The Paint Horses

There are a lot of different breeds of horses out there, but one of the more popular types is the Paints. Paint horses are horses that actually combine two different things. First of all, they take the conformational characteristics of the western horse with pinto spotting, and they mix it with dark coat colors. People love the look this gives Paints, and it is one of the fastest growing breeds in all of North America, as well as other parts of the world.

Overall, when you are looking at Paint horses, you are going to notice that there are a lot of different color combos that you can get. Today we are going to cover a few of these different combos. First, you can get the Overo. This is a coloring that is usually more dark than white (usually the face is white). It has a kind of spotting pattern that has very irregular markings over its body. You may even want to check out the Sabino coloring. This is a type of coloring that should not be confused with the Rabicano coloring. Pretty much, this is where there is a very slight spotting pattern that is mostly characterized by high white on the legs of the horse, as well as belly spots. The last one we are going to talk about is the Toyero. This is a classic mix of the tobiano and the overa coloration. Most of the time, they have blue eyes and a very dark head.

The funny thing about this horse, is that there is one kind of coloration that could be associated with a genetic disease. This is called the Chrome color. This is a very informal term, but it is used to describe a flashy spotting pattern. This is associated with a medical issue that is known as lethal white syndrome, known to the horse world as LWS. A few people even call it Overo Lethal White Syndrome (OLWS). So what is this disease you ask? This is a disease that is linked to a type of recessive gene that can be associated with a frame overo pattern. Most of the time, a carrier of this diseases will pass it on to their babies.  A baby horse will die within a few days (sometimes just shortly after birth) with complications that are going to involve its underdeveloped intestinal tract. A law is passed that if you know that a horse has this disease or that your horse carries the DNA for it, you are not allowed to breed the horse. This is in an attempt to help keep this genetic disease under control. Although there are worse horse diseases out there, this is one of the main ones you have to worry about when you are dealing with Paint horses.

There are a lot of different breeds of horses, but none of them are taking off in popularity like the Paints. If you get a chance to own one of these horses, then you are in luck. Although they are more prone to health problems, a lot of people feel that owning these horses is worth it anyway.

Paints Links: Paints horses for Sale.