The Appaloosa
Appaloosas frequently have a leopard spotted skin, colorless sclera (the section of the eye around the cornea) and vertically striped hooves.
The story of this well-loved horse is not completely known. There is plenty of evidence that spotted horses were present in a good many nations in Europe, and we know of cave drawings which are as old as to 18000BC showing spotted horses that could well be be related to the modern appaloosa. It is quite possible that the mottled coat was initially a type of camouflage, similar to the stripes on a zebra.
The modern-day Appaloosa is descended from horses shipped to The u.s. by early settlers. These were somehow acquired by the Nez perce indian tribe, who skillfully bred them into the first-rate horses that we know and love right now.
This wonderful horse was first known as the "Palouse horse", although over the years the name was changed into the modern interpretation, "Appaloosa".
|
