In 1962 a proposal was made for the first time in America to make the horse breed official: the Paint horse. Since then the breed has gotten bigger and bigger and now it is even the second largest breed in the whole world! Every horse is different, especially in terms of spots. Every horse is different, inside and out. This type of horses shows that clearly. They can be found all over the world in different riding styles, with different patterns and a wonderfully calming character.
History
Horse breeds with spots had existed for years, but how the Paint horse actually came about is still a matter of debate. For example, it is said that there is Spanish blood in these horses, which is bred with American Mustangs. This created the spotted horses, which were added to the wild herds of the western deserts and plains of America. The cowboys of the time cherished these horses for their great qualities. The Native Americans even thought that these Paints had magical powers. As the Paint horse evolved over the years, its build, character and athletic ability were improved by breeders. The colors and patterns were transferred to subsequent generations and thus important stallions for certain outstanding qualities emerged. For example, there are names like “Gunner”, who is known for passing on his white head, high white legs and talent for the reining part of the western.
Colors of Paint horses
Each Paint horse has a unique combination of white and a different color from the horse spectrum. The most common colors are white, combined with black, bay, brown, chestnut or sorrel. Less common colors are palomino, buckskin, cremello and champagne. This is often caused by a dilution of genes. There is a lot of breeding in this breed, so different colors are easily added. The spots of Paint horses can be of any shape or size, except leopard-pointed patterns. These patterns are typical of the Appaloosas, which generally have spots all over the body. Although Paints have a wide variety of colors, different markers and underlying genetics, we can group them into three coat patterns.
Tobiano
This pattern is most common with the Paints. It is characterized by white round spots, high white legs and white spots that run down the horse’s back. Often more white is present than the other color and the head is usually dark with a small blaze, star or snipe.
Overo
This group is characterized by irregular spots on the horizontal side of the horse, ie; the white spots do not cross over the back. The horse usually has dark legs, but this can of course be an exception. There is often more darkness than white and the face is usually white with blue eyes. The APHA (American Paint Horse Association) has three overo types: frame, sabino and splashed white.
Frame
The most famous overo pattern. It is known as one big spot on both sides of the horse. The boundaries between the dark and white color can be clearly seen. The white color does not go over the back, but can possibly go over the neck. The horse also often has blue eyes and a white mark on the head.
Sabino
Sabino literally means pale or speckled in Spanish. This means that different spots can be found on the horse that are not large in size, are not close to each other, but can be found in special places. For example, belly spots, chin spot, markings on the legs, neck spots, lip spot, roaning, ink spots and also moon eyes (blue eyes) are a good characteristic for sabinos.
Splashed White
This spotting pattern is the least common. It is also referred to as white-headed fur. Its characteristic is that it looks like the horses are dipped in a pot of paint. to be. The legs and underside of the abdomen are white. The horses often have blue eyes and a flared blaze. This color comes in different breeds, but the best known are the Quarter horse, Welsh pony, Icelanders and the Paint horse.
Solid
A solid Paint horse is a horse without spots, but that is registered as a Paint horse. This is, for example, due to a cross between Paint and Quarter, where the stallion is a Paint. At competitions, the parts for ‘Regular Paints’ (with spots) and ‘Solid Paints’ (without spots) are usually separated, in order to spread the large field of participants throughout the day.
Use
The American Paint horse is mainly used in the western, but because of the versatility of the horse, it can also be used for English riding, dressage, jumping, cross and racing. Due to the horse’s intelligence and excellent temperament, the Paint horse is ?? cool ?? in intercourse. It is therefore also a very nice horse for children.
