Pinto Breeds are coloured horses of any bloodline, size or breed. Although Pinto colouration was rare in the wild, people have always had an eye for animals of unusual colour and pattern which has led to the desire to deliberately breed them for a little extra glamour.

Traditionally the Pinto was favored by the American Indian in the West as a War Horse since its colouring provided a natural camouflage. The Native American believed the Pinto had legendary magical qualities in battle and they were largely associated with buffalo hunters in the Great Plans. The Pinto horse became a fixture of America whose colourful presence in parades and films always added a little extra elegance. Today they have become very popular general purpose riding horses.

The most common Pinto is the Tobiano characterized by rounded markings with white legs and white across the back, usually arranged in a roughly vertical pattern. The ideal is a 50/50 distribution of colour and white, with the head usually dark like that of a normal horse.

The Overo is characterized by a spotting pattern with sharp irregular markings with a horizontal distribution; the face is usually white sometimes with blue eyes. The lower legs are normally dark and the white rarely crosses the back.

The Pintaloosa colour pattern must have obvious Pinto patches but they have a spotted pattern instead of solid colouring. They have a characteristic spotting of both the Tobiano and the scattered spots of an Appaloosa.

For Pinto conditions and schedules please click here.

“Gypsy Star of Brackenhill” owned by Gypsy Cobs Ltd


"Weiti Roma” 2008 Pinto HOY owned by Lisa & Carl Gately


Ovaro “Silverado’s Pettimpressive” owned by Tania Boyd