Definition of American Paint Horse

The American Paint Horse is an interesting type of horse. It is considered an independent horse breed, rather than just a different type of colour scheme for other breeds. It descends from a mix of Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, giving it a muscular build that isn't overly heavy. Yet it still retains the ability to rapidly accelerate and retain greater maneuverability, making it a good choice for racing.

One of the first aspects anyone will notice about the American Paint Horses are their colour schemes. A combination of white with other colours like brown, black, bay, chestnut or sorrel will immediately set the paint horse apart from other breeds.

American Paint Horses can be found racing, although they are more common in other equestrian events. Cross-country events, jumping, trail riding, combined driving and Western pleasure riding are all included in these uses. However, there are still events like barrel racing and even a separate Paint Racing, which was recognized in 1966.

Paint racing might not be the most famous of the horse races, but it still manages to draw in a decent crowd. Paint horses started off being recognized as potential race horses in the 40s, when they beat some prominent Quarter horses. After the 1966 recognition, they continued to race against other paint horses. Some of the most recent World Champions of the regular American Paint Horse Association (APHA) include DTL Samureye (2019), Live Moonshine (2018) and the back-to-back champion of CRM Livewire (2012-13).

Paint horses will most likely never match the same sort of fame in the field of racing as some other breeds, but they continue to increase in popularity thanks to their unique colour scheme and physical attributes.