Pinto vs Paint Horses
People often get confused with the pinto and Paint horses for both are horses with white markings. These terms are often used reciprocally which is obviously wrong. When we talk about a pinto horse, we are talking about a pattern or color of the horse. If we talk about a Paint horse, then it is about a breed of the horse.
Paint Horse
A Paint horse is a breed of horse. The registered Paint horses are part of the American Paint Horse Association. In order to get registered, the sire and dam must be registered. Pinto coloring is not essential for registration. The Association maintains a breeding stock for Paint horses. They may or may not have pinto coloration. They are horses of pure bloodline. Quarter Horses or Thoroughbreds which lack the pinto markings form the base of their bloodline. However, a majority of the Paint horses have pinto markings. A spotted horse will be registered as a Paint only when its ancestry is known.
Pinto horses
Pinto horses are horses which have spots or patches similar to the pinto bean all over their body. The coat is the color of the skin, and the patch is a portion which lacks pigmentation and so appears white. It can be of any breed. It is due to a gene which causes albino coloration in some parts of the skin. The term “pinto” just denotes color; it can appear in other animals also. A cat, dog, or goats can also be pinto. It just denotes a patch of white skin with normal texture. The pinto coloration is genetically determined or hereditary in nature. This character is governed by a set of recessive genes.
Pinto horses are registered according to their color. Their breed is not taken into account. They are registered under Pinto Horse Association of America. This association accepts the registration of pinto horses according to set rules regarding color.
A pinto horse may have a wide variety of colorations as: piebald, skewbald, tricolored, or colored. According to their pattern they may be categorized as Tobiano, Overo, Tovero, Sabino, Splashed White, and many more.
Many Paint horses can be labeled as pinto horses, and many pinto horses may be labeled as Paints. However, not all pintos are Paints and even all Paints are also not pintos.
Summary:
1.Pinto is a color of a horse while Paint is a breed of horse.
2.Pintos and Paints differ in their bloodlines.
3.Pinto is a common term for all spotted horses.
4.Paint horses may have different coat colorations as well while pinto horses may only have white patches.