Pinto Horses

Pinto Horse also known as broken colored horses - continue to be popular today, both in the American west and around the world. The Pinto horse is a color breed in contrast to most other breeds which are defined by their genetic ancestry. Their coloring provided a degree of natural camouflage. However, even though "pinto" is the Spanish word for "paint", pinto horses are not quite the same thing as paint horses. A Pinto differs from”Paint" solely by breeding.

To be registered with the American Paint Horse Association (APHA), a horse must not only have the classic broken-colored coat, it must also have either the sire or the dam registered as an American Paint Horse and have Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred blood somewhere in its background, Quarter Horse for preference.horse mating pony horse mating pony horse mating pony horse mating pony horse mating pony horse mating pony horse mating pony horse mating pony

Thus, while all paint horses are pintos, not every pinto is a paint horse - for example, a chestnut-and-white Shetland pony, while it certainly fits the description of a pinto, is not a paint horse. The same is also true, for obvious reasons, for parti-colored donkeys and mules.

The Pinto does not have consistent conformation since it is bred for color. When the darker color is black, the horse is often described as Piebald. When the darker color is anything but black, the horse is described as Skewbald. Pintos may be from a variety of breeds, ranging from Thoroughbred to Miniatures.

There are four acknowledged types of conformation however: the Saddle type, Stock type, Hunter type and Racing type. Type is determined by the conformation and background of each horse/pony. The STOCK TYPE Pinto is of predominantly Quarter and Paint breeding and conformation. The HUNTER TYPE Pinto is of predominantly Thoroughbred breeding and conformation. The PLEASURE TYPE Pinto is of predominantly Arabian or Morgan breeding and conformation. The SADDLE TYPE Pinto is American Saddlebred, Tennessee Walking or Missouri Foxtrotter breeding and conformation.