APPALOOSA HISTORY
The coat patterns now collectively known as "appaloosa patterns" have existed for millenia. The appaloosa coat pattern has fascinated Man since the first hunters recorded its spotted image on their cave walls in what is now France. The peoples of Europe and Asia coveted spotted mounts, wars were fought over and with them, and appaloosa patterned horses were often presented as gifts to the highest rulers. Legends abound about the power, tragedy, and courage of spotted horses, from Persia's Rustam and his spotted mount Rakush, to the Blood Sweating Horses of China, to the story of the Ghostwind Stallions, told by a Native American man here on our own American continent.
The North American History of the appaloosa began with the Nez Perce (Neemeepoo) Native American Indians. Up until the association with the Nez Perce and their geographic location, the spotted horse and its various color patterns went by various names. The term "appaloosa" is thought to have been developed by the slurring together of the words "A Palousey", referring to the spotted horses from the Palouse River region.
The Nez Perce were documented to have had several thousand head of fleet, well formed horses, with some being appaloosa spotted. According to the Journal of Lewis and Clark, these horses were comparable to the finest blooded horses in Virginia. When the Nez Perce were driven from their homeland by the U.S Army, their fine horses were dispersed-- some were destroyed, some escaped to join wild horse herds, and some found new jobs with soldiers, farmers, army Indian scouts, and even circuses.
The Appaloosa Horse Club was founded in 1938 by a farmer and horse breeder by the name of Claude Thompson. This marked the official beginnings of the Appaloosa as an American breed with recorded pedigrees. He and others had been gathering what they could of the spotted horses that were fast disappearing. They began the arduous task of preserving, improving and re-creating the fine horse that the Nez Perce were credited with breeding, and the army had scattered to the corners of the country. They used appaloosa- colored stock where ever it could be found, and advocated crossing to purebred Arabians, Thoroughbreds, Morgans and other fine riding horses where necessary and possible, to refine and re-create an Appaloosa worthy of its legendary glory.
The Appaloosa Horse Club issued its first written Breed Standard in the 1940s. Breeding rules continued to evolve. Crossing out to other breeds was not discouraged. The "Tentative" registration system was set up in the 1950s so that Appaloosas with an other-breed or unknown parent could earn "regular" ApHC papers by producing a certain number of registered Appaloosa offspring.
The Appaloosa was marketed early-on as "America's Best Rough Country Stock Horse". Being a "stock horse" did not mean a completely Western type however-- Appaloosas excelled in both Egnlish and Western sport from the beginnings of the registry. In the ensuing decades, the type of Appaloosa seen being rewarded in the ApHC show ring moved closer to the American stock horse type represented and dominated by the Quarter Horse. The ApHC Breed Standard was re-written in the 1950s, and again in the 1980s, but still remained general enough to include athletic correct Appaloosas suitable for varying disciplines. Through the 70's and early 80's, categories were also established for the previously unregisterable solid non-characteristic products of Appaloosa breeding to be registered for use as breeding animals.
In 1982 a rule (the Certified Pedigree Option, or CPO) was passed allowing these solid non-characteristic Appaloosas a way to be shown in ApHC shows. This was controversial- seen by some as a confusion of the Appaloosa's colorful breed identity, but seen by others as a necessity to allow all horses produced from Appaloosa breeding programs the chance to be proven in the Appaloosa breed showring. At this time, several other ApHC rules and classifications were changed or discontinued, including limiting the approved outside breeds from a high of 8 down to 3, and eliminating the ID and PC programs which had served in part to give parentage rights to grade horses and other non-appaloosas.
ApHC registration numbers began falling soon after all of these changes were made. Numbers continued to fall in the 1980s but leveled off and began a slow climb in the 1990s into the 2000s. However, many Appaloosa breeders felt disenfranchised and ignored, and alternative Appaloosa registries sprang up in an effort to put more focus on color and Appaloosa bloodlines.
Global economic setbacks and the changing face of horse ownership no doubt has played a part in the Appaloosa registration declines beginning again in the 2000s and continuing to today, but changing registration rules in the ApHC and conflict between various factions must also be considered. ApHC rules currently allow AQHA, Thoroughbred, and Arabian crossing as long as there is one regular registered Appaloosa parent, but the AQHA cross is by far the most utilized, and the type of Appaloosas winning in the ApHc showring highly resemble their AQHA counterparts in the same disciplines. Other Appaloosa registries continue to refine criteria and offer registration for "Foundation" and "Purebred" Appaloosas, but efforts remain scattered and the definition of what makes a "True" Appaloosa continues to be contested.
