American Paint Horse
calm, agile, amenable
Traits & strengths
- ✦Quarter Horse qualities with pinto colouring — sport and appearance in one
- ✦pronounced cow sense for cattle work
- ✦calm, cooperative nature, beginner-friendly
- ✦very agile and balanced in a compact frame
Breed-typical predispositions
OLWS (overo lethal white syndrome)
Disease →recessive (EDNRB) — homozygous foals are born white, have a non-functional gut and do not survive. Carriers are healthy and carry the frame pattern; two frame carriers must not be mated. The gene test is unambiguous
PSSM1 (GYS1)
Disease →dominant — present through the Quarter Horse gene pool; low-starch, fat-based ration and daily movement
HYPP (SCN4A)
Disease →dominant, Impressive line — muscle tremors to paralysis; gene test available
HERDA (PPIB)
Disease →recessive — the skin detaches under the saddle; widespread through cutting lines
Latest findings
Cause of OLWS (EDNRB)
1998A variant in the EDNRB gene was identified as causal. Heterozygous it produces the frame pattern, homozygous the fatal gut defect — here breeding and colour are inseparable.
Source · Metallinos et al. / Santschi et al. — EDNRB
Panel testing as a breeding standard
ongoingAPHA and AQHA share the gene pool; the panel for PSSM1, HYPP, HERDA, GBED, MH and MYHM is mandatory for breeding stallions.
Source · AQHA / APHA genetic testing requirements