Appaloosa Horse
The Appaloosa, which was developed by the Nez Perce Indians in the mid-18th century from the horses that were introduced by the Spanish conquistadores The Nez Perce inhabited the lands in the north-east corner of Oregon, the south-east corner of Washington, and the bordering Idaho country. Their principal horse-breeding areas, providing good keep in both summer and winter, were in and around the sheltered valleys of the Snake, Clearwater, and Palouse rivers. The word "Appaloosa" is a corruption of "Palouse", the name of the river.
HISTORY
Among the first horses that the Spanish adventurers introduced to the Americas in the 16th century were a number that carried spotted genes. Through the agency of the Plains Indians, these and other horses spread northwards from Mexico, and they came to form the foundation stock of the Nez Perc? tribe in the north-eastern states of the US. The Nez Perc? were the most skilful horse-breeders among the Indian peoples, and by the mid-1700s they practiced a strict selective breeding policy. This included gelding male horses that were below their required standard, and disposing of unsuitable females through trade with other tribes.
Although colour and ornamentation were important considerations, as they were for all Indian tribes, the Nez Perc? required, above all, hardy, practical work horses, which were suitable for both war and hunting. By 1806, when they are mentioned specifically in the journal kept by the Lewis and Clarke expedition, the quality of the Nez Perc? horses was widely recognized.
The Appaloosa breed was virtually wiped out 70 years later, when the US was seizing tribal lands and moving the Indians to reservations. Under their leader, Chief Joseph, the Nez Perc? retaliated, and conducted a fighting retreat over some of the most mountainous country in the West. Finally they tried to seek sanctuary over the border in Canada. After a march of about 2,100 km (1,300 miles), they were brought to bay and forced to surrender in the Bear Paw Mountains of Montana, just short of the border they thought they had crossed. Their wealth was confiscated, and their herds were slaughtered.
REVIVAL OF THE BREED
In 1938, on the basis of a few surviving descendants of the Nez Perc? horses, the breed underwent a revival, and the appaloosa Horse Club was formed in Moscow, Idaho. In less than 50 years the appaloosa breed registry was the third largest in the world and had over 400,000 registered horses. In the UK the very active British Appaloosa Society (affiliated to the Appaloosa Horse Club) operates a grading register, with the declared aim of producing a stud book in the future.
The modern Appaloosa usually stands at 1.47-1.57 m (14.2-15.2 hh). In the US it is used as a stock and pleasure horse, as well as for racing, jumping, and western and long-distance riding. There is some divergence in type, particularly in the US where there has been much outcrossing to the Quarter Horse The best specimens look like well bred
cow ponies ? compact, with very strong, correct limbs. The breed is claimed to be innately hardy, very willing, and to have a very tractable temperament.
COAT PATTERNS
There are five principal coat patterns that are recognized in the Appaloosa, namely : Leopard, characterized by a white area over all or part of the body, and dark, egg-shaped spots within the white area; Snowflake, in which white spotting occurs all over the body but is usually concentrated over the hips; Blanket, where the coat colour over the hips can be either white or spotted; Marbleized, where there is a mottled pattern all over the body; and Frost, which consists of white specks on a dark background.
In addition to the coat pattern, the Appaloosa has other characteristics that are also passed faithfully from one generation to the next. The mane and tail are sparse and wispy (it is said that this is to prevent them from being caught up in thorny scrub); the sclera, the area of the eye surrounding the iris, is white, as it is in humans; the skin is noticeably mottled on the muzzle and around the genitalia; and the feet are marked with vertical black and white stripes. The feet are very sound and said to be more resilient than those of other breeds, and to contribute to the Appaloosa's powers of endurance.
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