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Evidence that spotted horses have been around for centuries has been found in cave drawings overseas depicting horses with multi-colored coats. It's believed that the first spotted horses were brought to the "New World" during the explorations of Spanish Conquistadors. Some of these horses were left behind, and members of native Indian tribes quickly realized their value. The Nez Perce and Palouse tribes of Washington, Oregon and Idaho are the first recorded breeders of Appaloosa horses. These tribes valued their spotted horses for their athleticism, soundness, good temperament and striking coat patterns. The name Appaloosa is believed to have originated when white settlers came upon these fine horses and called them "Palouse Horses" because they were seen by the Palouse River or owned by Palouse Tribe members. Over time, the name was slurred to "Palousey" and eventually to "Appaloosey", then Appaloosa. It took the near extinction of the breed before some visionary horsemen in the 1930's realized that the beauty and athleticism of the Appaloosa was worth saving and formed the Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC).
The Appaloosa horse can come in a variety of colors and coat patterns. The main coat patterns established by the ApHC are as follows:
Blanket: a solid white area normally over the hip area on a horse with a contrasting base color
Blanket with spots: a white area normally over the hips with dark spots located within the white. The spots are usually the same color as the base color of the horse. However, a horse may also have more than one color of spots.
Leopard: a white horse having dark spots over the entire body.
Roan: An Appaloosa roan pattern is a mixture of white and dark hairs.
Roan Blanket: a mixture of white and dark hairs usually over the hip area.
Roan Blanket with Spots: a mixture of white and dark hairs over a portion of the body with white and/or dark spots within the roan area.
Spots: a horse with white or dark spots over a portion of its body or over the entire body.
Solid: a horse that has a base color with no contrasting color.
Appaloosas may also be a combination of one or more of the afore mentioned coat patterns. They are also characterized by striped hooves, mottled skin, and white sclera around the eye. A horse's original coat pattern may also change as the natural result of aging. Appaloosas are categorized as a stock horse, and generally stand between 14.2 and 16 hands. They should have strong, short backs, rounded, well muscled hind quarters, a well proportioned head and neck that ties into a long sloping shoulder. Their legs should be straight and strong with well formed hooves.
Due to years of breeding for performance, today's Appaloosa is indeed an all around athlete. They can be found competing in all levels of Western and English disciplines such as Dressage, Three Day Eventing, Endurance, Reining, Cutting, Working Cow Horse, Barrel Racing, and setting records on the race track. The Appaloosa's easy going and willing temperament also makes it an ideal family horse and mount for pleasure trail riding.
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