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Lamya Jackson
Ms. Schubach
8thGrade Research
21 November 2014
Appaloosa Horse
If a person sees spots before their eyes, they may be just seeing spots, or they may be
seeing an Appaloosa horse speeding by. Generally, most people only know that the Appaloosa
horse is spotted. They really do not know anything about most of the Appaloosa horse’s other
characteristics. If someone really tried to learn about the Appaloosa history, they might find it to
be interesting. There are at least three ways to identify the Appaloosa horse from other horses.
These are the nose, eyes, and hooves. To identify the Appaloosa horse by its nose, look for
molted skin around it. To identify the Appaloosa horse by its eyes, look for a white sclera,
which is the tough white outer coat of the eyeball. To identify the Appaloosa horse by its
hooves, the horse has to have vertical striped hooves. The height of the average Appaloosa horse
ranges from 14.1 to 15.2hh (hand heights). The Appaloosa’s speed range is fast enough to catch
a Bison and Paso Fino. Appaloosa horses have a history nearly as interesting as the horses
themselves.
The Appaloosa horse is usually used for ranch work. It can also be used as a circus horse
or just a trail riding horse. The Appaloosa is so smoothly gaited that when hunting on them the
horse can be at a full gallop and the hunter would still have a clear shot at its target.
The Appaloosa’s personality is usually calm, courageous, and docile. Many Appaloosas’
are trained to be, fine-show horses and are well-conditioned athletes. Appaloosas are highly
successful in a variety of contexts: "Appaloosas are found in nearly every discipline. Setting
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speed records on the race track, excelling at advanced levels of dressage, jumping, games,
reining, roping, pleasure, endurance, and as gentle family horses” (“Appaloosa”).
The Appaloosa horse has a very unique pattern that is usually above the base color of
their coat. The Appaloosa has many different base colors and some of them are black, chestnut,
buckskin, bay, dun, palomino, and grulla. There are at least five more patterns. The Appaloosa’s
spots come in many patterns: “these come in various patterns that are called blanket, roan,
leopard, and snowflake” (horse articles). The blanket pattern has white all over the hip of the
horse. This may extend to the tailor the base of the neck. The spots on this white blanket would
be the same color as the base color.
The leopard pattern is a white pattern shown to an extreme with different sized base coat
colored spots all over. There is also a pattern called the few spot leopard. It has varnish marks
that include patches of color on the head, elbows, knees, and flanks. Ninety percent of its body is
covered in white.
The snowflake pattern has white spots and flecks on a dark base coat. When an
Appaloosa has the snow flake pattern, the white spots get bigger as they get older and you will
also see more white spots form as they get older.
The pattern called varnish consists of dark spots in the head and legs and other spots on a
light base coat, such as palomino, and will change with age. The horse will usually start off as a
solid colored horse, but it will not be grey, and gains white spots as it gets older.
Another pattern is called frost, which is very similar to varnish, but the white hair is only
on the back, neck, and loins. The gene of the spotted pattern with some other base color is
completely dominant. There are at least two breeds of horse that have been spotted with the
same spotted pattern as the Appaloosa. These are the Pony of the Americas and the Nez Perce
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horses, although several other horse breeds may also have spotted patterns. The Appaloosa is
usually characterized by the spotted pattern called the leopard complex. If an Appaloosa horse
has the leopard complex, it is more likely to have problems with its eyes and vision.
The Appaloosa has come from many different breeds of horses that came from a variety
of different countries. Although they were brought from Spain to the Americas, they were still
bred from different horses. Appaloosa horses were originally bred in Spain, where they evolved
to be a riding horse. One of the blood lines from which the Appaloosa horse was created is the
Arabian horse bloodline. When some of the Appaloosas were shipped to Mexico, they escaped
and started breeding all over America.
The history of the Appaloosa horse is actually unique among other horses. Appaloosa
horses have been known as far back as the prehistoric times. They came from Egypt, China, and
Persia, which is modern day Iran. Spotted horses were found in cave paintings in Europe:
“European cave paintings have recorded spotted horses indicating that the phenotype has existed
for 20,000 years prior to their domestication, some 5,000 year ago” (“Appaloosa Coat Pattern”).
