Appaloosas

I have an 8yo pb blanket spot appy, owned him from rising 4. He's very self-contained, and sensible, with an incredible prehensile mouth! I'm not sure that you can say that all horses of a certain breed are this or that, as a blanket description though :)
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I have an Appaloosa X (not sure exactly what with though). He is just so much fun, he is cheeky, can be stubborn and have silly moments but he is a total sweetheart, has a lovely jump, will give you his all when he knows you are in charge and try his hoof at anything. He is a great all rounder. Very intelligent boy and full of character but not in a bad way. He is hardy, really balanced, wears a space fly mask to protect his eyes and nose from the sun in summer.

Love him so much and could not ask for a better first horse. He has brought on my riding and confidence so much.

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Had this guy, some sort of part bred...now with a friend down the road!

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Lovely natured horse, give anything a go. But a definate good doer, he was massive when he arrived.

Would have another like him in a heartbeat. Get to ride him occasionally still!
 
Here's my part-Appy :D
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He has a heart of gold, is sure-footed and is very honest. :) He is definitely a one to one horse though and has many quirks - far too many to list on here! ;)
 
Another thing that all three of ours had/have in common is a desire and ability to undo bolts with their mouths :D Their doors have clips through the butterflies of bolts. They pick up allsorts with their mouths. The 18 year old discovered the pull switch on the solar light in her box, cue disco lighting! The now 4 year old chewed the charging wire of hers!
 
Which breeders are you talking to?
Appaloosas are fabulous - I shared one, then bought one (same sire as I loved the temperament). Went to the BApS National show last month and was in heaven - lots of lovely spotties!

Loving the pics :)
 
I have an awesome gelding in the next field, lord he is lovely but a field ornament for no reason and only gets hopped on every once in a while! :( (I have my eye on him hehe) but he never has any mane.. it is like a wisp.
 
Yes to all of the above! I had a blanket spotted Appaloosa who could undo doors (actually undid doors or other horses too), had the thinnest, rubbish mane and tail. But had the heart of a lion. So quick to learn. And honest. Was a horse of a lifetime. I miss him. Native Americans adored them, and they knew a few things about horses.
 
I have a six year old part Appaloosa. Although he is solid colour (bay) and so it's not easy to tell he's part Appy, in the summer his coat grows in strange shaped spots and patches (looks a bit like a map!). He is the cleverest horse I've ever come across - so very, very quick to learn! He worked out how to open the gate into the neighbour's field by dragging it backwards and our other two would stand and watch him before trotting through! (We then had to get it properly fixed!) He will also pick up anything lying nearby in his mouth - whips, bits of grooming kit etc - before chucking them. He'll get his empty feed bowl over the stable door, shake it and throw it, just to let you know he's finished his meal!

He's also the most 'people pony' I've ever met and although he can be stubborn at times he'll try his little heart out for you. I never realised until I read this thread that other people have Appys with these characteristics. I'm a convert!
 
MasterBenedict said:
Best breed ever! (Not that I'm biased....). This is my 3 yr old 3/4 appaloosa gelding, Ben. Bought him as a weedy 13 month old and am very happy with how he has developed. I second what everyone else here has said, they tend to be hardy, good doer's, great attitude towards work and mine has great feet the farriers always comment on. He is just being backed at the moment and proving very willing, sensible and calm (although he has always been this way tbh).

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Would def recommend a full vetting though, epsecially due to issues that affect a small percentage of the breed including PSSM and eye troubles.

This was him the day he arrived looking like a weed tehe!

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OMG.... What a transformation!!! I have been thinking about hogging my boy, because he is part appy, the non-appy part of his mane is so thick, it drives me mad!! I'm still not sure whether to do it :/
 
Marmitesandwich said:
No I missed that! Ouch! Saw your boy before you jumped - he's so striking he's hard to miss amongst the bays!
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Aw... thank you. I am totally smitten with him. We had a tough start, but we are slowly bonding, and he certainly knows who I am..... I love him to pieces and miss him when I'm not at the yard.

You'll have to come say hi, if you are down again, there is talk of another SJ show.
 
Lippyx said:
OMG.... What a transformation!!! I have been thinking about hogging my boy, because he is part appy, the non-appy part of his mane is so thick, it drives me mad!! I'm still not sure whether to do it :/
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He got rather porky this spring so was put in a starvation paddock, unfortunately he kept sticking his head under the fence to nibble on the tasy garss the other side and in the process rubbed most of his mane off so I decided hogging was the best option. Quite pleased with how it looks though, might keep him hogged! I say go for it, if you dont like it, it should grown back over the winter in time for spring next year :)
 
I'm not sure if it is a French bred Ap thing, but I've known a few and they nearly all have rubbish legs. Three were retired in their prime due to ongoing lameness issues - all bone related (they were all about the same age too)
 
Some beautiful horses here! Thanks for all the advice. Some of the points I didn't even know to ask about/have checked. I will be looking into all of this. Is £950 for a 2 yo colt reasonable? I really don't have a clue!
 
I have a pb appy she's x with welsh , she's the most amazing horse I've ever had , scrawny tail , and slow to fill out and mature but perfect , she's got appytude when she wants normally when. Need to catch her in a hurry . She was easy to break in and loves life , she lives to jump and on Sunday we are doing our first hunter trial together . She nannies other horses out hacking and she's only 4 , she bomb proof . Total for example our hacking companion went off at gallop as the helicopter on the airfield we were riding beside started its engines .... Breeze ignored her and carried on at a sedate canter
 
Lead_changes said:
Get their sight checked as moon/night blindness is quite ripe in Appaloosas.
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Agree with this!
We bought an appy x as a two year old in poor condition. Jimmy was the sweetest, kindest horse that has ever lived. Sadly by the time he was in his early twenties he was almost blind, by his late twenties he was completely blind, although my daughter had so much confidence in him she still used to hack him out! He could cope with most things, even moved fields (the vet said he would never cope, he was wrong) so long as we took the time to show him where the water and fences were he was quite happy. He was a month or two from being 30 when we very sadly had to have him pts. The house is full of photos of him, but the one i really love is of my youngest daughter on him at his last show, when she won the ridden veteran class with him, and came second in the in hand veteran.
Although i love the breed im not sure i would buy another, it was so hard watching him go blind.
 
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