Probably the largest breed register center in the USA is the American Paint Horse Association. A Paint Horse can be recognized by its very distinctive color pattern: white hair over skin with another color. You can easily tell if it is an American Paint Horse because of this.

A Tobiano Paint

The white hair of the American Paint Horse can be combined with other colors found in horses, such as black, gray, tan or brown. The colored markings can be on any place of the body. The American Paint horses has the same ancestors as the American Quarter Horse, and both breeds are known for their athletic qualities and speed.

To register these horses, it needs to comply with some strict requirements. For example both the dam and the sire have to be registered in the club for Thoroughbreds, one of the parents has to be registered as an American Paint Horse and of course the horse itself needs to comply with the color requirements.

An American Paint Horse has, just like the American Quarter Horse, a heavy, very muscular body and because they're not very tall, they have a low center of gravity. Their back legs are extremely powerful and they can easily maneuver and run very fast. Because of their excellent temperament they make great pets and are the most popular horses in America.

One thing to consider before buying, or start breeding with, an American Paint Horse, is that the horses are susceptible to a genetic disease called lethal white syndrom. The symptoms of this disease are a malfunctioning colon and sometimes a pure white color. Foals born with the disease have a life expectancy of less than two weeks and because living with this disease is very painful, they are usually put down. Many horse breeders have encountered this disease and there is no cure available yet.

Even though the disease is a common known problem amongst horse breeders, the American Paint Horse still is very expensive.

More information about different types of horses can be found on Pony and Horse Portal.