The Appaloosa horse
Appaloosas frequently show a mottled (or 'spotty') coat, white sclera (the part of the eye next to the cornea) and striped hooves.
The history of this well-loved horse is not totally recognized. There is some proof that spotted horses were found in a good many countries in Asia and europe, and there are cave drawings which have been dated to 18000BC illustrating spotty horses that may be the origins of the modern appaloosa. It seems likely that the spotted coat was first a type of camouflage, much as the striped pattern on a zebra.
The modern-day Appaloosa is descended from horses shipped to Mexico and the u.s. by early colonists. These got into the hands of the Indigenous people known as the 'nez perce', who expertly turned them into the superb horses that we recognize right now.
This wonderful horse was initially referred to as the "Palouse horse", but gradually its name was changed into the contemporary form, "Appaloosa".
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