The Appaloosa horse
Appaloosas frequently show a mottled coat, pale sclera (the section of the eye close to the cornea) and vertically striped hooves.
The story of this well-loved horse is not fully understood. There is some evidence that mottled horses were present in quite a few geographical regions in Asia and europe, and historians have found cave paintings which have been dated back to 18000BC illustrating spotty horses that may be the origins of the appaloosa we know today. It is quite likely that the spotted skin was initially a type of camouflage, much as the stripes on a zebra.
The modern-day Appaloosa descends from horses shipped over to America by spanish conquistadors. These were passed to the Nez perce tribe, who skillfully turned them into the excellent horses that we recognize right now.
The appaloosa was in the first instance referred to as the "Palouse horse", even though over time the name was changed into the present-day version, "Appaloosa".
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