Appaloosa Horse
A complete guide to Appaloosa horses
The Appaloosa horse is best known for its distinctive coat pattern, which resembles a leopard skin. The breed also displays striped hooves, white patches around the eyes and speckled skin.
History
The modern Appaloosa horse can be traced back to the Nez Perce people, a tribe that lived in what is now Oregon and Washington. Members of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition noticed that the Nez Perce tribe bred spotted horses of exceptional quality, and following the Nez Perce War, their sought-after animals fell into the hands of breeders, who made further refinements to the bloodline.
Uses
Appaloosa horses are famous for their versatility, excelling at everything from show jumping and dressage to endurance riding, racing and pleasure riding. They also make excellent animal companions.
Appearance
Body Size: The Appaloosa Horse Association (AHA) endorses a size range of 14.1 to 15.2 hands high (hh), a "hand" being a unit of equine measurement equivalent to approximately 4 inches. To be registered as an Appaloosa, a mature animal must reach a minimum height of 14 hh. A normal weight range is 800 or 900 pounds to 1,200 or 1,300 pounds. This breed is fairly nimble-bodied, at least compared to hardier horses like the Clydesdale.
Color and Patterns: Officially, the Appaloosa Horse Club (AHC) recognizes a comprehensive range of base coat colors, including bay, black, chestnut and buckskin. Five official spotting patterns are described as well:
- Frost. This pattern is marked by a dominant solid color with white hair woven throughout the coat, creating a frost-like appearance.
- Snowflake. The snowflake pattern features a dark coat color with speckled white scattered throughout.
- Few-spot leopard. The few-spot leopard pattern is dominated by white patches, which cover up to 90 percent of the coat. The horse's base color is almost completely obscured.
- Leopard. The leopard pattern is defined as a coat that's almost completely white, with base coat colors speckled throughout. It's like the reverse of the snowflake pattern.
- Blanket. These horses seem to have a white "blanket" on their backs, extending from the tip of the tail up to the base of the neck. Flecks of the base coat color may or may not be present in the white blanket.
Caring for an Appaloosa Horse
Feeding: Animals kept as companions or for occasional pleasure riding are fine with two daily feedings and the occasional horse treat. Show horses and racehorses have special horse feed requirements which should be discussed with a veterinarian or equine nutrition expert.
Grooming: All horses, regardless of their activity levels, should have their hooves inspected every day for any signs of a potential infection or injury. Otherwise, coat and mane care is left to the discretion of the owner; show animals require daily attention, while pets and riding horses might get by with weekly or bi-weekly grooming.
Health Problems: Blindness occurs in this breed at about four times the rate seen in the general horse population. This blindness is often linked to the development of equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), which is an inflammation of the tissues in the middle layer of the eye.
Life Expectancy: Expect a healthy Appaloosa horse to live to about 25 years old.
Find Appaloosa Horses for Sale
You can find local breeders by contacting the Appaloosa Horse Association or Appaloosa Horse Club chapter nearest you. Deal only with reputable breeders offering healthy Appaloosa horses for sale. Gather recommendations from AHA or AHC staff.
A breeder with an Appaloosa horse for sale will charge based on the animal's pedigree and age. Horses with strong bloodlines get premium dollars, and horses aged 1 or 2 years are worth more than newborn foals. Expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $10,000 or more.
