🐴 Horse Breed Guide

American Paint Horse

The color breed with Quarter Horse bloodlines — a flashy pinto pattern on the world's most versatile stock horse body. Those dramatic white-and-dark patches, that muscular Quarter Horse build. Complete guide: the Tobiano vs Overo vs Tovero pattern genetics, the OLWS (Lethal White) crisis, and why you must NEVER breed Overo × Overo.

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📋 Breed Overview

Height

14.2 – 16 hands

Lifespan

25 – 30 years

Temperament

Calm & Intelligent

Registry

APHA

Patterns

Tobiano/Overo/Tovero

OLWS

⚠️ Overo×Overo=LETHAL

🎨 Tobiano vs Overo vs Tovero — 3 Pattern Genetics

Pattern	Genetics	Appearance	OLWS Risk
Tobiano	Dominant (TO)	White crosses the back, white legs, dark head, regular oval spots	NO ✅
Overo	Dominant (O)	White doesn't cross back, jagged edges, dark legs, bald face	YES ⚠️
Tovero	Tobiano + Overo	Dark around ears/mouth, white body, one or both blue eyes	Possible

⚠️ OLWS — Overo Lethal White Syndrome: NEVER Breed Overo × Overo

Overo Lethal White Syndrome (OLWS) is a fatal genetic condition. Breeding two frame overo horses (O/n × O/n) produces 25% homozygous foals (O/O) that are born pure white with a non-functional colon. These foals cannot pass feces, suffer severe colic within hours, and must be euthanized within 1-3 days. There is NO treatment. A simple DNA test identifies carriers. NEVER breed a frame overo to another frame overo without OLWS testing. Tobiano × Tobiano breedings are safe (no OLWS risk). Tovero × Tovero also carries risk depending on overo genetics.

💰 Cost

Category	Cost (USD)
🐴 $3,000-$15,000 \| Show/breeding $15,000-$50,000+ \| 🏠 Annual $4,000-$10,000