American Paint Horse

Among the fastest expanding breeds in North America, the American Paint Horse has characteristics of a western stock horse in pinto spots of dark and white. It was created from a mix of spotted horses and the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse. Its colorful coat pattern is a main characteristic of this breed. With a stock horse body, this breed must show at least one mark in a color different from its base color to be accepted into the registry. The American Paint Horses come in various color combination of white and another color. They are usually white with brown, bay, chestnut, sorrel, or black. They also appear with spots in gray, cremello, buckskin, roan, dun, and other colors. The spots come in various sizes and shapes and appear anywhere on the body of the horse. The four coat patterns include solid, overo, tobiano, and tovero. If this horse carried the Sabino gene, certain traits like pink nostrils, roan spots, and blue eyes may appear. The American Paint Horse is related to the American Quarter Horse, in that they share the same ancestors. Both are stocky and muscular with strong legs for sprints. Concerning health, the sprint horse is linked to the lethal white syndrome (LWS).