Pinto Horse Association Celebrates 60 Years

Bethany, Okla., January 12, 2016 – The Pinto Horse Association of America, Inc. is excited to announce its 60th anniversary.

The PtHA started from a grassroots movement to selectively breed horses for good color and conformation. Several horsemen in the 1930s formed the Pinto Horse Society with the purpose of breeding superior colored horses. The registry they created shifted to the PtHA, which was formed in 1956 by Kay Heikens, Helen Hammond and other Pinto supporters.

The association formed in New Jersey and relocated to several other locations including: Connecticut, Tulsa, Okla.; San Diego and Fort Worth, Texas. In 2004, PtHA moved to its present location, Bethany, Okla.

Much has changed since 1956. Today, with more than 30 charters throughout the United States, Canada and Sweden, PtHA members have local opportunities to get together and participate in local activities such as youth clubs, showing, and recreational riding to promote and encourage others to be involved with PtHA.

With the development of PtHA, the Pinto World Championship Show and the Color Breed Congress Show has been a great way for members to showcase their equines at the national level. The Pinto World Championship show was formed in 1965 and the Color Breed Congress was formed in 2006. Both of these events occur at the Built Ford Tough Livestock Complex in Tulsa, Okla.

“I can’t believe the tremendous growth to the association,” Darrell Bilke, PtHA Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer said. “I hope to see more positive change throughout the next 60 years.”

Incorporated in 1956, the Pinto Horse Association of America was formed to encourage the promotion of quality horses, ponies and miniatures with color and to establish a registry for maintaining their show records and pedigrees. Currently, the association serves approximately 47,000 members and boasts more than 150,000 registered Pintos.