The Appaloosa horse used to be known as the Palouse horse. This was actually their first name.
The Appaloosa’s got the name Palouse from the Palouse River near the Nez Perce camp
sites. The Appaloosa horses were once also known as the Nez Perce horse. Spotted horses were
first documented in journals of famous travelers: “The first documented reports of horses in
Oregon are in the journals of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who noted spotted horses
similar to the Appaloosa among the Nez Perce Tribe” (Lewis, David). The Appaloosa was very
valued by the Nez Perce Tribe because of the special horse’s intelligent temperament, speed,
endurance, and sure-footedness. One day settlers invaded the Nez Perce lands and drove them
out of their own land. This is often reported as the cause for the peaceful Nez Perce Indians
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declaring war. When the war started, it split the tribe up into other states. The Nez Perce’s
remaining horses were surrendered to U.S. soldiers after they were defeated in Montana, though
the Nez Perce Indians in the other states were not giving up just yet. The Nez Perce went to war:
“In the late 1800’s, during the Nez Perce War, Appaloosas were a great help to the tribe when
they were trying to avoid the U.S. Calvary” (horse breeds). The U.S. military took the Nez
Perce Indian’s horses after they lost the war: “After the Nez Perce Indians lost the Nez Perce
War in 1876, the U.S. military confiscated all of the Nez Perce’s Appaloosa herds” (Lewis,
David). The U.S. army almost caused the Appaloosa breed to die out by killing them and
breeding them with draft horses. After the war some of this special breed survived into the
twentieth century. Later that year, horseman from eastern Oregon was working to revive this
very special breed. Also, the ranchers in other regions were trying to keep the original desirable
traits that the original Appaloosa’s had in the nineteenth century. People who support this
special breed created an appaloosa horse club to keep the horse’s family line going so that they
wouldn’t die out and be extinct.
There is a scale to classify on whether a horse is healthy or not. The scale goes from one
to nine, one being that the horse was scarcely fed and has been abused; the horse’s ribs and spine
would be showing. Nine being that the horse is too fat. If the horse is too fat then it could
actually kill it. Ideally the horse needs to be a four or five because the vets say that those are
very healthy sizes for a horse to be.
Some of the diseases of the appaloosa horse are very rare for other animals to catch. The
Congenital Stationary Night Blindness (CSNB) are basically intertwined with the Appaloosa
horse; “Congenital Stationary Night Blindness associated with the leopard complex in the
appaloosa horse” (Sandmeyer, Lynne S.). It is very common for the appaloosas to be diagnosed
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with Equine Recurrent Uveitis and Congenital Stationary Night Blindness but only a small
percentage actually “is” diagnosed. If a horse is diagnosed with Congenital Stationary Night
Blindness it makes it harder for them to see in a low lighted place. Scientist have figured out that
CNSB is a recessive disorder that is connected directly to the leopard complex in the appaloosa
horse. So if a horse has the leopard complex then it is more than likely to be diagnosed with
Congenital Stationary Night Blindness.
The disease called congenital stationary night blindness has its own unique form amongst
appaloosa horses. Congenital stationary night blindness is usually called night blindness and can
be referred to as different things: CSNB is the name given to any disease that is typified by: a)
impaired/absent night vision, b) present at birth, c) inherited, d) non-progressive”(Archer).
Different forms of CSNB are found in each specific creature such as humans and cats but
we have a different form of it than the Appaloosas do and it is more common in the Appaloosa
than it is in any other animal. In 2005 and 2006 several scientists from the organization called
the Appaloosa Project went out and studied a herd of Appaloosas who have the leopard complex
just to find out after they tested them that Congenital Stationary Night Blindness was a dominant
gene for that one particular herd. Three groups of Appaloosas were tested to find out their
genotypes: “Three groups of ten Appaloosas were studied based on coat patterns suggestive of
LpLp, Lplp, and lplp genotype” (Archer).
