The Paint Horse

Paint Horses are known for their dynamic splashes of intense color all over their body. Paints are very versatile and can be seen competing in events such as Western Pleasure to Reining to Dressage to Show Jumping. This breed is known to be level-headed and willing to please, which makes them a perfect choice for young riders. While exhibiting beautiful color patterns, Paints display well-defined features and strong bones with a perfect amount of muscling. Each Paint must have a mixture of white and some other color, such as sorrel, chestnut, black, or bay. Some less common, but acceptable, colors are palomino, buckskin, and gray. Paints generally stand between 14.2 and 16.1 hands tall, and muct exhibit a "stock horse" conformation to be accepted into registry with the American Paint Horse Association, the 2nd largest breed registry in the nation.

Many horse enthusiasts confuse the term "Paint" with the term "Pinto". While both terms are used to describe horses of unique coloring, a registered Paint Horse must have either Throughbred, American Quarter Horse, or American Paint Horse parents. While an American Paint Horse relies on its bloodlines for registry, a Pinto horse relies solely on coloring for registry. A Pinto may be any breed or a combination of breeds, as long as the coloring is correct. Therefore, all Paints may be registered as Pintos, but not all Pintos will qualify to be registered as Paints.

For more information about the American Paint Horse, visit: http://www.apha.com/

Happy trails!
Mary Helen

A Registered American Paint Horse

A Pinto Arabian Horse-- remember, Pintos can be of any breed!

The Friesian

Hi readers!

This week I would like to discuss the Friesian breed. Even though this breed is known to have the conformation of a light draft horse, they exhibit a fast, flashy trot and are exceptionally smooth. Standing between 14.2 and 17 hands, the Friesian breed is a large horse of black color. Rarely, a Friesian may showcase a chestnut coat, but this color is not recognized to be one of a "purebred" horse. All registered Friesians must be black in color with little to no white markings. They have long, flowing manes and tails with "feathering" on the legs and feet-- (purposely unclipped hair around lower legs). They are beautiful animals with a prideful appearance and distinct features. To learn more about this amazing breed, visit: http://www.fhana.com/

Until next week...

Happy trails,

Mary Helen

The Trakehner Breed

The Trakehner (Tre-cain-er) is a large type of Warmblood horse that is known for it's elegance and willing attitude. These horses stand between 15.1 and 18 hands tall while exhibiting strong bone and defined features. Trakehners are sturdy, hardy, and energetic and excel in most English disciplines, such as Dressage, Show Jumping, and Eventing. Their conformation and smooth gaits make them a favorite in the Dressage arena, where horses and riders are judged on executing different movements and patterns. To see a Trakehner in motion is the picture of elegance and collection. To learn more about this breed, check out http://www.americantrakehner.com.

To learn more about the history of the Trakehner and for some more information about Eventing, check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAj4Dx_kj2g

Happy Trails!
Mary Helen