Appaloosa questions

[JaniceH]

Researching for my Horse Ownership Certificate, I have been stumped on something regarding Appaloosa Horses.

All the Appalloosa horses/ponies I have seen have been white background with brown or black spots, and this is a leopard spot although I realise that there are blanket, snowflake, few spot versions. The horses have all been tb type and the ponies just normal smooth haired, slender types. So my questions are:

1. I am not sure if the Appaloosa is actually a specific breed or colour and are they different to what people called Spotted horses.

2. If the Appaloosa is a colour then why do you only see tb type fine boned versions, why is there not a Appaloosa Cob type?

3. All of the Appaloosa/spotty horses at the yard I ride at are nervous flighty creatures, is this feature of their nature - like dalmations are normally scatty?

Any information would be great and I am sorry if I am completely off the mark with my questions - but that's what's great about having you lot to ask lol.

[IrisSilverMoon]

Appaloosa's are definately a breed. They were developed by the Nez Perce Native american Tribe. I have been to their museum in Idaho...:)

this is not to say that there arne't other spotted horses, but this is a specificly spotted breed, to be registered it has to have appaloosa characteristics like, a spotted coat, striped hooves, white seclera around eye, mottled muzzle, mottling around the eyes or they have to have appaloosa parents.

todays appaloosa is different from the original, they have put more quarter horse and thoroughbred blood into them than the Nez Perce did, so you will see appy's run along those lines typically. Currently the Nez Perce are trying to get a breed to call their own again and are experimenting with crosses of appy's and akhal Teke'sto get a breed that is like the original appaloosa, but with a shiny coat! and more akhal teke characteristics.

Appy's characteristics can vary, but typically the ones i have known have been steady, not so spooky as some other horses, but with enough fire that they are fun to work with. An appaloosa with more thoroughbred blood may be different. As with all horses the personality will vary from horse to horse and you can't really base what the whole breed is like just from knowing a few of the horses.

[Cochise]

Will try to answer your questions Janice! Although the UK breed registry may be quite different to what we have here, but I have fair idea.
1. The appaloosa is a definite breed. Most countries have their appaloosa breed registry. In Denmark they are called the knabstrup. I am not sure about the UK spotted horse thing. Perhaps it is because to register an appaloosa you can only outbred to certain other breeds. If you have a spotted horse with traces of say draught horse or quarter horse it may not be allowed to be appaloosa registered. So these spotted horses are excluded from the app registry but not from spotted horses...(wild guess but more than likely accurate)

2. In NZ and the UK a lot of outbreeding to the TB was done. This leads to the fine boned TB type. If you look back to when the appaloosa waas nearly extinct in the 19th century the white man infused a lot of draft horse blood so that the Nez Perce could no longer fight or hunt on their beloved appaloosa horse. The breed was nearly extinct until the early 20th century when a vigorous breeding programme was resumed to refine the breed again. Nowadays the breed registries are getting tougher on what the appaloosa breeds are breed to. As for the cob type, come to NZ you will see plenty of cobby apps!
3. As for the flighty creatures...well my guy is flighty and I think I am going to pee off TB lovers here, but I purely think its the TB and arab in him that makes him flighty and not the apaloosa. The appaloosa is a strong willed character, very intelligent, handy and makes a great companion while being extrememly versatile.
Hope this helped a little more. If you need more info on the UK breed registry requirements etc, I have my UK book handy.

[JaniceH]

Thanks for that IrisSilverMoon

One of the reasons for my questions is that I know I cant base what the whole breed is like one the basis of a couple of horses at one yard:D I just wanted to make sure my understanding of that type of horse was because I had found out the right information rather than a half-guess.

I do think they are stunning horses, they are definately the sort of horse that makes even non-horse lovers go ooooh what sort of horse is that ! I think the nearest that I will get to owning one will be a lovely black and white coloured cob! mmm not quite the same!

Lucky you to go to the museum - I bet that was just amazing.

[ggabby]

this is on of my snowflackes

[shakari]

My fully papered registered appaloosa (below)
Definately no spots!!! Non spotted appaloosa's are registered as 'no-spot' you can also get 'few spot'.

[appy_mad]

Heres my snowflake appy

[galadriel]

Interesting. I almost never see leopard appaloosas. I see mostly blanket appys.

