Tell me about appaloosas

SpruceRI said:
They have thin wispy tails!

;-)
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Not all of them my Koko had an awesome tail
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^that's a proper tail :D

Well I've only had experience of one and he is the most amazing and beautiful horse I have ever had the pleasure of owning even if it was cut short.

He was sweet, smart and very willing to learn. He could be a bit cheeky occasionally but it just added to his personality. There's a sad stereotype that they can't jump but my lad had an amazing technique and was going to go very far.

They are definitely worth a look but like any breed you'll get the good ones and the bad ones.

Out of interest do you know the breeding of the one you're going to see?
 
You can brush their manes and tails in 15 secs :D
One i know is a bit of a chancer on the ground but fab under saddle, real sane type. I think temprement wise they are a lot like cobs.
I love the blanket spotted ones, not so keen on all over spots because they r often too concentrated on the head and make them look odd in some cases.

I think they tend to have good natures, but of course there will always be ano exception :)
 
They can be prone to sore eyes if they are pink skinned.

My first horse was one. He was awesome. Turned his hoof to everything. Quite strong willed but not stupid.

I'd have cloned him if I could :(
 
And after what i just said about too many spots on the head, there is Koko with the opposite and same concentration as his body lol, but then he's a tail also :D
I do think Koko was unusual :)
 
SpruceRI said:
They have thin wispy tails!

;-)
Click to expand...
Not all of them do!

We have had two, well still do have one. Both of ours were/are mares, they are clever, opinionated, agile and sure footed. Ours were/are very loyal, have a great sense of fun and a rather slapstick sense of humour (which can include some foreward planning :D ). In general they have very flowing paces and tend to be quite flashy looking. They also tend to be quite vocal. They do appear to have a tendancy to be ewe necked, which can take a fair bit of work to correct, but it is doable
 
Welshie Squisher said:
And after what i just said about too many spots on the head, there is Koko with the opposite and same concentration as his body lol, but then he's a tail also :D
I do think Koko was unusual :)
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He had a wicked mane as well, really thick and lovely and it was stripy from the spots going down his neck. Sadly haven't got a picture of it but he really was different.

Here's a pic of his pretty face:
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Sorry for lots of pics, any excuse to talk about my baby.
 
My friends 5yo one is very nice, Uber sensitive, grumpy mare at times but very sensible hacking. She has a lovely tail but no mane! She barely grows a winter coat and can be brushed in 2 seconds flat while the rest of us are knee deep in hair! I love her to bits, nightmare to fit a saddle too though! she is very very wide (QH in her breeding).

I looked at one recently with a friend, completely different build, much lighter. Got a feeling that they can be crossed with lots of different breeds and still be registered Appaloosa but I may be wrong.

Hopefully some actual experts will reply for you instead of people like myself!!
 
He was lovely, I remember him well as I'm sure many do on here.but with that mane and tail I'm starting to wonder if you've being using Recital, dark brown ;)
Or maybe he had hair extensions? Lol
 
Kokopelli - koko is lovely and does seem to have an unusually bushy tail for an appaloosa.

Parker79 - I have read some articles saying that appaloosas are a breed and some just mentioning the colour. The one we are going to see is a registered appaloosa but I'm not sure what that means!

We are not specifically looking for an appaloosa he just fits the criteria of the age, height, price etc we are looking for.
 
Actually OP the horse you are going to see seems to have a reasonable tail also?
The one at my yard has the thinnest tail and mane i've ever seen on a horse, and the owner said it's a common trait in the breed. He's fab spots on his bum tho :)
 
When people say they're registered it can be misleading. If they are on the main register it means that both their parents are registered purebreds which means you can do showing with him. But some people claim they are registered despite the fact they're only on an annex or partbred register.
 
Looks lovely - he does seem to have the muscle under his neck which has been a problem with my friend mare...using incorrect muscles. Someone else mentioned ewe neck too. Not an expert, worth looking into. Her mare is improving with lots of work.

Only other thing...I remember her telling my they are very late at maturing, so check on how much has been done. It says still green so hopefully not too much.
 