Appaloosa Profiles Fine English Coarsers Appaloosa Breed Standards Appaloosa White Rules
The North American History of the appaloosa began with the Nez Perce (Neemeepoo) Native American Indians. Up until the association with the Nez Perce and their geographic location, the spotted horse and its various color patterns went by various names. The term "appaloosa" is thought to have been developed by the slurring together of the words "A Palousey", referring to the spotted horses from the Palouse River region.
The Nez Perce were documented to have had several thousand head of fleet, well formed horses, with some being appaloosa spotted. According to the Journal of Lewis and Clark, these horses were comparable to the finest blooded horses in Virginia. When the Nez Perce were driven from their homeland by the U.S Army, their fine horses were dispersed-- some were destroyed, some escaped to join wild horse herds, and some found new jobs with soldiers, farmers, army Indian scouts, and even circuses.
The Appaloosa Horse Club was founded in 1938 by a farmer and horse breeder by the name of Claude Thompson. This marked the official beginnings of the Appaloosa as an American breed with recorded pedigrees. He and others had been gathering what they could of the spotted horses that were fast disappearing. They began the arduous task of preserving, improving and re-creating the fine horse that the Nez Perce were credited with breeding, and the army had scattered to the corners of the country. They used appaloosa- colored stock where ever it could be found, and advocated crossing to purebred Arabians, Thoroughbreds, Morgans and other fine riding horses where necessary and possible, to refine and re-create an Appaloosa worthy of its legendary glory.
The Appaloosa Horse Club issued its first written Breed Standard in the 1940s. Breeding rules continued to evolve. Crossing out to other breeds was not discouraged. The "Tentative" registration system was set up in the 1950s so that Appaloosas with an other-breed or unknown parent could earn "regular" ApHC papers by producing a certain number of registered Appaloosa offspring.
The Appaloosa was marketed early-on as "America's Best Rough Country Stock Horse". Being a "stock horse" did not mean a completely Western type however-- Appaloosas excelled in both Egnlish and Western sport from the beginnings of the registry. In the ensuing decades, the type of Appaloosa seen being rewarded in the ApHC show ring moved closer to the American stock horse type represented and dominated by the Quarter Horse. The ApHC Breed Standard was re-written in the 1950s, and again in the 1980s, but still remained general enough to include athletic correct Appaloosas suitable for varying disciplines. Through the 70's and early 80's, categories were also established for the previously unregisterable solid non-characteristic products of Appaloosa breeding to be registered for use as breeding animals.
In 1982 a rule (the Certified Pedigree Option, or CPO) was passed allowing these solid non-characteristic Appaloosas a way to be shown in ApHC shows. This was controversial- seen by some as a confusion of the Appaloosa's colorful breed identity, but seen by others as a necessity to allow all horses produced from Appaloosa breeding programs the chance to be proven in the Appaloosa breed showring. At this time, several other ApHC rules and classifications were changed or discontinued, including limiting the approved outside breeds from a high of 8 down to 3, and eliminating the ID and PC programs which had served in part to give parentage rights to grade horses and other non-appaloosas.
ApHC registration numbers began falling soon after all of these changes were made. Numbers continued to fall in the 1980s but leveled off and began a slow climb in the 1990s into the 2000s. However, many Appaloosa breeders felt disenfranchised and ignored, and alternative Appaloosa registries sprang up in an effort to put more focus on color and Appaloosa bloodlines.
Global economic setbacks and the changing face of horse ownership no doubt has played a part in the Appaloosa registration declines beginning again in the 2000s and continuing to today, but changing registration rules in the ApHC and conflict between various factions must also be considered. ApHC rules currently allow AQHA, Thoroughbred, and Arabian crossing as long as there is one regular registered Appaloosa parent, but the AQHA cross is by far the most utilized, and the type of Appaloosas winning in the ApHc showring highly resemble their AQHA counterparts in the same disciplines. Other Appaloosa registries continue to refine criteria and offer registration for "Foundation" and "Purebred" Appaloosas, but efforts remain scattered and the definition of what makes a "True" Appaloosa continues to be contested.
Appaloosa Profiles Fine English Coarsers Appaloosa Breed Standards Appaloosa White Rules
