Okay, there seems to be a lot of confusion between colors and breeds... especially on the topic of Color breeds and trying to figure out Rain and Esperanza's breeds. Hopefully, I can explain the difference between the two!

Breed: a group (horses) with the same physical appearance as in size, weight and characteristics.

For Example: Thoroughbred, Arab, Shire, Haflinger.

Color: a shade of coat tint or pattern. 

For Example: bay, chestnut, grey, black.

Color Breeds: a breed of horse that is often classified by it's color, but CAN BE ANY COLOR.

For Example: Paint, Palomino, Appaloosa.

Many people believe that Rain is a Paint Horse (which is a breed) because she is a pinto (which is a color). Many breeds can have pinto horses including Shires, Mini Horses, Saddlebreds and very commonly, Mustangs. Obviously, Mustangs can be any color, including pinto.

For Example:

This horse has pinto coloring, but his breed is a Clydesdale.

This horse has chestnut coloring, but his breed is a Paint.

So clearly, you cannot judge a horse's breed by it's color.

So Rain is not automatically a Paint because her color is pinto. She actually is NOT A PAINT AT ALL. The Paint horse was not a registered breed until 1940... waaaaay after Spirit and Rain's time.

Another misunderstanding is Esperanza's breed. Esperanza's color is palomino, but her breed is a Mustang. It can be easy to misjudge her for another breed. She looks like a Haflinger because of her coloring, but many other breeds of horse can have the same coloring.

For Example:

This horse is a Quarter Horse with the same color as Esperanza.

This horse is a Haflinger with a similar color to Esperanza's, but is not the same breed.

So, in conclusion, horse's breeds can't always be determined by their color. Rain is not a Paint Horse because her coloring is pinto. A horse is a breed because of how it looks due to it's size (Shires are tall, Mini Horses are small), size of body parts (Thoroughbreds have long necks, Fresians have thick necks) not by what color it is.