually improved the
conformation and athletic ability of the
rugged descendants of wild mustangs and cow
ponies. Each generation passed its unusual and
unique coat patterns and coloring to the next,
creating the American Paint Horse. Today, the
stock-type conformation, natural intelligence
and willing disposition make the American
Paint Horse an ideal partner for pleasure
riding, showing, ranching, racing, rodeoing,
trail riding, or just as a gentle friend for
the kids.
The
APHA - An Association as Special as
its Members
The American Paint Stock Horse Association was
formed in 1962 by horsemen and women who loved
the abilities of the Western stock-type horse,
but also treasured the unusual color patterns
of the American Paint. The organization has
grown from a registry of 3,800 horses at its
foundation to more than a quarter of a million
horses worldwide today. The number continues
to grow with more than 25,000 foals registered
last year, making the APHA the third largest
equine registry in the United States based on
the number of foals registered annually.
Although the APHA's primary mission is to
record pedigrees, the association is also
dedicated to promoting the history, breeding,
training, showing, racing, sales and enjoyment
of American Paints.
But the heart of the APHA is its members, for
the mission of the association and the
programs it sponsors reflect their interests
and their love of the American Paint Horse. As
a result, the APHA has developed programs for
every level of interest and skill. If it's
competition you crave, whether you are a
youth, amateur, or professional, team up with
a natural athlete and choose from local shows
to world championships. Perhaps you're seeking
to explore new trails. Saddle up on a Paint
and join the leisure riding program Ride
America, or participate in the annual APHA-sponsored
trail ride. If your goal is to reach new
levels of performance, a Paint can take you
there be it in eventing or team penning. And
the association has the Outside Competitive
Activities Program to record your achievements
in those areas as well.
|
