2011 APPALOOSA BREED STANDARD
General Conformation:
• Symmetrical and smooth: head is straight and lean, giving eye prominence and adding distinction to head appearance; ears are pointed and of medium size; neck shows quality with a clean cut throat latch and a large windpipe.
• Chest is deep and blends into well muscled sloping shoulders; withers are prominent and well defined; forearm is well muscled, long wide and tapered down to a broad knee; cannons are wide and flat with wide, smooth and strongly supported fetlocks; pastern is medium long and sloping; hooves are rounded, deep, open and wide at the heels; back is short and straight; loin is short and wide; underline is long with the flank well let down; hips are smoothly covered, being long, sloping and muscular; thighs are long, muscular and deep, blending into well rounded quarters; gaskins are long wide and muscular extending to clean clearly defined
wide, straight hocks.
• Forelegs, when viewed from the front, should have a perpendicular line from the point of the shoulder that should fall upon the center of the knee, cannon, pastern and foot. From the side, a perpendicular line from the center of the elbow joint should fall upon the center of the knee and pastern joints and back of foot.
• Rear legs, when viewed from behind, should have a perpendicular line from the point of the hindquarter that should fall upon the center of the hock, cannon, pastern and foot. From the side, a perpendicular line from the hip joint should fall upon the center of the foot and divide the gaskin in the middle, and a perpendicular line from the point of the quarter should run parallel with the line of the
cannon.
• Minimum height for a mature Appaloosa (5 years or older) is 14 hands. There is no maximum height. Height and weight should be proportional.
Color and coat patterns:
• The base coat color may be any one of many different colors and can include dilutes, duns, grays, roans and other modifying types. Eyes may be any color, including, but not limited to, blue, hazel, green, brown, amber and black. Coat color patterns may vary from a solid pattern, meaning no spotting at all, to multi-spotted to blanket hipped with no spots. Patterns and markings are extremely varied and found in many sizes and combinations with great variations in areas with white backgrounds. Appaloosas can dramatically change their coat pattern throughout their lifetime. No two Appaloosa horses are identically marked.
While color and markings are not primary or determinative factors in judging, it should be borne in mind that where two horses are equal in type, conformation, action and soundness, the award may be made to that particular entry which is more reasonably recognizable as an Appaloosa.
Secondary Characteristics:
• Mottled or parti-colored skin may be found around the nostrils, mouth, eyes, anus and genitals. This characteristic may be found present in only one area, several areas or none at all.
• Sclera of eyes may be white. Sclera may be in one, both or neither eye.
• Hooves may be striated with dark and light striping in the hoof wall. Striation may or not be present in any or all feet.
