Paint horses are a universal breed due to their unnatural coloring; literally, they do, indeed, look like they've been painted over. The American Paint Horse is a breed of horse that combines both the conformational characteristics of a western stock horse with a pinto spotting pattern of white and dark coat colors. Developed from a base of spotted horses with Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred bloodlines, the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) breed registry is now one of the fastest-growing in North America. The registry allows some non-spotted animals to be registered as "breeding stock Paints," and considers the American Paint Horse to be a horse breed with distinct characteristics, not merely a color breed in reality. |