The Appaloosa is descended from horses that the Spanish conquistadors imported to America in the 16th century.  The Nez Perce Indians of Northwest America developed the breed and the name, Appaloosa, is derived from the Palouse River, which ran through the Indians' territory. The Nez Perce were among the first and definitely the most skillful Indian tribes to begin selective breeding. They maintained a standard and established a breed by gelding or trading horses that were not of absolutely the highest quality.

The Nez Perce had established their herds and gained considerable reputation for their breed by the mid 1700's.  They bred the Appaloosa not only for its attractive, intriguing spotted markings, which were excellent for camouflage, but also for its qualities of stamina, speed, and endurance. The US Army all but stamped out the breed during the late 1800's when they captured the Nez Perce Indians and slaughtered nearly all of their Appaloosa horses. In 1938, a group of breeders took the initiative and revived the breed using some of the descendants of the Indians' horses, eventually managing to re-establish the breed. 

The Appaloosa horse is closely related to the Quarter Horse both historically and genetically and the breeds reflect many similarities. The Appaloosa Horse Club today boasts over 400,000 registered horses and it continues to grow in size and popularity.

The Appaloosa is recognized by its spotted coat, of which there are six acceptable configurations. They are known as: snowflake, leopard, spotted blanket, white blanket, marble, and frost. Roan is the basic coat color, apart from the leopard pattern, although any color is allowed as long as it exhibits one of the six spot patterns. Mottled skin decorates the Appaloosa's nose, lips, and genitals, and they often have white sclera around the eyes.

They generally have a thin, sparse mane and tail, and hooves with white and blue hoof, striped. The Appaloosa usually has a smallish head with a straight profile. They have muscular, long necks set onto a deep chest with good sloping shoulders. Their withers are moderately pronounced, with rounded, muscular quarters and a short, compact back.

The Appaloosa is an excellent riding horse, known for being of even temperament with and energetic but docile and quiet personality. These horses are naturally athletic and have good stamina. They usually stand between 14 and 15.2 hands high.

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