PHANZ

BREED STANDARD

How many times have you seen a horse and thought "Now that’s a nice looking horse. I would like to have that in my paddock at home".

Many people say that about Paint Horses because of their striking colour and because they have a quality that comes from careful breeding.

Colour alone is not enough to tempt a good horseperson. A good horseperson wants to know that the horse has the conformation and temperament to be a champion.

The Paint Horse Association of New Zealand Inc(PHANZ) keeps a register of all the Paint Horses in this country. Horses on the register must be coloured, well conformed and the result of careful breeding. The Sire and Dam must be registered with the NZ Quarter Horse Association (or Australia or America),The Paint Horse Association of NZ (or Australia or America) or be a registered thoroughbred. The breeding rules are strict.

PHANZ also has a Registry for "Solid Coloured Paint Bred " horses. The breeding criteria stays the same as it is for Coloured Paints. Unfortunatly it is not always straight forward and guaranteed that you will get a Coloured foal from your breeding. A lot of the Solid foals that are born have excellent breeding and it would be a shame if they were all lost. After all Paint Horses are a breed and not just a colour. There are PHANZ and Federation recognised classes for Solid Coloured Paint Bred horses at a lot of shows troughout New Zealand.

Pinto’s on the other hand, are not required to have any particular breeding, but must be coloured.

The American Paint Horse Association (APHA) started the first Paint Horse registry in the world, in June 1965. The APHA was the result of the merging of the American Paint Stock Horse Association and the American Paint Quarter Horse Association. Now the American Paint Horse Association is the fastest growing breed registry in the USA and it is the fourth largest registry.

In New Zealand, with the focus on eventing and jumping, there is a demand for a taller Paint, so the Thoroughbred is recognised as a breeding mate for the Paint. Occasionally two Quarter Horses or two Thoroughbreds will produce a foal with body white. These horses can be registered as Paints and are called crop outs. The white gene has cropped out (popped out) from solid colour parents.

WHAT IS PHANZ ?

The Paint Horse Association of New Zealand Inc was started in August 1995.

The Association promotes the breeding of quality horses and aims to support owners and breeders. PHANZ likes to welcome newcomers and it is involved in educating everyone about Paints.

Halter classes are held throughout the year and the National Show is held in late February or March. These events will be advertised in the Horse Trader, so keep you eyes open. Newcomers can have lots of fun at the National Show by competing in English or Western events or they can enter their young un-ridden horses in a lead trail, a lunge line class and a showmanship as well as the standard halter class.

SO HOW DO YOU GET A PAINT ?

If you want to be the envy of all your friends and own a classy, coloured horse of your dreams then here are a few suggestions.

You can either buy or breed a Paint. If you decide to buy a Paint then keep an eye on the Horse trader or write to PHANZ, PO Box 112 Otorohanga, and ask for a list of breeders. I also advise you to go to a show where Paint Halter classes are being held and ask someone there for advice. As a word of warning, please check that the horse that you are interested in is a registered Paint and not just a horse that someone thinks is a Paint! A good check is to ask the owner if the Sire and Dam of the horse are both registered Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds or Paints. If in doubt ask to see the registration papers. If you would like to breed a Paint then start off by purchasing a quality Thoroughbred ,Quarter Horse or Paint Mare. I suggest that you look for a well conformed, good tempered mare with a lot of white on it. Select your favourite Paint Stallion and wait for the coloured wonder to arrive.

Believe me, it is exciting !

COLOUR PREFERENCES

Paints come in basically two colour types, the Tobiano and the Overo.

Tobianos are the most common colour seen in New Zealand and they have big patches of brown, black and white all over their bodies. Overos are less common, highly sought after and rather unusual. They often have white in the middle of the body with laced edges in brown or black. As a basic guide, the Tobiano often has white patches crossing the backbone line, but the Overo very rarely does. The Tobiano often has four white feet but the Overo rarely has four white feet or legs.

A lot more is known about the Tobiano genes and in some cases a coloured Tobiano foal can be a certainty. The Overos are a little bit more elusive.

PHANZ will register your solid colour foal if that situation arises. The solid Paint Horse will be able to compete at shows in "Solid Coloured Paint Bred" halter classes and most all ridden classes.

SO

With the new show season coming up, think about that dream horse that should be sitting in your paddock at home, Remember: STRIKING COLOUR PLUS CAREFUL BREEDING EQUALS A PAINT. Once you have decided to turn your dreams into reality and you want to be more "Paint Aware" then:

1;; Keep an eye on the New Zealand Horse Trader for Paint events, Paint breeding Stallions and Paints for sale.

2:: Write to PHANZ, PO Box 112, Otorohanga, for show information, breeders contacts and registration/membership information. E-mail office@phanz.co.nz Check out the PHANZ website. www.phanz.co.nz

3:: Come and watch some Paint Halter classes. Make a special Paint point of attending the National Paint Horse Show to be held in late February/March.

SEE YOU THERE.