The Appaloosa
Appaloosas usually show a mottled (or 'spotty') skin, colorless sclera (the section of the eye next to the cornea) and striped hooves.
The story of this well-loved horse is not completely recognized. There is proof that spotted horses were present in a good number of countries in Asia and europe, and we know of cave pictures dating back to 18000BC illustrating mottled horses that could well be be forefathers of the horse we know today. It is quite likely that the mottled skin was originally a form of camouflage, much as the stripes on a zebra.
The modern-day Appaloosa descends from horses carried to America by colonists. These got into the hands of the Nez perce indian tribe, who skillfully engineered them into the incredible horses that we know and love at the present time.
This wonderful horse was initially called the "Palouse horse", although bit by bit the name changed into the contemporary form, "Appaloosa".
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