The most impressive apps I've ever seen were half draft; they were actually leopard, and HUGE. I mean enormous. They could have been 3/4 draft, or 7/8. One had black spots, one brown. Pretty, but I found them funny looking because they just didn't match my notions of an app.

[Cochise]

This is my Cheeky beast:
His sire is half app half TB and his dam is 3/4 app 1/4 arab.

[Sunny D]

Shakari - I've got a registered non spot as well, shes a bay appy x polo pony

not sure if the picture will attach, here goes

[shakari]

well you just went and spoiled that for me sunny d i liked being the only one with a reg. appy with no spots it confuses people. Although he's just rising 4 so he still has potentially a year or 2 to get some spots, with his dark bay colouring I doubt it somehow! Although he does have mealy eyes and a dappley belly, i can but wish..........:rolleyes:

[Mehitabel]

cheeky is what i think of when i think of an appaloosa. i've known a few appies and partbreds,. and he has the distinctive face and head shape that i associate with the breed. a friend of mine has a no-spot registered appaloosa (he has one spot, but we think it's a spur mark from previous owners!) who is registered as 'what no spots'.

there is a breed called 'british spotted pony' and also the 'spotted saddle horse' - i did do a profile on them for the nr site but it hasn't gone up.

knabstrups are something else altogether - not the danish name for an appaloosa, they're a whole separate breed.

interesting fact - the name appaloosa commes from the palouse river, which was where the nez percé native americans mainly lived.

[JaniceH]

All your horses are just stunning! It is so nice to see other peoples appaloosas, this is a pic of a leopard appy we have at our yard - the pic makes her look a little odd, she doesnt look as large headed in real life!

[Sunny D]

shakari - sorry to spoil it for you :D I somehow dont think that your chap will gain his spots now. Mine has mealy eyes and muzzle, she also has ONE dark spot on her throat ! I had her as a yearling and had hoped that she might have gained a spot or 2, but sadly not.

[cvb]

pictures of my varnish roan mare on this thread (http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=29878)

There should be info on appaloosas on either the main (US) appaloosa horse club site, or the local UK one.

There is also a 'gaited' strain which someone is trying to isolate, called "tiger" horses.

From what I've read, there were spotted horses around in Europe in 1800's (eg the Swedish King had one). Seems likely the spotted gene went to US in the Spanish horses. There are also spotted horses in Argentina.

[horsecrazy82190]

Try this! This might be of some help.
http://www.appaloosa.com/

[Kaaboom]

The Knabstrub has the same qualities and are siilar in appearance to the appaloosa, not in lineage from the Knabstrub though.
The Appaloosa is descended from horses imported to America by the Spanish conquistadores in the 16th century. The breed was developed by the Nez Perce Indians of NW America and the name Appaloosa, is derived from the Palouse river which ran through the Indians territory. They gelded or traded unqualified appy's During the late 1800's the appaloosa was almost wiped out when the U.S army captured the Nez Perce and slaughtered nearly all of their horses. In 1938 a group of breeders revived the breed using some of the descendants of the indian horses. The Appaloosa is closely related to the American Quarter Horse both historically and genetically and both breeds reflect similar influences. The Appaloosa is characterized by it's spotted coat of which there are six acceptable configurations. Theses are known as: snowflake, leopard, frost, marble, spotted blanket, and white blanket. The basic coat color is mostly roan, apart from the leopard pattern, although any color is allowed as long as it displays one of the six spot patterns. The Appy has mottled skin around the nose, lips, and genitals, and often has white sclera round the eyes. They generally have a sparse mane and tail and the hooves tend to display black and white vertical stripes. In conformation, the Appy has a smallish head with a straight profile. They are long in the neck which is muscular and set on to a deep chest with a sloping shoulder. The withers are moderately pronounced the quarters rounded and muscular, and the back short and compact. The Appy makes an excellent riding horse, being both docile and quiet but also energetic. They have good stamina and are naturally athletic. they stand at between 14 and 15.2HH. As wrote from my book...The Encyclopedia of HORSES & PONIES.
The Knabstrup was developed in Denmark in 1808, from a spotted mare caled Flaebehoppen. Flaebehoppen was of Spanish origin and the influence of the Spanish ancestry can be seen in the Knabstrup today. Flaebehoppen was bought by Judge Lunn and taken to his Knabstrup Estate, where the breed was developed.