One's i have known are cheeky, fun, full of energy, smart, quick, sure-footed, tough as old boots and they know what they want ;). They are one of a kind that's for sure and will always get you noticed wherever you go :rolleyes:. Oh and mine does have the wispy tail and mane which is easy to brush ;) although he does like to role and get properly filthy if the opportunity arises :rolleyes:
If i could have another i would :) Must say though my experiences mainly stem from polo who has no breeding history - and therefore only reg as partbred -so may not be representative of the breed. Just cause i think he's pretty :D
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Appaloosas are great horses. i bought mine as a 4yr old.he is very quirky, has a fab sense of humor.he is also very spoilt.he is 6yrs old next month and i do all sorts with him, mainly hacking, schooling and jumping.they do take longer to mature so im told. when i asked my blacksmith about this, he said "oh he should have matured by the time he is 20" (lol). He is the most loving pony i have ever had, and i wouldnt swap him for the world.I call him my little fruit loop, and he makes me laugh every day.

4/5 yrs



Last summer



A couple of weeks ago ( nearly 6 yrs )



As a baby



His daddy

 
I've always loved appaloosa's and have owned my first for a year now.
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Alfie is only part registered with the Appaloosa society even though he has fantastic breeding on his sires side - Rodego Tobias. His dam wasn't registered and unfortunately died when he was only a few weeks old :(
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My colt will be 3 in July and I'm over the moon with him. He has such a personality, a real people friendly horse and loves to learn new things. He is very intelligent! Only bad points really is that he has pink skin around his under carriage which the flies love, occasionally nips (more stallion behaviour than anything), and can be a bit nervous around new people. But that is just him, I don't think you can say that about appaloosas in general. He has a nice mane and tail, its very silky like an arabian tail.
 
I have an Appaloosa X cob, Louie. He's 5 years old and has a fabulous sense of humour, character in bag fulls. He has a ridiculously thin mane and tail, but he also has Sweet Itch, now this is being treated his mane and tail are inproving, but will never be great. Everything has to go in his mouth, not necessarily to bite, more to play. I've had him 9 months now and he is just begining to settle, he's a sensitive soul, bless.

I also have a spotty Shetland, Hector, that I don't know the breeding of. He's very similar to Louie and is prone to get to big for his boots if allowed to. Hector also has mild Sweet Itch but since it has been controlled his mane and tail have improved a lot.

They both have really good strong hooves.

I believe Knabstruppers have thicker manes and tails than Appaloosas.
 
Ask what grade he is - if he is purebred then he will be grade A, B, C or D. Mine is grade B which means he has 5 generations of pure appaloosa to appaloosa breeding.Part breds or annexe registered will not be graded. Here he is as a yearling -

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I have had him since he was weaned (put a deposit down when he was a couple of days old) and he is friendly, very laid back, bold and quick learning. They are a slow maturing breed - mine is now rising 2 and looks at least a year behind rising 2 year old WBs etc.
 
Bought mine seven years ago on the advice of a friend (I was horrified at the idea of spots!) he is the best thing ever, he is quite sharp, but is a great character, doesa bit of everything, full mane and tail, look up the breed on the internet, it is very helpful. they dont like being pushed around, and can have weak feet, mine had awful feet but my farrier has sorted it and now have no problems at all. Join the spotty club!1 would defo get another one, although nothing could replace my Tally
 
My boy is 26. He's 15hh and I've owned him 7 years. He's still hacking out occasionally a d would still jump a round of jumps! He's very mentally strong if that makes sense...he has a job to do and he gets it done, be it a hack with an experienced rider or carrying my autistic little boy very carefully. He's a star and I love him

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They should be very intelligent bold sure footed and willing, certainly all the ones I have bred are very friendly horses and love to be around humans, they enjoy learning but not repetitive tasks and will be your friend for life, if you ask for it and they trust you they will give everything they can. But be prepared they have a sense of humour, but that makes them fun to be around and many like this one will change colour throughout their life so you are never bored!

It doesn't say this ones breeding there are two societies that register appaloosas as a breed in the UK BAPS and the ApHC UK which is an affiliate of the American Appaloosa Horse Club. There are however many spotted horses and ponies bred outside of the breed registries. There are also Knabstruppers in the UK a breed of Warmblood that have the same spotting genes as appaloosas.

You should be aware that there is a genetic condition found in many breeds with draft horse influence as well as Appaloosas and I certainly would be wanting a horse tested for that as part of any vetting. The test is for PSSM which can cause severe tying up episodes, so I would ask for a test or for existing test results, most breeders have or are testing and I certainly would not at all be offended by someone asking me the status of my horses. The ApHC UK are requiring testing and putting notations on passports, but it is in the transitional stage currently. You can get a discount on testing from both societies if you are a member I believe.

Here is a link to the research and the company in the UK that tests.
http://www.cvm.umn.edu/umec/lab/Advances_in_PSSM/home.html
http://www.horsedna.co.uk/PSSM.html
 
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