This book is the first comprehensive history of an admirable American breed of horse that has at last come into its own. It is a ready reference for the breeder and a broadly based account for the historian of the equine species.

The author searches out the past, describing the origin of painted horses in ancient times, their movement across Europe, their arrival in the Americas, and their acceptance in the 1960s as a distinctive breed.

Accompanying his text with many illustrations, the author discusses breed characteristics, bloodlines, and color patterns. He emphasizes the genetic...