The
Appaloosa
It's a country of golden, gently rolling hills. Covered with
wheat, the hillsides ripple in the breeze like waves on a
lake. Not more than a few hours away, the countryside
changes to high mountain terrain with miles of steep slopes
covered with a sea of virgin pine.
It is here, amidst the fertile valleys and
alpine forests, that the Appaloosa horse came into being. It was
during a time when the hills were covered with only indigenous
grasses and the mountains had been walked upon only by those
native to this land.
In the Beginning
It all started in the early 1700s, when a tribe called the Nez
Perce acquired their first horses. Many historians believe that
a neighboring tribe called the Shoshone sold that first horse to
the Nez Perce. The Shoshone had acquired their horses from
another tribe further south, who in turn got their horses from
another more southern tribe. The origin of all these horses were
the Spaniards who had settled the Southwest in the 1600s, only
to be ousted by the Pueblo Indians some 80 years later. The
Spanish horses were traded to tribes further north by the
triumphant Pueblo dwellers until the horse gradually worked its
way up to the Nez Perce tribe and what is now northern Idaho.
Historians are rather certain that spotted
horses, which had been seen in Europe for centuries, were among
those Spanish herds. The Nez Perce took a liking to their
markings, and began to selectively breed for them as well as
endurance, hard feet and other characteristics that have since
become synonymous with the Appaloosa horse.
There is also another theory on how the Nez
Perce came to own the Appaloosa, one that is much more romantic
than the traditional Spanish horses idea. While it is not
supported by most historians, it is an oral history that has
been passed down among some of the Nez Perce. It states that the
first Appaloosa horses obtained by the Nez Perce tribe came from
a Russian ship that had dropped anchor just off the shore of
what is now Oregon. According to the story, three Appaloosa
stallions were sent from the ship to swim ashore to the awaiting
Siletz tribe in Tillamook Bay, in exchange for goods. These were
special stallions that were sold to the Nez Perce, who bred them
to some of the the tribe's best mares. The results, according to
the story, were the beginning of the Nez Perce Appaloosa.
Whichever account you choose to believe, one
thing is certain: The Appaloosa was to become strongly
associated with the Nez Perce tribe.
When Lewis and Clark happened upon the Nez
Perce people almost a century later, Meriwether Clark commented
in his journal "Their horses appear to be of an excellent race;
they are lofty, elegantly formed, active and durable; in short
many of them look like fine English coursers and would make a
figure in any country." And, according to Clark's description, a
number of these horses had spots.
Struggle for Survival
For another 70 years after Lewis and Clark's visit, the Nez
Perce continued to breed their fine horses. They used them to
carry burdens, hunt buffalo and race among each other. They
lived closely with them, sometimes taking a very exceptional
horse into their own dwellings at times of danger.
The fate that awaited all Native American
tribes eventually came to the Nez Perce. Valuable minerals were
discovered on Nez Perce land in 1860, and settlers began
encroaching on the tribe's territory, which had been guaranteed
to the Nez Perce under the U.S. government treaty of 1855.
Conflict arose between greedy settlers and the Nez Perce, and
half the tribe disavowed the treaty and became what is known as
"non-treaty Indians."
By 1871, a government edict was handed down to
the U.S. cavalry, designed to remove the troublesome Indians
from their land so it could be turned over to white settlers. It
stated that all non-treaty Indians were to be moved to a
reservation. To avoid capture, the non-treaty group turned to a
Nez Perce leader by the name of Chief Joseph for help. He
ordered all the tribe's horses rounded up. Once the animals were
gathered, women and children, the elderly and the infirmed, took
their possessions and began a flight for freedom that would go
down forever in the chronicles of history.
The Nez Perce band fled more than 1,000 miles
over the next three-and-a-half months in an attempt to evade the
pursuing cavalry, losing countless horses and many tribe members
in an attempt to reach the Canadian border and certain refuge.
However, only 40 miles from safety, the group was overtaken and
Chief Joseph was forced to make his now-famous surrender. "I
will fight no more forever," were the words that signified the
end to his brave and noble people.
While the captured Nez Perce were shipped off
to Indian Territory, their 1,100 horses were dispersed. Those in
charge knew that in order to keep the Nez Perce down, they would
have to strip the great horsemen of their horses, most of which
were far superior to the cavalry mounts that had pursued them
for many miles. Some of the Nez Perce horses were shot by the
cavalry, others were sold to buyers from the East. There were
also a handful that managed to escape into the countryside.
While the Nez Perce were no longer a part of
the Idaho countryside, some of their lost horses carried on
without them, living wild and free. Legendary among whites as
well as Indians, these escaped Appaloosas were soon sought out
and captured. They were then sold to stockmen in California and
Oregon to be used in ranch work.
It was a long time after this before anyone
thought long and hard about the Appaloosa horse. It had become
part of a lost nation, a horse whose time had come and gone.
There were some cattle ranchers that continued to breed the
horse on their spreads for their own use, but spotted horses as
the Nez Perce had bred them were few and far between.
Then, in 1937 a historian and horseman by the
name of Francis Haines published an article in an equine
magazine about the Appaloosa horse. Public reaction was
tremendous, and Haines followed up with more articles on the
breed. About a year later, public support was sufficient enough
to prompt six men to get together to start the Appaloosa Horse
Club. The club's purpose: to collect records and historical
information on the breed, to find and register those horses that
would be considered foundation stock, and to preserve and
standardize the breed.
