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A skewbald and piebald is defined by its external visible coat colouration and markings and not by its genetic makeup or type. They are therefore distinctive and unique from other “coloured”, splash marked, or extended leg marked breeds or types.
Large irregular patches of black and white (usually black on a white base).
Any other colour or colours and white i.e. Bay, brown, chestnut, grey, dun or palomino and white. There may be some black marks in addition.
IF A HORSE OR PONY ONLY HAS WHITE MARKINGS ON THE HEAD, LEGS, BELLY, AND / OR MANE OR TAIL IN ISOLATION, IT CANNOT BE CONSIDERED AS A SKEWBALD OR PIEBALD.
Clyde markings do not constitute a skewbald or piebald in isolation from other
colour.
Because we are a coloured horse registry, we do place a value on colour and
markings, but NO SINGLE COLOUR is valued above another and NO SINGLE TYPE is
valued above any other type.
American
term which generally means either piebald or skewbald, however there is also
a technical difference in that they have different meanings. The Pinto Horse
Association is a colour registry, and Pintos can be any breed. Paints are APHA-registered
horses that can prove parentage from one of the three approved registries AQHA,
TB and APHA, as well as meet a minimum colour requirement. While a loud-coloured
horse could be double-registered if it met the breed standards specified by
each registry, the two registries are independent.
The American Influence
When Columbus (re) discovered the New World, there were no horses there. This is strange, for horses were abundant in North and South America over ten thousand years ago. Why these animals became extinct in still a puzzling question.
Like
all other horses, Paint or Coloured Horses arrived in America in two general
ways. The first, and most significant, was by way of the Spanish conquistadors.
The second was through importation's from England.
The first recorded arrival of the coloured horse to the new world was made in
1519 with Hernando Cortes - the Spanish explorer who conquered Mexico.
As settlement
spread to north America the Indians (by trading and stealing them!) adapted
themselves easily to the horse. Because they had an eye for anything bright
or colourful, the Indians sought out the painted horse. To them the horse was
more than a war horse or a means of travel. He was a medium of exchange and
a status symbol.
The Paint Horse has always been associated with the Indian in legends, stories
and songs. At the siege of the Alamo, at the Fetterman massacre, at the Battle
of the Little Big Horn, the Paint Horse was there.
The
only survivor of Custer’s last stand was a paint horse called Comanche,
whose rider had been Irish born Captain Myles W. Keogh.
The cowboys
applied such names as piebald, skewbald, calico, overo, spotted, pinto and old
paint. Those who rode one, owned one, or worked one knew that most Paint Horses
possessed action as quick as any horse of their time. They were willing to give
credit where credit was due.
By 1700 the sport of horse racing was well established and had spread throughout Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas. In the beginning "short" races for distances up to a quarter-mile (origin of the “quarter horse”) were popular among the plantation owners and backwoods settlers. But as thoroughbred horses entered the American scene, longer courses were laid out in major racing centres for racing "pedigreed" horses and the importation of Coloured horses diminished.
By the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries vast herds of wild horses roamed the western deserts and plains. Although the wild horses of America were not of the unrestrainable character as the truly wild horses of Europe and Asia, they ranged freely in great numbers and could be claimed by anyone willing to attempt their capture.
By this time the Paint
Horse could have suffered a serious decline in western America similar to that
of the mustang, had it not been for a new form of entertainment involving horses
that began in 1883-- the wild-West shows.
These shows were designed to present to the American people the highlights and
excitement of western life. The Paint Horse added a touch of brilliance to these
colourful affairs.
When the shows faded in the 1920's, one of the most spirited of American sports, the rodeo, came into national prominence and the popularity of the coloured horse was reaffirmed.
The traditional coloured
horse of Ireland and Britain is probably the Vanner and it's smaller version,
the coloured cob (or Tinker, as the Germans call it). These were the original
"Traveller's" (Gypsy) horses.
Image courtesy of Emerald Winds Farm
In
Ireland in the late 1960’s early 70’s the biggest collection of these
horses were used to pull Romany (Gypsy) caravans earning their living pulling
tourists around the country side.
These heavier types have
for years been crossed to Thoroughbred mares. The best have the substance of
a good middleweight hunter, plenty of movement and jump from the TB, plus an
amenable temperament and plenty of good bone from the Vanner. If you cross such
an animal with a TB again you end up with Eventers and all round Sports Horses
which are becoming increasingly popular.
(Skewbald From A Dutch Painting - 1680)
The Coloured / Paint / Piebald or Skewbald – whatever your preference, have deservedly gained a new recognition for their terrific action, strength, and athletic ability. They are now a very popular and sought after breed here in Ireland, Britan, Continental Europe and Scandinavia.
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Registered In Ireland No. 366639