Paint or a Pinto?

In reading answers to questions, I have noticed that people seem to be misinformed about the Pinto and Paint breeds. So, out of curiousity, can anyone tell the real difference between these two breeds?

2008-01-31T08:07:36Z

Hint: Paint and Pinto are both breed registries. Both associations require specific criteria, to register your horse with them.

What are the differences?

2008-01-31T08:32:00Z

Due to Andelousianal's answer, I will be more definite - the US breeds. It is interesting that in the UK they are merely colors. In the US, Palomino, Pinto, Paint, Buckskin, Albino all have breed associations and requirements to be registered.

supercalifragiolistic2008-01-31T11:37:39Z

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Currently to register a horse with APHA it must have 1 APHA registered parent, the other may be Jockey Club (JC) registered or AQHA. Prior to 2004, "crop outs" meeting the color requirements were eligible for registration with APHA. A crop out is a horse with either 2 JC, 2 AQHA, or one of each breed parents that meets APHA color requirements. When AQHA dropped their white rule, APHA changed their registration requirements; now a foal must have one APHA registered parent to be eligible for registration. As previously mentioned, APHA has a "breeding stock" now referred to as "solid bred" designation for horses that meet the bloodline requirements but not the color requirements.

Pinto (PtHA) also has bloodline requirements. Horses with Appaloosa, Draft or Mule breeding and/or characteristics and stallions with unknown, unregistered or unapproved outcross registered sire or dam are not eligible for PtHA registry even if they meet the color requirements. PtHA also has a breeding stock designation for horses with registered PtHA parents that don't meet the color requirements.

In short, a Paint can be a Pinto, but a Pinto cannot be a Paint. :-)

Also, there are APHA (and AQHA) approved shows in Europe, UK included; and both Paint and Quarter Horse breeders in Europe. My trainer has sold several horses to Germany and Italy...

Anonymous2008-01-31T09:40:03Z

The Paint Horse Assoc is a true breed association, and the only horses that can be registered are ones that have at least one parent being a TB or a QH or a Paint. Solid babies can also be registered as breeding stock. Pintos, however have different standards by which to adhere to qualify for registration. The PtHA allows any breed, with pinto markings to be registered, plus any solid colt that has a registered Pinto parent. If either of these associations were considered strictly "color" breeds, they couldn't/wouldn't register the solid babies. And both associations consider themselves a true breed, not a color breed. Now, there are different Pinto associations and they differ in their regulations, but the main one and the largest one is the PtHA.

Hersheyluva2008-01-31T07:14:38Z

A paint is a horse with verifiable breeding that traces back to Qhs and tbs.
While a pinto is just a coloring
(all paints can be registed as pinto but not all pintos can be registered as paints)

Anonymous2008-01-31T13:34:47Z

Any horse with the paint/pinto markings can be registered if they are no other breed. You can even be double registered. But really paint and pintos are the same thing. The only thing some horse people consider as a differences in size. Just like appaloosa and poas. poas are pony appaloosas are horses. Pintos would be pony sized. Paints horse size. Another thing some people consider is that pintos are slimer like a thourbred, and paints are built like quarter horses. But really mostly everyone considers them the same.

PRS2008-01-31T07:15:00Z

Pinto is a COLOR, not a breed.
Paint is a color breed with pinto coloring.

Edit: Not all paints have pinto coloring - those are called "breeding stock paints" meaning that both their parents are registered paints (American Paint Horse Association) but they threw a solid colored baby.

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