Pinto Horse
History highlights: The Pinto Horse's history involves several origins. Ancient art featuring the loudly-patterned horse has been found throughout the Middle East, linking it to the Arabian Horse. Wild horses that roamed the Russian plains also had pinto markings.
These colorful horses also descend from the Barb stock, a hardy breed from North Africa that was used by Spanish explorers. When they were exported to the Americas, the Native Americans that acquired these unusually colored horses favored them not only for their natural camouflage, but also because they were believed to be strong and magical war steeds. Those that were turned loose or escaped from European conquerors developed into a compact, hardy, and high-spirited breed. When they were captured again later on, these characteristics made them more desirable work horses than the delicate breeds of the East.
The Pinto Horse Society was founded in the 1930s to focus on breeding superior colored horses. In 1956, the Pinto Horse Association, Inc., became the succeeding organization, with leaders who strived to improve bloodlines and give the diverse breed the attention it deserved. The Pinto was recognized as a breed in 1963.
Breed description: The Pinto is considered a color breed; therefore, the PtHA distinguishes them size, pattern, and type. The wide variety of classification recognized proves just how diverse the breed is. Here's a rundown of each classification.
• Size: Depending on their height, Pintos are classified as miniature, pony, or horse.
• Pattern: Pintos are defined as tobiano, overo, or breeding stock. (For a description of tobiano and overo patterns, visit www.myhorse.com/trailrider; breeding-stock horses sport coats that lack the sufficient amount of white to qualify for the regular registry, but are Pintos by breeding.)
• Type: Pintos are defined by the conformational traits and the characteristics of the breeds with which they're associated. The four types are: pleasure (Arabian, Morgan, Welsh or Shetland Ponies), saddle (gaited breeds), hunter (Thoroughbred, Connemara, or Welsh), and stock (Quarter Horse or Shetland).
On the trail: The PtHA, which distinguishes Pintos by markings rather than bloodlines, enables horses of a diverse background to be recognized for their versatility and achievement. After purchasing Dudley, a colorful horse with partly unknown Paint Horse lineage, trail rider Sue Dekalb became interested in the PtHA's advantages and has since logged 1,788 miles with its On the Trail program.
"You can get the best of both worlds by having a horse with your favorite breed and still get the great colors of the [APHA]," she explains. Dekalb is able to enjoy Dudley's Quarter Horse, stock-type characteristics, but also the pizzazz of a Paint Horse.
"There are lots of breeds that make excellent long-distance trail horses, like Arabians, and when you add color to that, you can get a flashy trail horse that can be registered as a Pinto," Dekalb says. She and Dudley are most likely to show their colors on the trails of Henry Coe State Park, California.
