by Jill Smith - 15221 N. Shady Slope Road, Spokane, WA 99208
509-466-4612 - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

Headed out to the stallion paddocks one morning, I stopped dead in my tracks and looked in horror at the broken down fence between my two stallions’ corrals. One corral usually held my perlino quarter horse stallion, Commander, and the other corral contained my Arabian race stallion, Timer! Even more horrifying was the fact that they were now... together.

 

There was red all over the snow and my heart skipped a beat as I ran to where they were eyeing each other. As I got closer I could hear Commander saying something in a low threatening voice.

 

“I thought you bragged that you were better at doing this.” Commander said in a hostile voice as he stood there with red dripping off his side and starting to mix with...blue!?

 

As I walked around Commander’s side I could now see Timer with a dripping blue paintbrush firmly clenched in his mouth artfully creating a large blue splash on Commander’s flank. I am pretty sure two stallions don’t do this very often, at least in my experience!

 

“Sooooo, boys what’cha up to?” I ventured, not really sure I wanted an answer but at this point totally intrigued!

 

“I heard that mares just really like those paint colored horses.” Commander offered as he turned his head to study his new red, white and blue patterned side. Timer stepped back with an amused light in his eyes.

 

“Well it’s nice to see you boys, er, playing together. How come Timer doesn’t have a spec of paint on him? And just how did you happen to choose red and blue as your “paint” color?” I suppressed a giggle as I surveyed my horse of many colors.

 

“Arabians are just not as bold as quarter horses to try new things.” Commander snorted. “Being of superior body and intelligence, I like to appeal to mares of all breeds. Timer told me that Barn Red and Farmhouse Blue were the hot paint colors today...luckily they were the only two cans of paint in the barn.”

 

Uh huh, superior intelligence. I looked at Timer and the amused look in his eye was now a definite glimmer with a suppressed knicker-snicker of his own. I wasn’t sure I should educate Commander on true Paint Horse colors and ruin his pretty creative ambition. After all he is signed up to breed registered Paint mares.

 

The American Paint Horse has become very popular and has made the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) the second-largest breed registry in the US. The colorful coat pattern (would they consider red and blue?) is essential to the identity of the breed along with strict bloodline requirements and a distinctive stock-horse body type. To be eligible for this registry, a Paint’s sire and dam must both be registered with the American Paint Horse Association, the American Quarter Horse Association, or the Jockey Club (Thoroughbreds). At least one parent must also be a registered American Paint Horse.

 

A registered Paint Horse has a particular combination of white and colored markings of black, bay, brown, chestnut, dun, grullo, sorrel, palomino, buckskin, gray or roan (no red or blue!). These markings can be any shape or size, and located virtually anywhere on the Paint’s body. Even though Paints come in a variety of colors with different markings, there are only three specific coat patterns: overo, tobiano and tovero. These color patterns are described by the APHA as:

 

Tobiano (pronounced: tow be yah’ no) is a horse that may be either predominantly dark or white, but the dark color usually covers one or both flanks. Usually all four legs are white, at least below the hocks and knees. Generally, the color markings are regular and distinct as ovals or round patterns that extend down over the neck and chest. Head markings resemble a solid-colored horse--solid, or with a blaze, strip, star or snip. The tail is often two colors.

 

Overo (pronounced: oh vair’ oh) is again a horse that is either predominantly dark or white but the white usually does not cross the back of the horse between its withers and tail. Generally, at least one and often all four legs are dark. The markings are rather scattered or splashy. Head markings are distinctive with allot of white, often bald-faced, apron-faced or bonnet-faced. The tail is usually one color.

 

Tovero (pronounced: tow vair’ oh) is a combination of both Tobiano and Overo patterns and the hardest to define. They can have dark pigmentation around the ears and mouth, which may extend down or up. One or both eyes can be blue. A spot or spots can be found on the chest, neck, flank and base of the tail in varying sizes and extending into smaller spots.

 

The APHA also registers perlinos and cremellos if they have confirmed parentage as APHA, AQHA or TB. This was where most AQHA bred perlino/cremellos were registered before the American Quarter Horse Association allowed these quarter horses to join that registry in 2003. Some perlino/cremellos are double registered today. AQHA perlino stallions like Commander can be registered as breeding stallions in the APHA and when bred to a registered Paint mare the resulting foal is APHA qualified. Should I tell him he doesn’t need the red and blue paint?

 

The terms “Paint” and “Pinto” are often confused when looking at a color patterned horse. They are different only in the way they are bred and registered. The Pinto Horse Association is a color registry, where registered Pintos can be any breed. Paints are only APHA-registered horses as described before. So Paint horses can be registed as Pintos, but not all Pintos are qualified to be registered as Paints!

 

The American Paint Horse with its distinctive color markings and patterns, combined with stock-type conformation, athletic ability and an agreeable disposition, has made its mark in many different performance venues and as a popular, colorful family companion.

 

I turned back to my own two white companions....well, one pristine white one and one red, white and blue one. I wondered if Commander had promised a couple of mares to Timer to get him to do the Picasso job but then I glanced at the mare pasture. Every mare on the ranch was keenly watching this painting exhibition with more attention than most human art gallery attendees! Maybe they did like brilliant color rather than a plain white canvas! Do we really know what goes through their minds?

 

I put Timer Van Gogh back into his corral while the freshly painted paint paraded up and down the adoring mare fence line. When you have personality packed horses, sometimes you just have to smile. With a color-blurring flourish, Commander trotted up to me.

 

“As a white, blue-eyed perlino wonder, I’m already a horse of a different color”. Commander artfully boasted. “But now I’m really an all American red, white and blue masterpiece!” You just got to love him.

 

Jill Smith is a Spokane, WA entrepreneur, international business owner, artist/potter and cowgirl at heart. She raises Arabian racehorses, Arabian/Quarter Horses, palominos and Cremellos/Perlinos. High N Command (pen name, Commander) is a smart-talking AQHA perlino stallion, constantly trolling for mares. www.kriseanhorses.com or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it