Preserving The Tobiano Horse

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162 – May/June, 2025

By Megan Sacia Ulrich

Three years ago, the American Tobiano Horse Association was born, thanks to a passionate group of Tobiano enthusiasts who were invested in keeping these loud colored horses thriving in the performance horse industry and beyond. What began with many, many ideas of how to achieve those goals has now grown into an association with one clear mission: to recognize, promote and preserve Tobiano genetics and Tobiano horses while also supporting Youth and Amateur exhibitors of those treasured horses.

The organization was founded at a time when many were feeling strongly about proposed rule changes in APHA regarding horses with color genes having regular papers and rules that allowed solid Paints to show alongside those with visible color patterns. Brent Harnish, one of the original members of the ATHA advisory board, feels that a group like ATHA is vitally important–now more than ever–in light of those recent changes.

“The industry is losing Tobianos and Overos–the foundation of what started the Paints. We’ve had Tobianos for hundreds of years. They’ve been an integral part of American history when you consider their importance in everything from Native American culture to Hollywood Westerns. If we don’t preserve the color in the breed, in a few generations from now, there won’t be any color. Our grandkids or great grandkids will not know what a Tobiano or Overo horse is,” Harnish says.

With the recent APHA rule change that eliminated solid bred classes, breeders and others in horse sales have noticed a shift in the market that favors double registered horses: buyers feel they have more opportunity to show those horses that have papers with both AQHA and APHA. For Amber Duckett, owner of homozygous stallion One And Only Asset, this is a big concern as she looks toward the future.

Click here to read the complete article
162 – May/June, 2025