Table of Contents
Breeding history of the Paint Horse
When looking at the breeding history, it quickly becomes apparent that Paint Horses are basically American Quarter Horses with a piebald coat. Their breeding origins go back to this breed and then later, around the 18th century, they emerged as a separate type of horse because of their special piebald coat. From this, a separate and recognized horse breed developed which, although originally based on the Quarter Horse, is now managed by its own breed association and bred under appropriately defined breeding regulations.
Consequently, the Paint Horse, like the Quarter Horse, was created in the course of the 18th century by crossing various horse breeds imported from Europe or brought over from Europe during the settlement of America. These included primarily Arabians, Berbers and Andalusians, but also the English Thoroughbred and Irish ponies. Through selection, further breeding and refinement of these breeds, the Quarter Horse finally developed, which was used on American ranches as a working and riding horse. In 1962, the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) was founded, which is still responsible for breeding the breed today.
What is the difference between Quarter Horse and Paint Horse?
Essentially, the Quarter Horse and the Paint Horse differ in their coat coloration. Paint Horses appear as piebalds in all variations, whereas Quarter Horses are solid colored.
Origin of the horse breed (Solid Paint Bred)
Beside the conventional, multicolored Paint Horses, there are also the so-called Solid Paint Breds (formerly Breeding Stock). The Solid Paint Breds are solid colored Paint Horses. Since the typical Paint Horse markings are inherited in their genes, but have not emerged, the SPBs are not, as one might assume, registered as Quarter Horses, but get in their papers the note “Solid Paint Bred”. Thus, it is obvious to everyone that the paint spotting is present in the genes of the respective horse and can reappear with further breeding. Since one would like to avoid this in the Quarter Horse breeding, the solid Paint Horses cannot simply be registered as Quarter Horse.
Solid Paint Breds are also only allowed to compete in special SPB classes at shows. Often Solid Paint Breds are sold cheaper than “regular”, i.e. colored Paint Horses. However, despite their lack of color, they can be wonderful color sires and should not be excluded from breeding simply because of their lack of color.
How heavy is a Paint Horse?
Depending on the size and build of the horse, a Paint Horse weighs between 993 lbs and 1322 lbs.
The Paint Horse and its appearance – spotted horses with a rather square conformation.
The Paint Horse reaches a height of about 58 to 63 inches and is characterized by a rather square conformation. The short and wedge-shaped head has a firm, small mouth, large and friendly eyes as well as strong ganash with high ganash freedom. Characteristic are also finely shaped and small ears as well as a broad forehead. The neck shows with sufficient length, flexible and light in the nape of the neck, while the rest of the body approaches the square type. The sloping, long shoulders merge into a short back with well defined and not too high withers. This reaches far into the back. Last but not least, a sufficient width of chest, a long croup and strong muscling, which should be especially pronounced on the hindquarters, are desirable. The foundation should appear correct and dry and be characterized by short tube legs, hard hooves and joints that are not too small.
The coat coloration is particularly distinctive in the Paint Horse, as typical of the breed, the horses are piebald in all variations of patterns of Tobiano and Overo coat as well as their mixtures, with the exception of albinos, which do not develop. Occasionally, a monochromatic formation of the pattern may occur, but usually three different variations of pattern occur. According to the expression of the white spotting a distinction is made between Tobiano, Overo and Sabino. Combinations of the three variants are also possible. Typical for the Tobiano is a spotting, which is only slightly pronounced on the head, while the dorsal line and the legs are colored white. In the Overo, on the other hand, the spotting starts from the belly and continues to a greater or lesser extent.
How tall is a Paint Horse?
The height of a full-grown Paint Horse is between approx. 58 inches and 63 inches.
Impressions of the breed
Character traits – the Paint Horse is an affable and good-natured breed
The Paint Horse is a versatile leisure and riding horse, which convinces with a pleasant temperament. Remarkable are its strong nerves and intelligence as well as its high sociability, endurance and hard constitution. Since the Paint Horse always shows itself with a friendly, people-oriented and benign nature, it proves to be an ideal riding partner for many disciplines of leisure riding.
Paint Horse in Video
Special characteristics of the breed
The greatest special features of this breed are the colorful spotting, which can come in many different forms and patterns and make the Paint Horses visually very special. In addition, Paint Horses have an exceptionally good-natured and strong-nerved character, which makes them great partners for novice riders. They are extremely patient and open to working with people. Their greatest field of use is western riding, where they can shine in all disciplines and present themselves as extremely suitable training and competition partners. But also as leisure horses, for extended hours in the country or as a family horse for young and old, Paint Horses are ideally suited. Their robustness and the sure-footedness of the breed also make them interesting for trail work, as well as for ground work.
Despite their not so pronounced body size, the strength of a Paint Horse should not be underestimated. The rather small horses usually cover larger adults with ease, along with the heavy western saddle.
Are Paint Horses suitable for beginners?
Yes, due to their good nature and strong nerves, Paint Horses are very suitable for beginners and timid people in handling.
Hereditary diseases and genetic defects
Paint Horses can basically have the same genetic defects as closely related Quarter Horses. The most common gene disorders are PSSM1, HERDA and HYPP:
PSSM (polysaccharide storage myopathy) is a metabolic disease that affects the muscles and can cause micro-inflammation in them. Sugar molecules are accumulated in the muscle and lead to muscle stiffness, sweating and pain. Horses with this genetic defect must be fed a special diet and require plenty of exercise to minimize symptoms.
HERDA (Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia) is a disease of the skin. Horses with this genetic defect have more sensitive and easily injured skin than average, especially in the back region. Often they are therefore not rideable, as wearing a saddle or a rider would cause severe injuries and wounds.
HYPP (Hypercalemic Periodic Paralysis) is caused by a gene mutation and is also a metabolic disease. It leads to muscle weakness. In the worst case, an affected horse may experience seizures and paralysis. The respiratory organs can also be affected by these seizures, which can cause an affected horse to suffocate during a seizure.
All these hereditary diseases can be detected with the help of the Panel Test. This test can also detect the genetic defects GBED (Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency) and MH (Equine Malignant Hyperthermia).
Also known in Paint Horses is OLWS (Overo Lethal White Syndrome). In this genetic defect, the affected foals are born completely white and are not viable due to an undeveloped nervous system in the intestine.
The last possible hereditary defect to mention is that due to intensive breeding it can happen that there is an imbalance in the proportions of the horse. This phenomenon is especially noticeable in Paint Horses bred for show due to the strong idealization in breeding. Here, the muscling of the body is too great in relation to the stability of the legs. The body weight is therefore too high for the limbs of the Paint Horse. This leads to coordination problems of the affected animals, as well as hooves and legs can already show strong signs of wear at an early age and thus make the use of the horses impossible.
Famous horses of the breed
In the Disney movie “Hidalgo – 3000 Miles to Glory”, five Paint Horses have been used as movie horses and have portrayed the four-legged stars of the movie with their colorful coats.