The new guardians of the Appaloosa breed began
a search to find horses whose closest ancestors had survived the
decimation of the Nez Perce. They found one stallion with a free
Nez Perce Indian man, a rancher who had been quietly breeding
horses for decades. Another horse was discovered in the
mountains of northern Colorado, the product of a mustang mare
and a leopard-spotted stallion. And these were just two. Over
the next few years, nearly 5,000 horses were sought out and
designated as the foundation for the "new" Appaloosa breed. The
names of many of these foundation stallions can still be found
in Appaloosa pedigrees today. Among them are Toby, Absarokee
Sunset, Apache, Bright Eyes Brother, Joker B, Mansfield Comanche,
Wapiti, Quanah, Red Eagle and Sundance.
Those who created the breed's first registry
and those who loved this horse recognized their awesome
responsibility to Chief Joseph to safeguard the Appaloosa--to
preserve the traits of the horses the great chief had once
called "my children."
What Has Happened Since
After the creation of the Appaloosa Horse Club, the Appaloosa
breed began to grow steadily in popularity. By the 1970s, it had
become the third most popular breed in the country. By this
time, Appaloosas were being used throughout the nation to
perform a number of different jobs. They worked cattle, raced on
parimutual tracks, carried children on trail rides. They
competed in eventing, ran gymkhana and sailed over stadium jumps.
Only horses with clearly visible Appaloosa markings were allowed
to compete in the show ring, and people everywhere came to
easily recognize the breed as a top competitor. Color and
versatility were the name of the game for the Appaloosa, and
these characteristics were the key to the breed's universal
charm.
Then, in 1983, something happened that would
change the breed, possibly forever. Under pressure from breeders
who wanted to find a market for the solid foals that inevitably
resulted from certain breedings (cross-breeding to Quarter
Horses, Arabians and Thoroughbreds was--and still is--allowed by
the Appaloosa Horse Club), a rule called the Certified Pedigree
Option (CPO) was enacted by the club.
In essence, the CPO rule allowed solid-colored
horses, even those that had none of the
required-for-regular-registration Appaloosa characteristics,
namely striped hooves, spotted skin and white sclera, to now be
shown against colored horses in the ring. The result was a
steady infiltration of solid-colored horses--most with
significant Quarter Horse breeding--into the Appaloosa show
world. These horses often placed well with judges, who were
required to disregard the lack of color when making their
decisions. And since many Appaloosa Horse Club-approved judges
were also Quarter Horses judges, their preferences for Quarter
Horse type began to show through.
As with any animal that is exhibited for
competition, trends in the show ring affect the breed as a whole.
This was especially true in the case of the Appaloosa. As a
result of the show ring success of Appaloosas with considerable
Quarter Horse breeding, more and more Quarter Horse blood began
to be added to Appaloosa breeding programs. Today, the pedigrees
of a great many registered Appaloosas contain very few actual
Appaloosas.
The consequences of all this is evident in the
breed's conformation. In the late 1960s and early 1970s,
Appaloosa conformation was distinctive among other breeds. It
had a somewhat compact body with a medium set neck, a deep chest,
long sloping pasterns, muscular thighs and a straight, lean head.
It was a look that closely resembled that of foundation horses
used to recreate the breed. Combined with its markings, it was
highly distinguishable from other breeds.
Nowadays, however, the conformation of the top
Appaloosa horses in the country strongly resemble that of the
American Quarter Horse. The neck is set lower, allowing for the
horizontal topline so desired in western pleasure classes. The
heads of many of these horses are shorter and more tapered than
those of the original foundation type. And most significant of
all, many of the Appaloosa horses seen in show rings throughout
the country have no visible Appaloosa markings.The effects on
the breed of this change in appearance have been profound.
In an effort to minimize some of this damage,
the Appaloosa Horse Club has just changed the CPO rule. The CPO
rule now states that in order for a horse to be registered with
the CPO program, the horse must have two regular-papered
Appaloosa parents. This rule change will go into effect in the
year 2002. The idea behind this change is to encourage the
breeding of Appaloosas to Appaloosas, rather than Appaloosas to
other breeds.
Despite this effort on behalf of the Appaloosa
Horse Club, there are purists who believe this move is too
little too late. In fact, these purists think the Appaloosa
horse is on the brink of extinction.
Today in the Ring
The Appaloosa show ring today is dominated by what some people
call the modern, or contemporary, Appaloosa. Shown primarily in
breed shows sponsored by the Appaloosa Horse Club, these are the
horses that take home the prizes in classes such as western
pleasure, western horsemanship, trail and halter.
Despite the western focus the breed has taken,
it has not given up its original claim to versatility. Appaloosa
Horse Club sponsored shows also feature classes like calf roping,
reining, cutting, hunter hack, side saddle, saddle seat pleasure,
pleasure driving, open jumper and games (gymkhana) classes. The
so-called "true type" Appaloosa is often seen in in the cow
classes and games classes, and also in the heritage (costume
class).
The Appaloosa Horse Club also has an extensive
youth program, and offers classes to those aficionados of the
breed who are under 19 years of age. Western and English
showmanship, bareback equitation, hunt over fences, breakaway
roping, walk/trot hunt seat equitation and halter are among the
classes offered to kids with spotted fever. It's goal is to
encourage and nurture a love of the breed in children, since
they will be the ones to carry the Appaloosa into the future.
Whatever the ultimate fate of the Appaloosa
breed, one thing is certain--this is a breed of incredible
history and character, one that will always hold a place in the
hearts of true horse lovers.
For more information on the Appaloosa, contact
the Appaloosa Horse Club, P.O. Box 8403, Moscow, ID 83848-0903;
(208) 882-5578; www.appaloosa.com, or the International Colored
Appaloosa Association, Box 99, Shipshewana, IN 46565; (219)
825-3331.
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