Horse Breeds: American Paint

Thought to originate in North America, the American Paint is still popular today. These magnificent beasts are used in traditional stock-horse western events and often show up at barrel races. They are also common in reining events. American Paints are white with patches of any other color found in many areas of the body and head. These horses stand between 14.2 and 16.2 hands high and are popular with hobby riders in many areas of the world.

It is difficult to say where exactly the American Paint came from. There is a reference to two horses having pinto markings crossing to North America with the explorer Hernando Cortes in 1519. This is the earliest reference to this type of horse appearing in North America, though it is possible they arrived slightly earlier. Regardless, but the early 1800s, horses with distinctive Paint coloring were common throughout the West. The Paint was well-liked by many of the native tribes in North America, particularly the Comanche.

Throughout the 1800s and into the early 1900s, these horses were referred to by many different names. Pinto, paint, piebald, and shewbald were just a few of the labels attached to these creatures. Finally, in the 1960s interest in preserving the unique coloring increased. The American Paint Horse Association was formed in 1965 to protect and promote this sweet-natured breed.

American Paints are very distinctive in appearance. The primarly coat color is a brilliant white with patches of any one of the recognized equine colors, including dun, roan, black, brown, bay, chestnut, sorrel, grullo, gray, buckskin, or palamino. These patches can appear anywhere on the body and typically appear in one of three distinct patterns: tovero, tobiano, or overo.