| History and Origin of the Appaloosa Breed The Appaloosa�s colorful ancestry can be traced back to the earliest recorded time, but it is in the American melting pot that the spotted horse established itself as a true breed. The Nez Perce Indians of the inland Northwest deserve much of the credit for the Appaloosa horses we have today. As the only Native Americans known to selectively breed their horses, the Nez Perce desired only the strongest, fastest and most sure-footed of mounts. The influx of white settlers to the Northwest changed the Nez Perce�s destiny and nearly destroyed the legacy of their horse-breeding efforts. War ensued when some of the Nez Perce rebelled against imposed treaties. Over several months and over 1,300 miles, the Appaloosa helped the non-treaty Nez Perce elude the U.S. Cavalry in 1877. At the time of Chief Joseph�s surrender in Montana, the Army confiscated most of their horses, including Appaloosas. The prized characteristics of the distinctive horse then became lost or severely diluted due to indiscriminate breeding. Claude Thompson, a wheat farmer from Moro, Oregon, realized the importance of preserving the spotted horse breed and in 1938, he established the Appaloosa Horse Club to promote and restore the Appaloosa�s position in the equine world. The Appaloosa began its return from the brink of obscurity. While the Nez Perce never called their spotted horses "Appaloosas," the breed�s name comes from either the Palouse River, which flows through the region of eastern Washington and north Idaho where the horses were known to be plentiful or from the Palouse Tribe, whose main village was situated on the Palouse River. White settlers first described the colorful native mounts as "a Palouse horse," which was soon slurred to "Appalousey." The name "Appaloosa" was officially adopted in 1938. Today, over a half million Appaloosas are registered with the Appaloosa Horse Club. Breed Characteristics Although Appaloosas are most commonly recognized by their colorful coat patterns, they also have other distinctive characteristics. The four identifiable characteristics are: coat patterns, mottled skin, white sclera, and striped hooves. The Appaloosa Horse Club recognizes thirteen base coat colors. It is not always easy to predict the color a grown horse will be from the shade it has as a foal. Most foals are born with lighter colored coats than they will have when they shed their baby hair with the exception of gray horses, which are born dark and progressively become lighter. A remarkable aspect of the Appaloosa is the myriad of color and pattern combinations they can exhibit. The seven common terms used to describe Appaloosa coat patterns are blanket, spots, blanket with spots, roan, roan blanket, roan blanket with spots, and solid. Appaloosa patterns are highly variable and there are many which may not fit into specific categories easily. Mottled or partli-colored skin is also an Appaloosa characteristic. Mottled skin is different from commonly found pink (flesh-colored or non-pigmented) skin in that it normally contains dark areas of pigmented skin within its area. The result is a speckled or blotchy pattern of pigmented and non-pigmented skin. The sclera is the white area of the eye, which covers the entire eyeball except the cornea - the colored or pigmented portion. The white of the human eye is an example. All horses have sclera but the Appaloosa�s is white and usually more readily visible than other breeds. Readily visible white sclera is a distinctive Appaloosa characteristic provided it is not in combination with a large white face marking, such as a bald face. Many Appaloosas will have bold and clearly defined vertically light or dark striped hooves. However, vertical stripes also may result from injury to the coronet or found in association with a white marking on the leg. Also, light colored horses tend to have thin stripes in their hooves. As a result, all striped hooves do not necessarily distinguish Appaloosas from non-Appaloosas. Breed Organization The Appaloosa is an equine breed with a color preference. The Appaloosa Horse Club is the breed registry serving an association of members dedicated to collecting, recording and preserving the history and integrity of the breed; improving, enhancing, and promoting the Appaloosa, and honoring the tradition, history and heritage of the breed. Further, it is the mission of the Appaloosa Horse Club to: 1) Provide services for the benefit of its members, which encourage Appaloosa ownership and participation; 2) Foster growth and membership in the Appaloosa Horse Club through promotion, recognition, advertisement, and publicity of the Appaloosa; 3) Charter a regional, national and international network of clubs or associations and provide support and assistance to them in their efforts to promote the Appaloosa breed. Appaloosas must have at least one parent with a registration classification of Regular registration. The other parent must be registered with the ApHC or an approved breed association. However, stallions or mares that are classified as either N/C, C.P.O., B.S.O., B.S.N., I.D., or P.C. must be bred to a Regular-registered Appaloosa. The following breed associations are approved and recognized by the ApHC: American Quarter Horse Association, Amarillo, TX Arabian Horse Registry of America, Denver, CO The Jockey Club, New York, NY Horses registered with non-breeding stock papers with an approved breed association are not eligible. The Appaloosa Horse Club offers a variety of programs for show, racing, pleasure, trail-riding or simply caring for your Appaloosa companion. Newly introduced is the ACAAP program, which recognizes Appaloosas competing in outside all-breed sanctioned events. The Appaloosa is still ranked overall third in lifetime registrations. With a membership of well over 30,000 and participation in shows, races, trail and distance programs, youth programs and the new ACAAP is booming. For More Information, Contact: Appaloosa Horse Club or Appaloosa Museum and Heritage Center 2720 W. Pullman Road Moscow, Idaho 83843 Tel: (208) 882-5578 Fax: (208) 882-8150 Web Site: http://www.appaloosa.com E-mail: [email protected] Information supplied by the Appaloosa Horse Club. |
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