Congenital Stationary Night Blindness was first discovered by an old scientist that of
whom no one really knows much about: “CSNB in the appaloosa was first investigated formally
in the late 1970’s by D.A. Witzel and associates” (Archer). Although Witzel’s research had
certain limitations he did not let those limitations stop what he had started. Congenital
Stationary Night Blindness will mainly appear within mammals including humans and their
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offspring. When studying the horse the appaloosa project team thought nothing of this amazing
horse’s coat pattern until they researched Congenital Stationary Night Blindness and found out
that a pattern called the leopard complex was announced to be in relation with Congenital
Stationary Night Blindness.
Appaloosas also suffer a disease called Equine Recurrent Uveitis. It is actually worse than
Congenital Stationary Night Blindness; Uveitis actually takes away the horses vision making it
blind. So if an Appaloosa has Uveitis then the owners usually have it put down because if a horse
cannot see then it will get spooked easier than it may have when it could see. If a horse gets
spooked then it will do one of two things: it will either run away and something else might kill it
or it will kick and it might kill its owner. That is why when the horse is diagnosed with Uveitis
then the owners put it down it is sad to see, but sometimes it just has to be done.
Appaloosas are commonly diagnosed with diseases: “Appaloosas are more commonly to
suffer from Uveitis than any other horse breed” (Archer, Sheila). Uveitis affects Appaloosas of
any coat pattern and does usually lead to vision loss or what is also called equine blindness.
Most times Appaloosas suffer from a form of this disease that gives no visible sign that it is
present. In comparison to other breeds Appaloosa’s are more than likely to develop blindness:
“Although ERU affects as much as 10-15% of the equine population, little definitive information
can be found with regard to its cause or causes. Appaloosas are eight times more likely to
develop uveitis and four times more likely to develop blindness compared to other breeds."
(Archer). Although people may think that Congenital Stationary Night blindness and Equine
Recurrent Uveitis are basically the same thing. They really are not. They are two completely
different diseases. Equine Recurrent Uveitis has been characterized by recurrent episodes which
is called inflammation which can and will damage and destroy the internal structure of the
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horse’s eye. ERU is not something a horse is born with so if the mare (mother horse) of a filly
(baby girl horse) had ERU, then the filly would not inherit it from its mother. ERU will usually
occur when the horse gets older. ERU is called what it is called because it is basically Uveitis
recurring actively many times but like it was said before some owners do not want to deal with
the disease so the owners would put the poor horses down. In some cases when a horse comes
up with any disease, the owner will just have it put down because they consider the horse a weak
horse even though it may be a disease that they could recover from.
There is a group called the Appaloosa Project and it is basically a group of scientists that
are interested in researching and unraveling the mysteries of pigmentation in the appaloosa
horse. The people in the appaloosa project have been researching the appaloosa horse to break
down its genes to figure out why and how the appaloosa is diagnosed with Congenital Stationary
Night Blindness or Equine Recurrent Uveitis. On the Appaloosa Project’s web site there will be
information about the appaloosa’s spotting and what it connects with just like the leopard
complex is connected with Congenital Stationary Night Blindness. The Appaloosa project also
researches the LP gene and the coat patterns that can and will help modify it. Congenital
Stationary Night Blindness and Equine Recurrent Uveitis are an associated trait of the LP gene.
On the Appaloosa Project’s web site there are online classrooms where if someone has any
questions about their research then that person can submit their question and then the people the
Appaloosa Project will get back to that person and answer their question.
There is this place located in Moscow, Idaho called the Appaloosa Museum and Heritage
Center (ApHC). This museum gives people the chance to learn about the appaloosa’s heritage so
it was designed for people to walk through the history of the appaloosa which includes a theatre.
