Symbolizing the Wild West, the Appaloosa is distinguished by its spotted dress. This breed of horse - which demonstrated its bravery during the war between cowboys and Indians - owes its survival to the action of passionate breeders.
History and origins of Appaloosa
The Appaloosa is native to the United States, more precisely from the regions of Oregon and Idaho, corresponding to the territories of the Nez Perce in the years 1700 to 1730. The appearance of spotted horses began with the theft of horses imported by the conquistadors. They were then selected by the tribe based on their strength, agility, and speed, in order to be fit for war as well as hunting.
The name Appaloosa appears around 1870. The herds grazed along the Palouse River where local farmers called them "Palousey horses" which gave rise to "A Palousey" and then Appaloosa.
It was finally in 1938 that some Americans created the Appaloosa Horse Club USA (ApHC), gathering data on the breed and its breeding. The ApHC counts about 670,000 horses today.
Morphological characteristics of Appaloosa
Its size is reasonable that can vary from 1m42 to 1m65 at the withers approximately.
Depending on the morphology and size of the horse, the weight of an Appaloosa varies between 450 and 600kg.
It is known for its spotted coat, but some individuals are sometimes united. The color of the coat varies according to a set of genes giving horses chestnut, kiss, palominos, white, or black for example.
To this is added the stain, making the specificity of the breed. It has been shown to be caused by a gene called the leopard gene (LP). Other genes PATN2 and PATN1 have been identified as responsible for the presence of a white "cape" more or less extended on the horse, often visible on the rump. These animals are said to be caped, while horses with white coats dotted with dark spots are called leopards.
The possibilities are therefore multiple but only thirteen dresses are recognized by the ApHC.
The identification of the Lp gene can allow breeders who wish to do so, to orient the crosses according to the desired dresses and to avoid plain individuals called "solid".
- Forehand: Head with a straight profile and pronounced ganaches, long neckline, sloping shoulders, little hair.
- Body: Withers moderately protruded, back short, wide, and straight.
- Hindquarter: Powerful, muscular rump, especially for crosses with the Quarter Horse.
In general, the Appaloosa is known to have good bones and developed musculature, two types are distinguishable according to their morphology:
- The Appaloosa says "foundation": close to the first horses listed in 1938, it has not been influenced by other breeds, so it is quite rustic.
- The so-called "modern" Appaloosa: is more suitable for sports and leisure. More slender, it derives from crosses made with other breeds including the Quarter Horses.
- Physical description and peculiarities of the breed
Appaloosa is characterized by four physical specificities:
- Marbled skin around the eye, mouth, nostrils, and genitals
- A very visible white of the eye (the sclera)
- Vertically striated hooves
- A dress with a very variable color (bai, chestnut, roan, black, palomino, etc.) is often spotted.
Appaloosa Abilities
The Appaloosa is reputed to be a rustic horse, docile with a cold mind, granting him a good temperament. He is also known to be enduring and maneuverable, all these qualities making him a good outdoor and hiking horse for example.
As stated above, the Appaloosa is a very versatile horse that can be distinguished in different disciplines:
- Western riding
- Hunter
- Endurance
- Races (in the United States)
Its qualities can also be improved by the authorized crossing with certain breeds.
Note that beyond sport it is also widely used in tourism and horseback riding.
Appaloosa Health
It is between 20 and 30 years old and varies depending on the individual.
The diet of the Appaloosa varies little from that of another horse. It must therefore consist of good-quality fodder or grass if the horse is grazing. Then, it must be adapted to the activity of the horse by providing if necessary supplements such as flaked or granules.
It is also always necessary to make sure to offer him a source of clean water in sufficient quantity (consumption of 40L on average per day).
The Appaloosa is generally a hardy horse with good health. However, the LP gene predisposes some horses to uveitis and night blindness.
Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) is a rare genetically determined disease identified in the United States and Canada.
Genetic tests for these two diseases as well as night blindness exist.
"Close" breeds
The breeds close to the Appaloosa that can be mentioned are the Quarter horse, the English Thoroughbred, and the Arabian Thoroughbred. These are the only three breeds for which the ApHC allows crossing with an Appaloosa and its registration in the studbook.
To be registered with the ApHC, both parents must be, or one must be registered and the second must be registered in the Quarter Horse studbook: an international Arabian, Thoroughbred registry, or in the Jockey Club USA (for the English Thoroughbred).
The "modern" Appaloosa is also very close to the Quarter Horse, because of the many crossings made.
Name ideas for an Appaloosa
- Adagio
- Arizona-Dream
- Chowan
- Denver
- Falco
- Hurricane
- Indian-Singer
- Kiss
- Lucky-Light
- Ural
- Alta
- Black-River
- Calypso
- Exodus
- First-Lady
- Gypsy
- Salsa
- Shana
- Shelby
- Utopia
Conclusion
Head small. Broad forehead. Straight profile. Ganaches pronounced. Pointed ears, medium size. Eyes large circled with white. White scleratic. Compact, collected body, with developed musculature. Elongated, muscular neckline. Withers is rather prominent. Long, sloping shoulders. Wide chest. Deep chest. Back short, strong, straight. Kidneys are short and strong. Particularly developed, powerful hindquarters. Croup rounded, muscular. Relatively short, strong, robust limbs. Well-developed bone. Short guns. Extremely hard feet. Hooves round, streaked with white and black vertical lines. Short tail with scarce hair. Spotted dress. Colors and designs combine endlessly to produce dresses unique to each horse. But the spots are not enough to recognize a horse of the Appaloosa breed, not to mention that there are individuals with a plain coat ("solid-color").
There are four main characteristics for recognizing an Appaloosa:
– The hoof must be streaked vertically.
– The skin must be washed naturally and not by depigmentation. (Nostrils and mucous membranes).
– The sclera of the eye should be white.
– A spotted dress. To be Appaloosa, you must have at least two characteristics including a spotted dress or ladres.
Types of dresses:
– Bay: white spots on the hindquarters; on the face: star, speckle. Legs: white markings on the
Anterior, half-balzane on the left posterior, and a white crown on the right posterior.
– White: black spots all over the body. No marks on the face and legs.
– Chestnut: white with spots on the hindquarters. Face: star, list on the chamfer, speckling.
Legs: balzane on the right posterior.
– Grilla: white with spots on the kidneys and hindquarters. Face: star and list who drinks from his milk. Legs: white pastern at the left anterior, white crown at the right anterior, half-balzane at the right posterior.
– Palomino: hindquarters with white spots. Face: star, list, drink from his milk. Leg: balzanes with all four limbs.
– Blue roan: white with spots. Face: no mark. Legs: half-balzane on the left posterior. Height: from 1.45 to 1.63 m. Weight: from 450 to 700 kg.
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