Appaloosa Horse

Origin: United States

Height: 14.2 – 15.2 hh. Not less than 14 hh.

Color: There are 6 basic patterns: frost, leopard, snowflake, marble, spotted blanket, and white blanket, though many variations exist. The most common group of color is roan though Appaloosas may be of any color provided that their spots conform to an accepted pattern. Other colors are, however, very unusual, except the horse has colored spots on a white ground. The skin around the nostrils, lips, and genitals is mottled. White soccer round eye. Hooves are sometimes vertically striped.

Character: Tractable disposition combined with speed, stamina, hardiness, and great endurance. Handy and quick on its feet.

Physique: Compact, large-boned, with a short, straight back. Wispy mane and tail (called “rat-tailed” or “finger-tailed”). Hooves are hard (striped hooves claimed by some Appaloosa-fanciers to be more resilient than ordinary hooves).

The development of the Appaloosa is attributed to the Nez Perce Indians, who lived in the fertile north-western area of America now covered by the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho watered by the Palouse River. The name is Appaloosa is a corruption of “Palouse horse” or “Palousy”.

In 1877, the Nez Perce were nearly wiped out in a 6-day battle with the US Army, and 61 years later the horses they had bred were recognized as an official breed. Though still chiefly to be found in western areas of the United States, the Appaloosa has grown so much in national popularity that it ranks as one of the half-dozen biggest breeds in America. It is internationally admired for its striking appearance and is much in demand overseas as a circus horse.

The precise origins of the Appaloosa are obscure since horses with similar markings appear in ancient Chinese and Persian art and much earlier caveat at Peche Merle. The claim that Appaloosas came to Nez Perce from Mexico through the agency of Cortes’ importations from Spain in the 16th century is probably not far out since all foundation American horses originate from Spanish stock.

It is possible that the forerunners of the medieval Spanish Appaloosa were bred in Central Asia (hence the paintings), but sure it begins to be necessary to distinguish between Appaloosa as a breed and Appaloosa as a COLOR: throughout the world, there are ponies with appaloosa coloring who bear no physical resemblance to the quality cow-pony type of the recognized American breed. Whether the coloring of theseNidely-varied types indicates a common heredity or simply a spontaneousluirk of evolution remains a mystery.

See more: East Bulgaria Horse