COMMON HORSE BREEDS
| PINTO HORSE
Origin: |
 Photo supplied by the Victorian Pinto Society Inc. © |
History:
Horses with broken colored coats are mostly associated with the North American Indians
even though they can be found all over the world. In 1947 the Pinto Horse Association of
America was founded and provides a registry for horses and ponies with overo and tobiano
color patterns. The bloodlines of the parents, the amount of color, its location, the age
and sex of the horse or pony determine the registration in the Color Division or in the
Breeding Stock Division.
Characteristics:
Pinto horses come from miniature to full size horses. They are divided by type.
| Stock Type | Horse: |
| predominantly of Quarter Horse breeding and conformation, generally associated with a Western breed; horses that are registered as Pinto and Paint fall into this category | |
| Pony: similar conformation to Quarter Horse, Western type |
|
| Hunter Type | Horse: |
| predominantly of Thoroughbred and Jockey Club breeding with the conformation of an English Riding Horse; some Paint horses fall into this category | |
| Pony: conformation of a Thoroughbred Horse and a Connemara Pony |
|
| Pleasure Type | Horse: |
| predominantly of Arabian or Morgan breeding | |
| Pony conformation of Arabian, Morgan or Welsh Pony |
|
| Saddle Type | Horse: |
| predominantly of Saddlebred or Tennessee Walking Horse
breeding, high head carriage and animation |
|
| Pony: conformation and action of American Shetland and Hackney Pony |
Patterns:
Distinguished by the location of the color, the major patterns are overo and
tobiano.
| Overo | the white will usually not cross the back between the withers and the tail |
| the white is irregularly splattered or splashy and is often referred to as calico; the head markings are apron-faced, bonnet-faced or bald-faced, the tail is one color | |
| Tobiano | the dark color usually covers one or both flanks |
| the legs are generally white at least below the hocks and knees; the spots are mostly regular and of distinct round or oval patterns and extend over the neck and chest giving a shield like appearance; head markings are a solid color or have a blaze, star, stripe or snip; the tail often has two colors | |
| Toveros | horses that have overo and tobiano characteristics |
Colour Requirements:
| - | an all white horse with a colored area on the head and body |
| - | a horse with a solid color and a spot on the body |
| - | noticeable white markings on body, does not include head and legs, areas must be large enough to show Pinto breeding and color patterns |
| - | a white horse with a dark cheek, cap or spotted face |
Today:
The good natured Pinto is an excellent riding horse and popular for ranch work.
