- Appaloosa - |
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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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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.