6 Things You Didn’t Know About The Appaloosa

People from the horse world are very familiar with Appaloosas and know that they’ve been developed by the Nez Perce people. We all recognize this beautiful  American horses by their unique spots, but there is a lot more to talk about. But, we bet that most of you didn’t know most of the facts that we are about to mention in this text.



– APPALOOSAS ARE THE STATE HORSES OF IDAHO. Since 1975, this gorgeous horse breed, has been Idaho’s state horse and Governor Cecil Andrus signed a legislation for that.
– BESIDES THEIR SPOTS, THEY HAVE THREE OTHER COMMON MARKS. Eyes with a white sclera, striped hooves and mottled skin around the eyes, anus, genitalia and th muzzle; not every Appaloosa horse has all of this characteristics. They have at least one.



– THE COLOR OF THEIR COAT IS A COMBINATION OF SPOTTING PATTERN OVERLAID ON A BASIC COAT. The basic coat could be chestnut, gray, palomino, grulla, black and bay.
– WHEN A BABY APPALOOSA IS BORN, YOU CAN’T FORESEE HIS COLOR. They don’t always show their distinctive spots after their birth, so you can’t predict their true color.



– THE NEZ PEOPLE HAVE BEEN RARE HORSE BREEDERS. In the early 19th century this horse breeders have been well-known for their extraordinary work with horses. They come from eastern Washington, Oregon and western Idaho.



– MANY APPALOOSAS HORSE HAVE BEEN USED IN MOVIES AND TV SERIES. “El Dorado” filmed in 1966, where John Wayne rode the beautiful Zip Cochise. In the movie “The Appaloosa”, Marlon Brando rode Cojo Rojo.