Appaloosa horse breed

These animals invariably attract the attention of others. The key to their popularity was an unusual coloring and friendly character. Many are interested in how this breed was bred and what are its characteristic features. Take a closer look at the "spotted" horses.

Breed origin

The Appaloosa is an American breed of horse. The center for the breeding of these unusual-looking animals in the 18th-19th centuries was the coast of the Palouse River, which flows in the north of the USA.

"Breeders" are considered to be Indians of the Nez Perce tribe, who lived in the territory of modern Idaho, Oregon and Washington. At the end of the XVIII century, the territory of North America was actively mastered, and Chubar horses were imported from Europe, which the natives bought and crossed with representatives of the local lines, as a result of which a new breed appeared. It owes its name to the white settlers. Having arrived in the north-western part of Pousouse, without thinking twice, they called these animals "Pallouse horses".A little later, this phrase was reduced to our usual "appaloosa."

In the 1870s, the army actively fought with the Indians, and the Ne-Perce had to flee. The transition was 1300 miles long - in 1877, the Indians fled from the cavalry corps. The horses survived this “race,” but the tribe was still defeated.

After this, the population of Appaloses was significantly reduced: some of the animals were taken by farmers, others were requisitioned by the army, many died. The traditions of horse breeding began to fade, and indiscriminate crossing did not give the proper characteristics.

The breed is preserved thanks to enthusiasts, in particular Claude Thompson, who in 1938 founded the Appalois Fans Club. At the same time, the line was officially recognized, and the livestock began to gradually increase.

Characteristics and description of the breed

Having learned about the origin of animals, let us consider what is remarkable about this breed.

Height and weight

An adult horse grows to 1.42-1.55 m "at the withers". These are average indicators of the standard in which most of the representatives of the breed fit. In some instances, this figure can be as high as 1.63 m, although such “tall” appaloosa is a rarity.

A weight of 440-500 kg is considered normal. For a small animal it is a lot, but at the expense of powerful legs, such a mass does not cause any problems.

Exterior

If you look at the usual horse appaloosa, shown in the photo, you can note its proportionality.

"Generic" signs of the breed are:

• neat head with small pointed ears;
• muscular, precisely “stuck together” neck;
• quite short back of an athletic structure;
• rounded powerful croup;
• strong legs with very hard hooves;
• high tail arrangement;
• soft-touch mane and tail.

These horses have another feature - expressive eyes. The fact is that the sclera surrounding the eyeball is more pronounced in appaloses than in other breeds.Therefore, a white "cannon" is clearly visible around the apple.

Black spots of small sizes are often visible on the face - this is also a sign of the line.

There are also peculiarities for hooves. They may show vertical stripes of white or dark shade. In most cases, they are a kind of continuation of the bright marks on the legs. But you should not lose vigilance - such a strip may be the result of injury.

Suit

The original combination of tones and shades immediately catches the eye. In everyday life such horses are called chubar.

Experts also use a more accurate classification, highlighting the following color options:

• suited;
• spotted;
• chaly (with a large number of white hairs in wool);
• cheprak (white spot on the rump with a small dark patches);
• robe
• spotted cheprak;
• robe with a large number of spots.

Most often foals are born with a light skin, which changes color, gradually darkening. Gray horses brighten with age.Accurately determine the final color can only be 5 years of age. At the same time, and determine the "final" suit. She may be:

• leopard (white with clear dark spots on all parts of the body);
• marble (frequent dark specks);

• cheprachnoy;
• "snow" (dark specks actively advocate on the thigh);
• "hoarfrost" (dark spots have light spots on the horse).

"Branded" spotting is achieved through a combination of areas of pink (solid) and dark pigmented skin. There is another nuance - appaloosa have a special, "leopard" gene, which is exactly responsible for pigmentation. The higher its concentration, the more spots the animal will have.

Character and temper

Appaloosa, like any horse, has its own character. As we already know, this breed was bred specifically for working with people, so it’s not difficult to get along with such a horse.

They are balanced and appeasable, with a good temper. Appaloosa is very loyal, change of rider or owner can turn into stress for the animal - in such situations, the horse, as they say, shows character.

Despite the seeming meekness, they are distinguished by courage in unusual situations.

Calm and enduring "beast" well tolerates the neighborhood of other pets.

Distinctive features

First of all, they are distinguished by endurance - such runs are not frightened by long runs. At the same time there is a fast run. The combination of developed croup and strong legs significantly softens the movement for the rider. A clear plus for those who are planning to do jumps is a great scoop (in other words, the ability to change the pace of the ride) without breathing failure. In addition, appaloosa and great jumpers. Due to the natural ingenuity, they quickly learn, easily mastering new techniques.

Breed use

These horses are great for professional racing and trotting, and for unhurried horseback riding. These are the main areas of application.

In the subsidiary farm, they are occasionally used for grazing large livestock in mountainous areas — physical appaluz conditions are also suitable for such purposes.

But as a "tractor" beautiful (besides, expensive) horses are not used.

Now you know how interesting appaloses are and how they differ from representatives of other breeds. We hope this information is useful to you, and our readers will be able to quickly make friends with the spotty beauties.