[Kaaboom]

There is a guy on the John Lyons site who is getting a foal. He is a rare color, called a "few spotted Appaloosa" also called a Ghost Wind Appaloosa. Which means he is homozygous: meaning all his offspring will be colored, no matter what he is bred with. Also the Ghost Wind Appaloosa was riden by Chiefs and important people in the old days. There is also a gaited Appaloosa, although they are fighting to get them acknowledged into the show ring. The gait is called the Indian Shuffle.
It is on the general thread, under going on vacation by Mtn Mollie, page 3, his name is Teddy, his pic of the baby at day 4. A real sweetheart.

[KarinUS]

knabstrups are something else altogether - not the danish name for an appaloosa, they're a whole separate breed.

I am glad you posted that. I was just going to question that remark. I remember the Knabstruppers from when I lived in Germany and they didn't seem like Appaloosas at all.
I always thought Pippi Langstrumpf had a Knabstrupper but later learned the black spots were painted on for TV- a fake! :o

Anyway: No help with defining Appaloosas, but can tell you all Appys I have seen have had very sparse tails. Coincidence?

[cvb]

Appy makes an excellent riding horse, being both docile and quiet but also energetic.

Docile ??? Quiet ??? (Fi - are you LISTENING !!)
Energetic I can agree with ;) :D

I would add "affectionate" as they seem to be very people-orientated horses (massive generalisation so I wait to be shot down by folk who have known non-people appys !)

Karin - yes the sparse mane and tail is quite common tho you can see Appys with longer mane/tail. I think the gaited (Indian Shuffle) Tiger horses have more, so it may be down to "line". Or possibly down to the amount of QH in the breeding ?

Fi has the classic sparse mane and tail so has not needed mane pulling at any stage, just the odd tidying up.

[PePpAcOrN]

Just thought i'd put this pic of my friends leopard spot Appy Cleopatra :) She is a very cheeky little mare and loves to test people out, she also rears, and is girthy, stubborn and has a big attitude!

[Cochise]

The info that I gave about the knabstrup all those months ago was just what I had in my book on the appaloosa UK registry.

I actually personally would not know, living half a world away from Denmark!
Just looking at the sources I know :)

Thanks for the info though Kaboom, now I know :)

Anyway: No help with defining Appaloosas, but can tell you all Appys I have seen have had very sparse tails. Coincidence?

Karin, you have seen photos of Cheeky's tail and his is very full :)

[charlotte+jill!]

i have an appy, my first one and i love them. he is exactly like the books say quite quiet but theres still a spark there. when out on hacks he is forward going but not strong he does not spook all that much but he is always looking at things and interested.

as karin it is a trate that appys do not have very full tails or manes, i am lucky in the caballo has a decent tail and a good mane :)

i completly agree with cvb caballo is extreamly a people horse, he doesnt stand with the others in the field and is always wantin attention from people when stabled :rolleyes: and through word of mouth i have heard other appys are the same.

[Amie]

My appy is a solid spot (no spots just bay) and she is very sharp. She is only 18 months old and although she is very good, she can be quite cheeky

[TBEventer2002]

My first horse was a leopard Appy gelding, and he had an ego the size of his stall!!! LOL However, I put it down to the fact that he was just too smart. He was a rescue (terribly starved), but he was just so full of personality. My dad and he did NOT get along, so Dad always would say, "God either gives you spots or brains," and "You know why the Nez Pierce rode the Appys to war? So they'd be good and mad when they got there!" :rolleyes: LOL

Appys are well-known for their sparce mane and tail. With all the quarter horse and TB they have put into the Appys over the past few generations, the mane and tail are getting longer, not to mention some people actually putting the fake tails in their Appy's tails nowadays.

Appys are very versatile horses. Someone mentioned wanting an Appy coloring on a smaller horse? Try the Pony of the Americas. Dunno if you have any over there, but it might be worth checking out. POA's are common junior mounts, ranging in size all the way up to almost a small horse, and have the distinct Appy colorings. Think of them as a "mini-Appy" if you will. :D