The Appaloosa horse
Appaloosas ordinarily have a leopard spotted skin, pale sclera (the section of the eye close to the cornea) and vertically striped hooves.
The history of this unusual horse is only partly understood. There is plenty of proof that mottled horses were present in a good number of countries in Asia, and archeologists have found cave paintings which have been dated to 18000BC showing spotty horses that could well be be related to the appaloosa we know today. It is quite possible that the spotted skin was first a type of camouflage, serving a similar purpose to the zebra's stripes.
The modern Appaloosa is descended from horses shipped over to The usa by spanish conquistadors. These were acquired by the Nez perce people, who expertly turned them into the remarkable horses that we admire at the present time.
The appaloosa was first called the "Palouse horse", but over time the name changed into the present-day variation, "Appaloosa".
|
