Are appaloosa horses good horses for kids?

Answer 1

Depends on what you train an Appy for. They can be good cow-horses, trail-riding horses, show-jumping horses, rodeo horses for bronc riding, bare-back, calf roping, barrel racing, steer Wrestling, etc., therapy horses, for riding lessons, or pleasure riding for your own sake, if you have your own appaloosa.

Answer 2

The Appaloosa breed was originally bred in the Inland northwest of America by the Nez Perce Indians. Before the horse had been introduced to them, the Nez Perce were sedentary fishermen.

The horses changed The Nez Perce's culture forever. The horses enabled them to hunt buffalo easily, and the Nez Perce soon became known throughout the Northwest for their hunting skills and craftsmanship. These new found skills allowed the Nez Perce to trade for goods and services.

The Nez Perce became excellent horsemen as well as the only Native Americans known to selectively breed their horses. The horses were bred to be strong, fast, sure footed, and intelligent mounts. A short mane and tail was bred into the horses so that they could not easily be caught in brush.

Meriwether Lewis wrote the following of the Nez Perce's horses, in his diary on Feb. 15, 1806 :
"Their horses appear to be of an excellent race; they are lofty, eligantly [sic] formed, active and durable…some of these horses are pided with large spots of white irregularly scattered and intermixed with black, brown, bey [sic] or some other dark color."

Today the appaloosa is a stock horse. That is, it is bred mainly to work cattle, although there are lines that bred for dessage, hunters, jumpers, etc.

Answer 3

Maybe. It all depends on the horse, but Appaloosas are generally a good starting horse with nice canters and are great for riding bareback (that's what the Aboriginals did). In the end, it depends on both horse and rider, regardless of breed.

Answer 4

The appaloosa horse breed can do many things. In western riding, they can be Reiners, Barrel Racers, Roping horses, Ranch work horses, Pole benders, Pleasure mounts, Trail mounts. In English riding they can be used for dressage, show jumping, Endurance racing, and many other things. An appaloosa horse can do pretty much anything it just depends on the horses training and what you want to use the horse for.