American painthorse combines the performance of a cowboy horse with a fancy freckle suit. This breed was bred on the basis of quarterbacks and thoroughbred riding horses. Painthorse history is closely linked to quarterback history. Both of these breeds are descendants of horses brought into the New World by Fernando Cortes.
Formed in 1940, the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) registered cowboy-type horses, culling freckles and heavily distinguished ones. In turn, fans of freckles have set up several breeding organizations. In 1962, these organizations merged into the American Paint Horse Association (APHA).
Each Painthorse horse has a certain combination of white and a different color. The most common are horses with white spots in combination with blacks, nests, browns and reds. Less common are horses with small specks. Continue reading