History and Origin of the Breed

The history of the American Pinto can be traced back to ancient times. Their presence has been found on Egyptian tombs as far back as the 4th century B.C. Evidence of their use has been unearthed in the Gobi Desert. Genghis Khan used Pintos in his conquests of Asia. Paintings of pinto horses are plentiful in European art of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.

The Spanish were particularly fond of the Pinto and brought many of them to the new world. This is how the American Pinto got its start. Cortez had large Pinto herds which were used in his conquest of Mexico. These herds and others like them were often stolen by Native Americans or simply got free on their own to run with the wild horses of the Great Plains.These horses formed the beginnings of the Mustang herds.

Native Americans favored the Pinto partly due to its coloring which blended well with tribal war paint. The Pintos natural camouflage enhanced their concealment, making it the ideal combat horse.

American cowboys also took advantage of the Pintos distinctive coloring to help identify his particular horse from others. This unique feature provides Pinto owners with additional security.

There is no denying that the Pinto stands out in a crowd. Even among a herd of Pintos, no two are exactly alike. The Pinto is a very versatile animal.Due to extensive cross-breeding over the years, the Pinto can perform a variety of tasks. Other breeds have been bred for more specific duties, such as pulling a plow, or racing around an oval track. It is no surprise that so many new horse owners are choosing a Pinto as their favorite.

The NATIONAL PINTO HORSE REGISTRY was formed in 1984 to provide Pinto and Paint horse owners a simple, low-cost way to register their prized animals. The Registry has the least restrictive rules of any national organization and accepts horses and ponies strictly by color.

Est. 1984

              NATIONAL PINTO HORSE REGISTRY

Welcome to The

Est. 1984

Paint or Pinto; I'm Confused

What is the difference between a Paint and a Pinto? A Paint is a specific breed of horse, bred for the conformation and musculature similar to a Quarter Horse, and also bred for unique coloring. Paint horses aren't always colored, some turn out solid but may still carry the genes needed to have colored offspring. Pinto, on the other hand, is ANY breed of horse exhibiting the colorations below (Common breeds that you may see exhibiting these colors are Arabian, Saddlebred, Mustang, Icelandic Horse, and many others).

Some Horse Terminology

Adult Horses:

MARE - Adult female horse (3 years and older).

GELDING - Castrated adult male horse (3 years and older).

STALLION - Uncastrated adult male horse (3 years and older).

PONY - A full-grown small horse (14.2 hands and under).

Young Horses:

FOAL - A newborn baby horse (before weaning).

WEANLING - A colt or filly who is 6 to 12 months old.

YEARLING - A horse who is between 1 and 2 years old.

COLT - Male horse (3 years old and under).

FILLY - Female horse (3 years old and under).

The Horse's Body:

CONFORMATION - The shape of a horse's body. A horse with good conformation is stronger and more likely to stay sound than one with weak conformation.

HAND - Measures how tall a horse is (one hand = four inches).

LAME - A "lame horse" has an injury that interferes with his/her performance and/or health.

SOUND - A "sound horse" does not have any injuries that interfere with his/her performance and/or health.

POINTS - This word is used when describing the color of a horse. The "points" of a horse are his mane, tail, lower legs and the tips of his ears.

GAIT - The different speeds a horse can travel. Every horse has 4 natural "gaits", the (1) walk, (2) trot, (3) canter,

(4) gallop.