Horse
Breed Description:
The American Paint breed of horse is a breed of a specific combination of ancestry, with a specific color pattern. ("Paint" is a breed and should not be confused with "Pinto" which denotes a horse of a painted color pattern, but may not share the specific ancestry of the registered American Paint breed of horse. Therefore a "Paint" may be a "Pinto", but a Pinto is not necessarily qualified to be categorized a Paint.) Its coat may be any combination of white, with any of the colors of the equine spectrum. The patterns of coat in the American Paint breed of horse are divided into three categories: overo, tobiano and tovero. The American Paint Horse Association is the second largest breed registry in the United States. To meet qualifications for registry as an American Paint breed of horse, the individual must exhibit a required minimum amount of white hair area over un-pigmented (pink) skin. In addition, at least one parent must be registered with the APHA and the other must be registered with the APHA, the American Quarter Horse Association, or the Jockeys Club (Thoroughbred registry). A sub-category exists within the American Paint Horse registry for solid-colored horses whose parents are both pinto and both in the registry. The American Paint breed of horse should be of Western stock type, and have a strong constitution. It should possess strong athletic ability. Sharing a common ancestry - the combination of bloodlines from the horse of the Spanish conquistadors with the English-imported horses in colonial times - with the American Quarter Horse, the American Paint breed of horse's conformation standard is identical to that of the Quarter horse. The American Paint breed of horse should possess a strong, stocky build. It should carry a small head on a muscular neck. It may have small feet in comparison to its size, and should have a very strong rump, with pronounced haunches for power. Like the Quarter horse, the American Paint breed of horse is commonly used in Western competition, such as rodeo and gymkhana, as well as in working livestock.
Temperament:
The American Paint breed of horse is agreeable, quiet and easy-going of disposition, and is eager to please. It can make an excellent horse for a beginning rider.
Height:
Averages 14.3 to 16 hands, or 59" to 64" at the withers.
Health Problems:
The American Paint breed of horse is particularly susceptible to Overo Lethal White Syndrome (OLWS), also known as White Foal Syndrome (WFS). Foals that are homozygous for the gene will be humanely euthanized at birth, or will die in a few days from an underdeveloped intestinal tract. Horse which are heterozygous for the gene will be carriers, but otherwise healthy.
The American Paint breed of horse is also vulnerable to Wobbler's Syndrome, and to Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (more commonly known as HYPP) and Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia (HERDA). Both HYPP and HERDA are inherited diseases which can be potentially avoided through careful breeding.
Living Conditions:
The American Paint breed of horse is hardy and comfortable in pasture for much of the year; extremes of heat and cold should be avoided.
Origin:
In the 1940's the American Quarter Horse Association was formed. Its standard excluded horses of pinto coloration. Fanciers of the pinto or "painted" American Paint breed of horse organized various regional groups to preserve the Paint horses. In 1965 a number of these organizations banded together and established the American Paint Horse Association 