DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the American Paint Horse Association, right there in Cooke County. Now, if you want to talk about a horse with a story, you start where all good Texas stories eventually lead — somewhere far away, a long time ago. We're talkin' the 16th century.
Spanish conquistadors riding into the New World, and with them came two-toned horses — descendants of animals from North Africa and Asia Minor. Painted up by nature herself in patches and swirls, these horses were something to behold on the open frontier. Through the 1800s and into the early 1900s, folks called them by all manner of names.
Paint. Pinto. Skewbald.
Piebald. Colorful names for colorful animals. But here's the rub — and it's a painful one — in the early 20th century, these horses were largely excluded from the registries of North America.
All that beauty, all that history, and the official record keepers of the horse world basically said: not for you. That kind of thing has a way of not sittin' right with certain people. So come February 16, 1962, sixteen dedicated horsemen and horsewomen gathered at the Curtwood Motel in Gainesville, Texas.
Sixteen people. A motel meeting room. And a determination that something had to be done.
They talked it over and arrived at a clear conclusion — a new equine breed registry was needed. What they christened that day was the American Paint Stock Horse Association, or APSHA. Their mission was spelled out plain: collect, preserve, and record the pedigrees of paint stock horses; publish a stud book; maintain a registry; and regulate the breed's exhibition, publicity, sales, and racing.
They weren't just forming a club. They were building a legacy. The first horse registered under that new association was Bandit's Pinto, registered on August 11, 1962.
And the momentum didn't stop there. By the end of that same year, 250 paint horses were on the books and the association had drawn in 150 members. From a motel meeting to a movement — all in one calendar year.
Now, the plot thickens — as it tends to do. During the 1960s, a second paint horse registry came along: the American Paint Quarter Horse Association, the APQHA. Two associations, same passion, same horses.
You might wonder how long that lasts before somebody suggests the obvious. The answer is May 1965, when the two associations merged. From that point forward, they carried one name: the American Paint Horse Association, the APHA.
And here's where the story lands. That gathering of sixteen people in a Gainesville motel room — that conversation, that decision — grew into the world's second-largest equine breed association. More than a million horses registered across 59 nations and territories.
The APHA preserves the history of the American Paint Horse, creates and maintains programs that increase the value of the breed, and enriches members' experiences with their horses. Sixteen people. One motel.
And a million horses later — turns out they were onto something.
What the marker says
Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century brought two-toned horses with them, descendants of horses from North Africa and Asia Minor. Over time, these colorful horses became a cherished staple of the western frontier. Throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, these horses were known by a variety of names, including Paint, Pinto, Skewbald and Piebald. In the early 20th century, they were largely excluded from registries in North America. At the Curtwood Motel in Gainesville on February 16, 1962, sixteen dedicated horsemen and horsewomen met to discuss a new association dedicated to colorful stock horses. The group determined a new equine breed registry was needed. Christened the American Paint Stock Horse Association (APSHA), the new organization’s directives were to collect, preserve and record the pedigrees of paint stock horses; publish a stud book; maintain a registry; and regulate the breed’s exhibition, publicity, sales and racing. The first registered American Paint Horse, Bandit’s Pinto, was registered on August 11, 1962. By the end of the year, 250 paint horses were registered and the association counted 150 members. In the 1960s, a second paint horse registry, the American Paint Quarter Horse Association (APQHA), opened its doors. The two associations merged in May 1965; from that point, it was known as the American Paint Horse Association (APHA). The APHA is the world’s second-largest equine breed association, registering more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories since it was founded. APHA preserves the history of the American Paint Horse, creates and maintains programs that increase the value of the breed and enriches members’ experiences with their horse. (2013)