The name of this horse breeds direct us to know about the features of the same breed. So, we are going to talk about a horse breed that has colorful coat pattern, which is essential to the identity of the breed. But that's not all a horse needs to be registered in the American Paint Horse Association (APHA), which was founded in 1965. There are certain requirements that have to be complied. It's thought that the first paint horse is been brought from Spain. A horse must exhibit a minimum amount of white hair over pink skin and at least one of the parents must be registered as American Paint Horse. Besides the white hair the other parts of the horse coat are markings with any shape and size.
They can be colored: black, brown bay, roan, dun, gray, cream, chestnut, palomino, champagne etc. Markings can be located anywhere on the horse's body. The colors, markings and patterns, combined with the athletic ability, conformation and agreeable disposition makes them a quality horse breed. Nickname of this horse breed is Paint. In some opinions Paints are one of the many breeds that are categorized and registered simply because of their color, thus they are not technically a breed. It descends from spotted Quarter horses and Thoroughbreds.
Their average height is around 14.2 to 16 hands; they are short-coupled, strong-boned and have powerful hindquarters and a low center of gravity that makes them well-balanced. The Pinto is the Spanish word for “paint”, but these two terms have different meanings. Not all Pintos are Paints and most Paints are also Pintos. Unfortunately Paints has a genetic problem- Lethal White Syndrome which makes them vulnerable to other diseases.
There are two classes of the Paints, according to its coat patterns: tobiano and overo. Tobiano has solid- colored heads and might have blaze, strip, star or snip; legs are white, their spots are regular giving the appearance of a shield and the tail is often two colors. The overo's pattern white doesn't cross the back of the horse between its withers and its tail, which is usually one color; legs are dark; markings are irregular and scattered, which are white on the head such as a bald face. Latter appears a third class named tovero, which describes horses that have characteristics of both patterns. Paint is exceptional and unique breed with a combination of strength, grace and beauty especially about the head and neck.
American Paint Horses are used for pleasure riding, ranching, racing, as show horses, rodeo, or just as a gentle friend for the kids. Easy-going temperament makes them simple to train, willing to please their owners, incredibly athletic horses; they are commonly seen in western movies with cowboys and Indians. It is obvious that they are more than cute, friendly, calm and intelligent; some even believed they possess magical powers.
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