pintos are so old that they were found in tombs in ancient egypt dating back to 4 b.c. in the 16th century cortez brought thousands to the new world. some of them were set free, and native americans caught them. the native americans liked them for their toughness and their color. their color blended in with the environment and made a natural camouflage. they were known to make great war horses. their name came from the spanish word "pintado", which means “painted”.