Appaloosa
The Appaloosa is a popular American breed, but horses with Appaloosa spots are recorded in Chinese art dating back to 500 B.C. Spotted horses were brought to North America by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. Some eventually escaped or were stolen. By the early 1700s, the Nez Perce Indians of the Northwest had obtained horses and carefully bred them to improve the stock. The Nez Perce were talented horsemen who used their spotted horses for hunting buffalo and as war ponies. When the Nez Perce were forced onto reservations in the 1870s, manyof their horses were lost or killed. Fortunately, some survived and the breed didn’t die out. The name Appaloosa comes from the Palouse River area of northern Idaho in the Northwestern United States where the Nez Perce lived. The phrase “a Palouse horse” later became “Appaloosa.”
Conformation:
Ranges from compact and well-muscled to elegant and refined. Crossing with Arabians, Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds can introduce some of the physical characteristics of these breeds.
Characteristics:
Durable and tough. Known for their colorful spotted coat patterns, which combine white with another solid color. Spots may be found over the entire body (leopard pattern), over the body and hips, over the back and hips, over the loin and hips, or just over the hips. Spots vary in size from small specks to three or four inches in diameter. Appaloosas typically have a white sclera, the part of the eye which encircles the iris. The skin is mottled or parti-colored. Hooves have boldly defined light and dark vertical stripes. On occasion, an Appaloosa may be born solid-colored.
Temperament:
Friendly, gentle disposition. Good family horse.
How tall is it?
14 to over 16 hands
What can I use it for?
Very versatile. Used for many English and Western disciplines and endurance racing.
Where does it come from?
United States, America
