Is this an appaloosa or a knabstrupper??

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tacallor

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We've had him for just over a year and he was sold to us a supposed appaloosa/warmblood. But no one was sure. He is 15.1/15.2 ish and as you can see has slightly striped hooves, mottled skin and the coat colouring, which annoyingly are characteristics of both breeds!
I couldn't care less what breed he is, but would be nice to know for sure :) any ideas?? thanks!

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Can't see a picture, did you post one? Does your horse have a passport that gives any clues?
Names would be a start. If horse is 15hhish could be more likely app but being advertised as warmblood hard to say as the warmbloods and knabbs are closely linked (I don't know much about either - but know a little about American appaloosas). Websites for the Appaloosa Horse Club (UK and USA) and British Appaloosa Society all have descriptions of app characteristics.
 
no the first image didnt work, i've updated it now!

and no his passport is very undetailed. he was from france originally we think and is now 16 years old
 
What a shame, not much help then. Can see lovely photos now. The sparse mane and tail is an appaloosa characteristic - originated in the USA when the Cavalry confiscated the appaloosas bred by the Nez Perce Indians and crossed them onto draught horses, they became thick set, heavy and large headed (this IS history) until the early 1900s (don't have the date to hand) when they were 'rescued' by Claude Thompson who started the Appaloosa Horse Club in the USA to try to take the breed back to what it was. The heavier type was crossed back onto quarter horses, arabs and throughbreds to improve them. Whatever happened they seem to have kept the sparse mane and tail - though not all appaloosas show this, many do. Your chap looks lovely. Does he have a lovely temperament, he looks like he has a kind eye? My stallion came from France but from a breeder of Foundation Appaloosas - so I know all his history, in fact I can trace it back over 200 years to the original Nez Perce horses on the 'all breeds pedigree' site. I understand your need to find out what he is, but just enjoy him. I had a spotted horse for 18 years who's breeding I never knew, supposedly Irish Draught x Thoroughbred! But I loved him to bits and we did 'everything' together not knowing his history was not a problem but you always wonder. ;)
 
Would be great to know his breeding but then just to confuse things there are reg Appaloosas who are actually Knabstruppers as at one point BApS allowed anything with spots to be reg on primary register (has changed now). As someone who has owned both breeds in the past my Appys had very sparce mane and tails while Knabstruppers have a more normal mane and tail although there are always exceptions and I don't breed so breeders may disagree. I personaly think the Knabstruppers move better but with warmblood yours prob moves well anyway! Reading through this I've prob not been much help, sorry!
 
I'm no expert, but I've got an appy and a knabby, and I'd say he is more appy looking, especially with his funky little mane! He is very gorgeous :)
 
SuenRoux said:
What a shame, not much help then. Can see lovely photos now. The sparse mane and tail is an appaloosa characteristic - originated in the USA when the Cavalry confiscated the appaloosas bred by the Nez Perce Indians and crossed them onto draught horses, they became thick set, heavy and large headed (this IS history) until the early 1900s (don't have the date to hand) when they were 'rescued' by Claude Thompson who started the Appaloosa Horse Club in the USA to try to take the breed back to what it was. The heavier type was crossed back onto quarter horses, arabs and throughbreds to improve them. Whatever happened they seem to have kept the sparse mane and tail - though not all appaloosas show this, many do. Your chap looks lovely. Does he have a lovely temperament, he looks like he has a kind eye? My stallion came from France but from a breeder of Foundation Appaloosas - so I know all his history, in fact I can trace it back over 200 years to the original Nez Perce horses on the 'all breeds pedigree' site. I understand your need to find out what he is, but just enjoy him. I had a spotted horse for 18 years who's breeding I never knew, supposedly Irish Draught x Thoroughbred! But I loved him to bits and we did 'everything' together not knowing his history was not a problem but you always wonder. ;)
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Wow thankyou for that! :) and yeah he is lovely, i love him to bits, he is such a people person and just loves to be involved with everything i do! although saying that, sometimes his kind eye turns into a wild one on wet and windy days!! ;)
 
Sessle said:
I'm no expert, but I've got an appy and a knabby, and I'd say he is more appy looking, especially with his funky little mane! He is very gorgeous :)
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Thankyou :) we were told when we bought him that his tail had been chewed by other horses so i did expect it to grow back.. however after a year and a bit i don't think thats going to happen ;) if anything it's got shorter! :o
 
My friend's got a yard full of appys that she competes both English and Western. Some have reasonable manes and sparse tails, and the best looking/moving/put together one of the lot has a really pathetic mane! She really struggles to plait it for any English disciplines and she's tried everything to get it to grow.
Think you have to just accept them as they are :D
 
I'd say he's more Appy mostly because of his build and in particular sparse tail. But, if he originated from the continent he may well be Knap. He's lovely, btw!
The plaiting is a mare for showing, I end up doing about 25 really, really tiny plaits as its the only way my boys mane will stay in! Lots of gel and hair spray helps too!
Good luck with whatever you do in the future.
 
He looks more like an Appy to me with his frosted coat colouring. Could it be possible he is a Warmblood with Appaloosa further back in his family history? He is lovely anyway, although I am biased as I have my own Appy. :)
 
he looks looks like appie to me (going on his tail) as appies tend to have fine shorter tails. he is very nice and i wouldnt worry too much about him and what he is as long as you are happy thats all that matters :) x
 
Unfortunately many people confuse appaloosa as being a colour instead of a breed. The word "Appaloosa" should in my view only be used to refer to a breed, not colour - which should be referred to as "Spotted".

Therefore the seller saying it is an Appaloosa warmblood could have meant it is a spotted warmblood or a Warmblood x Appaloosa (referring to the Appaloosa breed).

Like the Appaloosa (a breed originating from prehistoric spotted horses and American mustangs), the Knabstrupper (a breed originating from prehistoric spotted horses and other breeds in Europe) is also a breed and both breeds can be solid or spotted in colour. Both share a spotted gene in their ancestory but this gene is not exclusive to these breeds.

See http://www.equine-world.co.uk/about_horses/knabstrupper_horse.htm and http://www.equine-world.co.uk/about_horses/appaloosa_horse.htm for information on both breeds.

Any spotted horse (regardless of being Appaloosa or Knabstrupper breed) can show the "spotted" (Appaloosa colour) characteristics and have striped hooves - it doesn't mean it is an Appaloosa (breed) or Knabstrupper.

So it could have neither Appaloosa, Knabstrapper breeding, one or the other, or even both!

The only thing for certain is that it is spotted - and from what the seller said it is Warmblood or has some Warmblood it in.
 
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A lovely horse! :) I would be inclined to say defo more on the Appaloosa side but that is just a feeling, I don't know much about them.

My Mum just bought an Appaloosa with unknown breeding and he looks to me like he could have a bit of Knabstrupper in him, plus he was originally from Denmark. He is definitely quite Appyish but I just feel like there is something else to his breeding. :)

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Some Appy spots can be felt too though, just to confuse the issue! :D Some animals that are registered with BAps are the offspring of horses registered a few generations back, of unknown breeding. My Current Appy has unknown breeding on her dams grandparents side, it does tend to be something of an inexact sciende :)
 
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