Appaloosa

... the world's oldest identified breed, the pride of ancient monarchs of Europe and Asia and the favored war and hunting mount of the Nez Perce Indians. Today they have reached a new popularity for the same reasons they were prized in the past -- disposition, intelligence, easy-keeping, speed, the hardest of hoofs and the ability to go all day without tiring. Appaloosas are being used in ranch work, show, parade, racing, youth programs, trail tirdes, jumping, pleasure, polo, etc.

Like snowflakes, no two Appaloosa coat patterns are alike, making each Appaloosa an "easy to see" individual. Coat patterns vary all the way from those with white-blanketed hips to roans to leopards. All are colorful. To help them stand out even more, Appaloosas have other distinguishing characteristics such as white around the eye like a human, striped hoofs and mottle dskin, especially around the nose.

To learn more about Appaloosas, write: Appaloosa Horse Club, Inc., Box 403, Moscow, ID 83843

At the mouth of the Palouse River, in the heart of horse country, lived Sam Fisher, a Nez Perce who for nearly seventy years bred and raised spotted horses.

To insure that all of his colts would have spots, and those spots well placed, Sam Fisher used a powerful medicine known to some of the Nez Perce horsemen.

This medicine consisted of marking the pregnant mare with a special kind of paint, mixed by a secret formula and applied at the critical moment, while certain magic words were said. the breeder dipped his thumb and fingers in the paint, then placed his thumb on the mare's hipbone with the fingers spread outward. This was three times at appropriate intervals. The colt thus produced was expected to show the five-finger mark spots on the hip, in addition to other spots. To this day a foal so marked is considered to be of superior stock.

In 1877 many of the Nez Perce, under Chief Joseph engaged in one of the last western Indian Wars. After Chief Joseph surrendered (per legend) all of his horses were slaughtered. A third of the tribe hadn't been involved and still ahd their horses. Over the years the Appaloosas were bred with draft and other breeds to produce farm animals.

In 1938 Appaloosas were formally recognized as a breed, the Appaloosa Horse was formed. The Nez Perce were cerdited with developing the Appaloosa breed. The Nez Perce tribe has launched a breeding program to reestablish a Nez Perce Appaloosa. It is an effort to recapture the tribe's horse breeding heritage. The project began in 1993, the first 24 colts were born this year. As part of the project horse history is being taught at the reservation school. "Our ancestors liked intelligent horses that could run. Our first horses came from the Spanish conquistadors. When we decided to revive the breeding program we chose to look at the best of modern bloodlines," said Rudy Shebala, director of the program.

The tribe purchases Appaloosa-Appaloosa offspring and Akhal-Teke horses. The Akhal0Teke is one of the purest streains of horses known, and is known for its stamina and speed. It was first imported to the United States in 1979. As Shebala and other tribal leaders started discussing a breeding program, they chose this breed as the foundation for the program they wanted to start. Thanks to the Appaloosa Horse Club the speedier horses were preserved, and at least two lines can be traced back to the tribe's historic breed. Appaloosas today are bred for many uses and have gained hybrid vigor by being crossed with Thoroughbreds. They are used for halter, roping, racing, English and Western pleasure riding, trail and endurance. With the help of the Akhal-Teke mares, the Nez Perce hope to bring back their Appaloosa horse's heritage.

Information received from the Capital Press newspaper.

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