Pinto

Origin
United States

History
History of the Pinto has earlier chapters than those in the New World.
The common pinto patterns came to this continent from Europe through Barb stock used by Spanish explorers. These Barbs were hardy horses from North Africa, imported to southern Europe and crossed with native stock. The pinto patterns may also have arrived in Europe through some Arabian strains, as pinto markings appear in ancient art throughout the Middle East. The tobiano pattern was common among the wild horses of the Russian steppes, suggesting that this coloring existed in Europe prior to the arrival of Arabian horses.
In North America, horses turned loose by or escaping from European conquerors ran wild and developed into great herds. Due to natural selection the type changed in the feral herds and the qualities that endured included compact size, hardiness, and a high spirit. Indian use of horses faded as tribes were subdued, and white settlers continued to import most foundation stock from the breeds of Europe. Well-bred horses were often crossed to mustang stock to increase size and attractiveness.
The Pinto Horse Association of America (PtHA) was founded in 1947, becoming officially incorporated in 1956. Today PtHA maintains a large and rapidly growing registry for Pinto horses, ponies, and miniature horses. Entries are divided into stock type, of mainly Quarter Horse breeding; hunter type, descended largely from Thoroughbreds; pleasure type, with Arabian or Morgan background; and saddle type, with Saddlebred, Hackney, or Tennessee Walking Horse blood. Similar classifications exist for ponies.
Many people confuse Pintos with Paints. The American Paint Horse Association registers stock-type horses with bloodlines from Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, and Paints. The criteria for entry concern bloodlines, rather than color. Most Paints are eligible to be registered as Pintos, but not every Pinto horse qualifies as a paint since Pintos may come from a wide range of bloodlines.

Description
Pinto coat patterns fall into two types: Tobiano and Overo. In the Tobiano the coat is white, with large patches of solid color. The legs are usually white, and white crosses the back or rump. Overo is a colored coat with splashes of white, which almost never cross the back. Among the 19^th-century Sioux and Crow Indians, Pintos were valued for both their color and hardiness.
Registered modern Pintos are usually well made, even though they are of no fixed type.