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Spotlight On The Breed:
The Appaloosa Club |
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by M. Y. Mim |
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In June of this year, the Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) celebrates seventy "colorful" years. In honor of the anniversary, the 2008 Youth World Championship, June 23-28, followed by the National Show, June 28-July 5, will be held in Jackson, Mississippi.
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This beautiful Appy is owned by Bill Thiel.
Photo by Darrell Dodds. |
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For seven decades, the Club has celebrated the colorful Appaloosa. In 1938, Claude Thompson, a long-time Appaloosa breeder, joined by a small group of dedicated horsemen, established the Appaloosa Horse Club. Their purpose was to provide a registry to help preserve the breed. Presently, the ApHC is an international breed registry with more than 685,000 Appaloosas' records and 24,000 members. Additionally, the Club sponsors 137 chartered regional clubs in the United States and Canada and 19 International Affiliates around the globe.
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Appaloosas are primarily known by their colorful markings, as these photos demonstrate. In fact, spotted horses have existed through the centuries, often given such romantic names as the mystical Celestial Horses in China, the Knabstrupper in Denmark, and the Tigre in France. |
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Photo by Darrell Dodds of a Bill Thiel Appy. |
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The Appaloosa name is no less romantic. By the early 1700s the Nez Perce Indians had acquired horses and quickly became adept at breeding them for excellence. |
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The land occupied by the Nez Perce, well suited to raising horses and well protected from enemy raids. Allowed the tribe to become excellent horsemen. Unlike other tribes, they practiced selective breeding of their horses by gelding the inferior stallions and trading off the poorer stock. The Nez Perce horse herds multiplied into the thousands. In an economy where horses equaled wealth, the Nez Perce were affluent. |
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Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark Trail, and a skilled horseman, wrote of the Nez Perce horses, "Their horses appear to be of an excellent race; they are elegantly formed, active and durable; in short many of them look like fine English coarsers [ sic ] and would make a figure in any country." |
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Photo courtesy of the Apploosa Club, horse owned by Bill Thiel. |
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Settlement of the Northwest meant that the U.S. needed to eliminate the Indian title to the land. Then, in 1860, gold was discovered on the Nez Perce reservation. Suddenly, a town of two thousand people sprang up overnight, at Lewiston, to supply the thousands of miners and prospectors who swarmed onto the Nez Perce land in search of gold dust, a clear violation of the treaty. |
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Appaloosa courtesy of The Appaloosa Club. |
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Not surprisingly, conflicts between the settlers and Nez Perce escalated. In 1863 a new treaty was formed, reducing the size of the Nez Perce reservation by ninety percent. |
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The Nez Perce who did not accept the treaty fled the US cavalry with approximately 3000 of their horses. In spite of traveling with women, children, and elders, the Nez Perce successfully evaded the cavalry for over three and one-half months, and 1300 miles. They surrendered on October 7, 1877, just 42 miles from the safety of the Canadian border. The conditions of surrender stated that the Nez Perce would be allowed to keep their horses and go home in the spring. Instead, the Nez Perce were sent to North Dakota and their approximately 1000 surviving horses were taken from them. These were the toughest, hardiest horses which had survived the war and they included the survivors of the spotted-horse herds of the Chief Joseph band. |
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Photo courtesy The Appaloosa Club. |
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"Spuds," photo courtesy The Appaloosa Club. |
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Early white settlers referred to the spotted horse of the area as a Palouse horse. Over time the "a" and "Palouse" were slurred together to form Appaloosa. The Palouse is that area of Washington and Idaho drained by the Palouse/Apalousey River. The word Palouse most probably originates in the Sehaptin language spoken both by the Nez Perce and Palouse Indians. It means "something sticking down in the water," referring to a large rock at the confluence of the Snake and Palouse Rivers where the main village of the Palouse Indians stood. |
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This exciting history attracts many horse enthusiasts to the Appaloosa and the ApHC. The real draw, beyond the history and thrilling colors, according to the ApHC, is the breed's versatility and soundness. Appaloosas are found competing in every activity from trail to dressage. They have proven themselves to be great kids' and first-time owners' horses because of their gentle nature and trainability. |
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"Spud" courtesy of Appaloosa Club. |
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The Appaloosa Horse Club offers a variety of programs to suit a variety of people. From showing, racing, and trail riding, to National and World Championship Appaloosa Shows, the ApHC provides diverse activities. ACAAP promotes and rewards the Appaloosa horse that excels in all-breed competition outside of ApHC approved/sponsored shows and trail rides. Through ACAAP, Appys can earn merits by competing in all-breed events and then submitting the results to the ApHC. These merits are recorded on the registered Appaloosa's performance record. |
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The unofficial slogan "Be Happy, Ride an Appy," says it all. |
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About the Author: M. Y. Mim is a free-lance journalist based in Santa Barbara, Ca. She may be reached at mymim3@cox.net, or through her agent R. Almqvist, 805-705-5349. The Author wishes to thank Mr. R. Almqvist for his invaluable assistance in making this article possible. |
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Read comments or post your own comments to this article at the bottom of this page. |
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Copyright © 2008 All rights reserved. The above article is the property of the Author and may not be duplicated or redistributed in any way without permission. |
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Reader comments for this article |
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Name: Katie Time: 2008-02-06 06:02:52
Comment: i love spuds baby pic
Name: Desert Spirit Appaloosas Time: 2008-02-03 19:02:16
Comment: Thank you SO MUCH for the article related to Appaloosas. I am a small breeder of foundation Appaloosas in Central Oregon. This is such a fabulous breed and it's great to see them getting some much needed recognition for their rich history and versatility. Thanks for helping us get the word out.
Noell Devenny
Desert Spirit Appaloosas
Bend, Oregon
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