The Appaloosa Museum and Heritage Center will welcome any educational administrators in
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with their group of students: “The Appaloosa Museum welcomes school groups, home-schooled
kids, and youth groups such as 4h and scouts (About the Museum). At some point during the
summer the museum holds outside tours where the people can actually interact with actual
appaloosa horses, it is a good idea to have the people actually interact with the horses so that
they have a first-hand experience with the actual horse that they are learning about at that time.
This is a good idea because maybe if the people get a first-hand look at the horse itself then they
might get a better understanding of this majestic horse’s history. One the many things in the
museum are the saddles. When the small school groups come into the museum one of the things
that they get to do is get on the saddles and get the feel of riding a horse.
There are at least three commonly used saddles: the western saddle, the English saddle,
and the side saddle. The side saddle is like the one that a princess might sit in when she is a part
of a parade of when she is a part of a big ceremony of celebration. A western saddle is used for
different types of riding or riding courses and disciplines such as: reining, western pleasure,
roping, Cutting and western horseman ship. The English saddle is used for riding horses in
English disciplines such as jumping and dressage. The English saddle is not only for the British
people or just for English speaking people but it is for everybody and anybody can have one. The
most common saddle out of the three is the western saddle.
All in all Appaloosa horses have a history nearly as interesting as the horses themselves
(although some people may have some bad thoughts about horses in general). There is a lot of
information just about one horse think of how much information people could get from other
horses instead of appaloosas. The appaloosa history was intertwined with the history of the Nez
Perce Indians. There are some people who specialize in horses and live with them every day or
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they spend most of their life researching the horse that they are interested in. So if someone is
interested in horses check to see all of what they know about that particular horse.
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Works Cited
"About the Museum." Appaloosa Museum Heritage Center Foundation RSS. Appaloosa Museum
& Heritage Center Foundation, 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
"Appaloosa." Breeds of Livestock. Oklahoma State University Board of Regents, 22 Feb. 1995.
Web. 04 Sept. 2014
"Appaloosa History." Appaloosa History. Appaloosa Horse Club, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
"Appaloosa." Horse Breeds. N.p., 28 Aug. 2010. Web. 12 Sept. 2014.
"Appaloosa Coat Pattern - Leopard Print and Congenital Stationary Night Blindness (CSNB)."
Leopard Print. Animal Genetics Inc., 1992-2013. Web. 08 Sept. 2014.
"Appaloosa Horse Breed Profile."Equine World UK: All About Horses & Horse Riding. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 01 Sept. 2014.
Archer, Sheila. "Night Blindness in the Appaloosa (CSNB) - Appaloosa Coat Patterns, Coat
Colour Genetics and Practical Information for Breeders of Spotted Horses - The Appaloosa
Project." Night Blindness in the Appaloosa (CSNB) - Appaloosa Coat Patterns, Coat
Colour Genetics and Practical Information for Breeders of Spotted Horses - The
Appaloosa Project. N.p., 08 Sept. 2007. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.
Bellone, Rebecca R., et al. Differential Gene Expression Of TRPM1, The Potential Cause Of
Congenital Stationary Night Blindness And Coat Spotting Patterns (LP) In The Appaloosa
Horse (EquusCaballus).Genetics 179.4 (2008): 1861-1870. Academic Search
Complete.Web. 29 Aug. 2014.
"Horse Articles.” Horse Articles RSS. N.p., 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 02 Sept. 2014
"Idaho State Horse - Appaloosa." Idaho State Horse - Appaloosa. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Sept. 2014
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Lewis, David. "Appaloosa Horse Breed." Appaloosa Horse Breed. Oregon Historical Society,
n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2014.
Sandmeyer, Lynne S., et al. Congenital Stationary Night Blindness Is Associated With The
Leopard Complex In The Miniature Horse.Veterinary Ophthalmology 15.1 (2012): 18-22.
Academic Search Complete.Web. 1 Sept. 2014.
"Welcome to the Appaloosa Project's Educational Website." Appaloosa Coat Patterns, Coat
Colour Genetics and Practical Information for Breeders of Spotted Horses. The
Apppaloosa Project Team, 11 Aug. 2006. Web. 10 Sept. 2014.