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MEIKLE OBNEY STUD
Breeding quality appaloosa riding and sports horses
BREED INFORMATION
The earliest recorded evidence of spotted horses can be found in cave paintings at Lascaux and Peche-Merle in France. These date back to Prehistoric times of approximately 18,000 BC. When looking into the history of the Appaloosa breed it comes to light that historians are not totally sure of the origin of the breed. Spotted horses are found in the histories and culture of many countries. In America the name was associated with the Nez Perce Indian tribe. They developed a strict breeding programme to encourage certain traits such as temperament, endurance, distinctive looks and intelligence. The name Appaloosa has been used for around 70 years. As late as the 1930’s an Appaloosa would still be referred to as ‘a Palouse Horse,’ most probably due to the Polouse river that ran through the heart of Nez Perce country. Over time the name evolved into ‘Palousey’, ‘Appalousey and finally ‘Appaloosa’.
THERE ARE EIGHT IDENTIFIED APPALOOSA COAT PATTERNS
