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Animal Fun Facts
News About Wild Life

Born to be Wild
submitted by Nicole R., Idaho
An Appaloosa is one of the most famous horses. Appaloosas are the state animal in Idaho. They are also white with black spots all over them. They are used today as show horses and an escort-type ride for marines in dress blues, and they always are always a stunning show! These prize winning animals were named after the Palouse Indians that lived near the Palouse river in modern day North West Idaho and South East Washington.

Characteristics:

A true Appaloosa should display at least two of the following characteristics, and preferably, all three when fully mature. Parti-colored (mottled) Skin on the muzzle and above the eye. White sclera that encircles the eyeball, making the eye appear more alert and more like the human eye. A true Appaloosa should always display one or more striped hooves. No other breed of horse has all three of these same characteristics. Appaloosa coat patterns develop as they age. Each Appaloosa will be totally unique in its coloring and coat pattern -- no two are ever exactly alike! There can be a blanket pattern, which is always white.

Blanket Pattern:

The blanket is always white! It is always centered on the hips, and can be very small (sometimes having only a roan appearance) or extend up to the withers or beyond. A small blanket can be a concentration of several patches of white, and may have the appearance of lace. As the horse ages, the blanket may become larger and additional dark spots might appear. Most blankets will have spots, mostly the same color as the base color of the horse, but two colors of spots are not unusual. Some blankets may stay pure white, without any spots at all. Should a horse roan, the blanket will usually blend in with the rest of the horse's color, but will still appear pure white when clean. The spots on the blanket will never change in shape or disappear on a true Appaloosa, but with age, more spots may appear outside the original blanket. The spots may have longer hair than the rest of the coat when the horse has its winter coat. The blanket pattern can occur on any color horse except white.

Leopard Pattern Appaloosa:

Appaloosas with a leopard coat pattern are born with that color pattern. The base color of a true leopard is completely white, which covers the entire body from the tip of their nose to their coronet bands. A true leopard has uniform spots of any darker color from nose to toes.

Few Spot Leopard:

The pattern on a few spot leopard has a base color of white, covered with a very small number of widely spaced spots. The few spot may have some coloration on the head, neck, and or pits. With the possible exception of lightning marks, it has no other patterns visible. This pattern is considered by many to be a homozygous color pattern, always producing an Appaloosa.

Snowflake Pattern & Spotted Pattern:

Foals are rarely born with a snowflake pattern. Usually these foals are born with all characteristics and little or no color, but sometimes foals born with a blanket pattern can develop a snowflake pattern on body parts not covered by their blankets. Sometimes as early as three months "snowflakes" may appear and become more obvious with age. The horse may have just a few, or many, snowflakes later in life. Snowflakes alone will not denote an Appaloosa. The horse must show other Appaloosa characteristics as well. In the Spotted Pattern some Appaloosas will remain nearly solid with the original base color and have, or will, develop, white spots over their hips. This pattern is not the same as the snowflake pattern.

Roan Pattern:

A roan can develop from any base color except white, and is a mixture of white hairs and hairs of the original base color. Roans of lighter colors such as duns and palominos, are not as common as those of black, dark brown, chestnut, or sorrel. Roaning may begin as early as the shedding of the baby hair, or as late as ten years or more. A lighter hair color around the eyes, elbow's, and or flanks may signify a base color roaning will occur. These foals generally show all of the Appaloosa characteristics: parti-colored skin, striped hooves, and white sclera.

Spotted Roan:

Roans may develop a lighter area over the hips, giving the appearance of a "white blanket." The fore parts of a blanketed foal may begin to roan. Once roaning starts, with age it will normally cover the entire body. In any case, roaning generally "uncovers" additional but previously "hidden" spots of the original base color. For this reason, there is no way to tell what the final, resulting color of the horse will be. Many become false "leopards" in their old age. The spots these roan horses are born with will never change, and those uncovered by the roaning process will remain unchanged until the death of the horse. In fact, more may appear far into old age.

Varnish Roan:

Appaloosa roans will normally show "varnish marks" on the face, ears, neck, hips, shoulders, stifles and below the knees and hocks. These marks make the horse appear to be "varnished" with dark areas, usually of the original base color. Manes and tails of roans are normally either roan as well or may turn completely white with age.

Cool Facts:

Did you know that an Appaloosa is a show horse? They are used in horse beauty contests, parades, public displays, pulling buggies in famous parks, and so much more! There's no doubt that these pretty horses like to put on a show!

Appaloosa Links

Submitted by: Nicole R., Idaho
Edited by Jen.t, 16, CA

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Animal Fun Facts News About Wild Life

Born to be Wild

Characteristics:

Blanket Pattern: