The American Paint Horse ('Paint Horse', for short) is an American stock horse breed which can be described as a pinto-colored Quarter Horse. It is one of the most popular horse breeds in the world, and is mostly used in Western riding disciplines.

The 'painted' Quarter Horse:
The story of the Paint horse begins with the story of another breed: the Quarter Horse.

Until 1940, Quarter Horses were allowed to have extensive white markings, as well as white patches, on their body. However, in 1940, the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) was established and passed the "White Rule", which prohibited Quarter Horses from having socks and blazes over a certain size, and from having any white patches on the rest of their body. The result was a large group of horses, with the conformation and abilities of a Quarter Horse, who weren't eligible for registration.

Nevertheless, many breeders liked the combination of Quarter Horse conformation with a colorful coat, and so they continued to breed these horses.

Breeding & Registration:
In the following years, two different registries were created for the registration of these pinto "Quarter" horses: the APSHA and APQHA. In 1965, these two registries merged to form the American Paint Horse Association (APHA), with the aim of promoting the breeding of these pinto stock horses, which were now officially called "American Paint Horses".

In addition, the APHA also accepted pinto Thoroughbreds for registration and breeding. However, despite being crossed with Thoroughbred Horses from time to time, Paint Horses remained with their stock-type conformation.

In 2004, the AQHA dropped the "White Rule" completely in order to allow the registration of purebred Quarter Horses that have extensive white markings. Later, in 2005, the APHA stopped registering purebred pinto Quarter Horses and purebred pinto Thoroughbreds. Instead, it passed a law saying that every Paint Horse must have at least one parent who is a registered Paint Horse, and one parent who is either a registered Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, or Paint Horse.

Conformation & Coats:
Paint Horses have the conformation of a Quarter Horse, as well as their cow-sense and overall pleasant nature. In addition, similar to Quarter Horses, Paint Horses usually stand between 14hh and 16hh, as this height range is considered ideal for the breed, although some Paint Horses can grow taller.

Performance metrics:
The following are the: range, average, (SD), and MOE of performance metrics of ordered American Paint Horses in Horse Isle (not bred ones). In rare cases, horses might have metrics outside of the range. Breeders can produce horses that are beyond this range.

Speed: 16.0-17.7, 16.8 (0.3), 0.06.
Sprint: 73-93, 81 (4), 0.76.

Accel: 1.12-1.40, 1.26 (0.06), 0.01.
Decel: 1.05-1.22, 1.15 (0.04), 0.01.

Jump: 5.01-5.31, 5.16 (0.06), 0.01.
Pull: 2.68-3.62, 3.08 (0.19), 0.04.

Turning: 66.86-83.29, 74.99 (3.74), 0.73.
Reverse: 2.9-3.7, 3.3 (0.2), 0.03.

Stamina: 54.06-59.94, 57.29 (1.42), 0.28.
Reaction: 0.80-0.89, 0.85 (0.02), 0.00.

Coats & Height:

Colors: all colors except for dominant black.
Additionals: all patterns except for 'appaloosa' patterns, manchado, and extensive mealy (minimal-mealy does exist). The coat is always pinto.

Breeding notes: in real life, most Paint Horses have an overo, tobiano, or tovero coat, but, in rare cases, they can have a solid coat, in which case they are still eligible for registration. In Horse Isle, however, Paint Horses who are born with a solid coat will be penalized. Therefore, breeders should avoid crossing two heterozygous pinto Paint Horses.

Height: usually 14hh to 16hh, but the full range is 14hh to 16.2hh.

(For more info about Quarter Horses see the 'American Quarter Horse' breed)