What Breed of Horse are You? Appaloosa?

Appaloosa Whirlwind

Artist: Kathleen Marie

Not long ago, I posted a quiz about what personal species of mythological creature you identify with the most. Today, the horse is in the quiz spotlight. What breed of horse are you? I took the quiz, and learned I'm an Appaloosa. Since I'm prone to freckles, being an Appaloosa makes sense. 

  

What breed of horse are you? Your Result: Appaloosa You have a unique pattern of spots, as well as a love for people and pleasing others, though you can be a bit naughty or grumpy at times. You sometimes have a spotted 'blanket' that can lie across your back, rump or even under your stomach. Your not flashy, but still the beloved horse to many.
Dutch Warmblood
Thoroughbred
Welsh Pony
Quarter Horse
What breed of horse are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Knowing very little about horses in general, I will share the few Appaloosa facts I managed to absorb from my sad online excuse for research..

Horse: His Mir Image

Black/Bay Leopard Appaloosa/half Arabian Stallion

Though the handsome horse in the picture above is only half Appaloosa, the distinctive spotted coat is plain to see. This breed frequently has striped hooves that coordinate fetchingly with its fashionable splotches and dots. The base color can be bay, black, chestnut, palomino, buckskin, dun or grullo. It's hard to tell what color an Appaloosa foal will ultimately be, as they tend to be born a lighter color than later manifests. They have a white sclera of the eye, and mottled skin around the eyes, lips and genitalia. The eyes can be brown, blue, hazel, or two different colors simultaneously.

An 18,000 BC Paleolithic cave painting in France

 Archaeologists and other scientific individuals have found pictorial evidence for spotted horses reaching back to the Paleolithic era in Europe. This was a very long time ago indeed. Spotted horses were later represented in the art of Ancient Persia (Iran), Ancient Greece, the Tang Dynasy of China, plus 16th and 17th centery France. Apparently, Louis the XIV of France employed Appaloosas as coach horses to impress the peasants. 

Chinese Spotted Horse - Tang Dynasty?

The Tang Dynasty (618 AD) of China had an Appaloosa like horse called the Soulon. Modern day Chinese have developed a new breed of horse called the "Tiger", based on the genes of their ancient Soulon horses. I'm not sure how they did this, but I'm not a geneticist. The Soulon often had a spotted coat. 

Spotted horses from Ancient Persia. 

I know nothing about this picture except it's described as a Persian conquest. There are several spotted horses in the fray. I like the elephants.

Native-American Appaloosa

In America, the Nez Perce people of the Pacific Northwest bred spotted horses to be hearty and versatile due to strict culling of inferior animals. The Nez Perce were one of the few tribes who practiced gelding of male horses deemed less desirable. White settlers called these horses "a Palouse horse" after the Palouse River that ran through Nez Perce territory. The name soon became Appaloosa. Unfortunately, the Nez Perce lost most of their horses after the Nez Perce War in 1877. Though the breed went into a serious decline, many committed individuals continued breeding them until they became one of the most popular horses in America today. The Appaloosa registry was founded in 1938. Appaloosas also became the state horse of Idaho in 1975. 

Title: Ancient Appaloosa

Artist: Ginny Hogan

If ever in Palouse country, visit the Appaloosa Museum of Moscow, Idaho. It looks very interesting.