All About The
American Paint
Horse Breed
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Although a stock horse, The American Paint Horse is an
excellent horse for pleasure, showing plus work
The American Paint Horse Breed
The stock-type conformation, intelligence, and willing attitude
make the American Paint Horse an excellent horse for pleasure
riding, ranch work, rodeo, trail riding, racing, showing, or
simply as a friendly mount for the kids.
American Paint Horse Breed Characteristics
Built for versatility, the American Paint Horse is generally
short-coupled, strong- boned and well balanced.
Yet Paints display a remarkable degree of refinement
and beauty, especially about the head and neck. The Paint Horse's
colorful coat pattern defines the breed, because it is perhaps
the most obvious trait. However, Paint Horses must also possess a
distinct stock- type conformation. Paints come in an endless
variety of patterns. Their coat is always a combination of white
with any of the basic colors common to horses: black, bay, brown,
chestnut, dun, grulla, sorrel, palomino, gray and roan.
American Paint Horse Coat Pattern
Regardless of color, no two horses are exactly alike in coat
pattern. For registration and breeding purposes, three
distinctive types of coat pattern categorize American Paint
Horses. The tobiano (pronounced: tow be yah' no) pattern is
distinguished by head markings like those of a solid-colored
horse; their heads may be completely solid, or have a blaze,
strip, star or snip. Generally, all four of the tobiano's legs
are white, at least below the hocks and knees. Their spots are
regular and distinctly oval or round, extending down the neck and
chest, giving the appearance of a shield. Usually a tobiano will
have the dark color on one or both flanks - although a tobiano
may be either predominantly dark or white. The tail is often two
colors.
The overo (pronounced: oh vair' oh) pattern may also be either
predominantly dark or white. But typically, the white on an overo
will not cross the back of the horse between its withers and its
tail. Generally, one or all four legs will be dark. Also notable
is that overos have bold white head markings, such as a bald
face. Overos generally have irregular, scattered markings. The
horse's tail is usually one color.
Not all coat patterns fit neatly into the tobiano or overo
categories. For this reason, a number of years ago the APHA
expanded its classifications to include "tovero" (pronounced: tow
vair' oh) to describe horses that have characteristics of both
the tobiano and overo patterns. What is especially fascinating
about Paint Horse breeding is that the genetics of coat color
inheritance is still not readily understood. Like when diving for
treasure not every oyster produces a pearl, not every breeding of
two Paint Horses results in a colored foal. This makes each
Painted foal that much more valuable.
Bay
The body color ranges from tan through red to reddish-brown. The
mane and tail may be black, white or both. Black is also commonly
found on the lower legs.
Description—bay overo with bald face, right hind sock and left
hind pastern.
Blue Roan
A blue roan is a uniform mixture of white with black hairs.
Description—blue roan tobiano with blaze and stockings.
Buckskin
The buckskin is a type of dun with body color a shade of yellow
or gold. The mane and tail may be black, white or both. Black is
common on the lower legs. A buckskin may not have a black dorsal
stripe.
Description—buckskin tobiano with a star, right fore sock and
three
stockings.
Chestnut
The body color is dark red or reddish brown. The mane and tail
are usually dark red or reddish brown, but may be flaxen or
white.
Description—chestnut overo with bald (or blaze) face and
stockings.
Dun
The body color is yellow or gold, with each hair the same color.
The mane and tail may be black, brown, red, yellow, white or
mixed. Duns may exhibit a dorsal stripe, a transverse stripe over
the withers, and zebra stripes on the legs.
Description—dun tobiano with irregular star, stripe and
stockings.
Gray
Gray is a mixture of white and any other color of hair. A gray is
born solid- or almost solid-colored and gets lighter with age and
as more hair grows.
Description—gray overo with bald face and stockings.
Grullo
The body color is smoky or mouse-colored (not a mixture of black
and white hairs, but each hair is mouse-colored). The mane and
tail may be black, white or both, and there is typically black on
the lower legs.
Description—grullo overo with blaze, left fore pastern and three
stockings.
Palomino
The body color is a shade of yellow or gold. The mane and tail
are white, yellow or gold. Palominos do not have dorsal stripes
like the similarly colored dun horse.
Description—palomino overo with blaze, right fore coronet, right
rear sock and left hind stocking.
Red Dun
Red dun is a form of dun typically with a yellow- or
flesh-colored body. The mane, tail and dorsal stripe may be red,
white or both.
Description—red dun tovero with bald face and four stockings.
Red Roan
A red roan is more or less a uniform mixture of white with red
hair. The mane and tail may be red, black, flaxen or white.
Description—red roan overo with bald face and right fore pastern
and hind stockings.
Sorrel
The body is a clear reddish or copper-red color. The mane and
tail are usually the same color as the body and may be flaxen or
white.
Description—sorrel overo with bald face, right fore sock and left
hind stocking.
See Also: American Paint Horse History
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