Pinto horse
Pinto coloration is also called paint,[1] particolored,[2]: 171 or in nations that use British English, simply coloured.
Both the terms "Pinto" and "Paint" may sometimes refer to breeds or registries rather than coat color.
[8] Images from pottery and other art of ancient antiquity show horses with flashy, spotted patterns, indicating that they may have been desirable traits and selectively bred for.
By the 17th century in Europe, spotted horses were quite fashionable, though when the fad ended, large numbers of newly unsellable horses were shipped to the Americas, some of which were sold, while others were simply turned loose to run wild.
[9] The color became popular, particularly among Native Americans, and was specifically bred for in the United States, which now has the greatest number of pinto horses in the world.
A few words describe pinto horses by giving more detail about the color of the non-white areas, mainly used in British English.
As noted in the description of patterns, the frame gene is associated with a condition called lethal white syndrome.
To count as Pinto, a horse must have at least four square inches of white fur and pink skin in areas other than the face and lower legs.
[18] Many breed registries do not, or at some point in the past did not, accept cropout horses with spots or "excess" white for registration, believing that such animals were likely to be crossbreds, or due to a fear of producing lethal white foals.
This exclusion of offspring from pedigreed parents led to the formation not only of the American Paint Horse Association, but also other pinto registries.
Therefore, these registries have modified their rules, allowing horses with extra white, if parentage is verified through DNA testing, to be registered.
The Jockey Club's Thoroughbred registry, however, still does not officially recognize pinto as a registerable color, though it does allow white body spots to be recorded under the category of markings.
[19] The Welsh Pony and Cob Society of the UK also does not accept "piebald" or "skewbald" horses for registration.
