Appaloosa
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\nThe
Appaloosa is a
horse breed, one of the
color breeds, in which the breed has one of several distinct patterns of spots.
History
\nHistorians aren't exactly sure of the origin of the Appaloosa, some believe the Spaniards brought them on their quest for the god, glory, and gold, and others believe that the Russian fur-traders brought them. Both are plausible.
The early Appaloosas were short, stout, and fast. The Nez Perce tribe had strict selection policies to encourage traits that can be found in the modern Appaloosa. These traits include temperament, endurance, intelligence, along with a distinctive look.
When the breed was brought to the Americas the Nez Perce fell in love with the breed for its many characteristics. This horse became associated with the Nez Perce, which later caused problems for the breed.
The word Appaloosa originated from the name Palouse River, which runs through the orignal Nez Perce country, evolved a few times until the name Appaloosa was officially adopted by the Appaloosa Horse Club.
Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition wrote of the horses of the Nez Perce in a February 15, 1806 journal entry. "Their horses appear to be of an excellent race: they are lofty, elegantly formed, active and durable: in short many of them look like fine English horses and would make a figure in any country".
When the calvary captured Chief Joseph and the remaining Nez Perce on October 5th 1877, they immediately took all of the horses and sold all they could, and exterminated the rest. The Nez Perce tribe began a breeding program in 1995 based on crossbreeding the appaloosa and a Central Asian breed called akhal-teke. This is a program the Nez Perce Indians hope will resurrect their horse culture, a proud tradition of selective breeding and horsemanship that was destroyed by a 19th century war. The breeding program was financed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Nez Percé tribe and a nonprofit group called the First Nations Development Institute, which promotes such businesses.
In 1877 the Appaloosa breed was nearly extinct, but by 1937 the Appaloosa had caught the eye of the public and in 1938 the Appaloosa Horse Club was founded. Today the breed is one of America's most prized breeds and there are over a million registered horses.
Physical Characteristics
\nThe physical conformation of the Appaloosa is secondary to the coloration, but the build of the horse is generally similar to that seen in the American Quarter Horse, partly because the Quarter Horse was used to "improve" the conformation of the Appaloosa when the breed was being established.
The markings of an Appaloosa are distinct from the dapples seen in grays and some other horse colors. The base color of the horse can be any color, including bay, black, chestnut, palomino, buckskin, dun, grulla, and grey.
- Patterns\n** Blanket\n** Leopard\n** Varnish\n** Few Spot Leopard\n** Frost\n** Snowflake
The blanket pattern has white over the hip that may extrend from the tail to the base of the neck. The spots inside the blanket are the same color as the horse's base coat.
A leopard has spots of varying sizes all over his body.
The varnish markings show darker areas on the shoulder, legs, and point of the hips, with some spots. Many varnish horses are born solid, and develop more white as they age. Frost is similar to varnish but the white hairs are limited to the back, loins, and neck.
These patterns may occur singularly or together. Varnish and frost are the only two that change with age, but as they commonly occur in conjunction with other patterns such as blanket and leopard, it is commonly assumed that every Appaloosa will change colors with age when this is not so.
Registration
\nThe Appaloosa registries are fairly recent, and the breed was established from unregistered horses with certain color patterns. In addition to the spotting patterns above, certain other characteristics were used to determine whether a horse could be registered:
- Mottling skin, which is apparent around the lips, eye lids, and genitalia\n* White sclera (a white ring around the eyes)\n* Striped hooves
At the present time, a horse without the color pattern on his coat can be registered with the Appaloosa Horse Club. The registry is based upon the pedigree of the horse reflecting a recognized Appaloosa bloodline. The horse must be the offspring of two registered Appaloosa parents or an Appaloosa and a horse from an approved breed registry. Appaloosas are commonly crossbred with Arabian horses, Quarter Horses, and
Thoroughbreds, and these offspring are eligible for registration. When registering a solid-colored horse, it must be blood typed and there must be a DNA link established to both parents. The owner of the horse then must pay to have the horse inspected and must transport the horse to the inspector. The registration papers then indicate that the horse is not colored, but is registered. The registration can be upgraded at any time if the horse begins to show a color pattern.
There is much debate about this rule, as the Appaloosa is a color breed, and the front page of the APHC rule book states: "Appaloosa-a breed with a colour preference."
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External Links
\n*Appaloosa Horse Club of Canada Site\n*
Appaloosa Horse Club of Denmark\n*
Appaloosa Horse Club of Germany Site\n*
American Appaloosa Hose Club Holland\n*
Appalossa Horse Association of New Zealand\n*
Appaloosa Horse Club of the United Kingdom\n*
Appaloosa Horse Club Site (USA)\n*
International Museum of the Horse\n*
Nez Perce Horse Registry