Where did the name Appaloosa come from?

Answer 1

With their characteristic spots, Appaloosa horses are one of the most recognized horse breeds around the world. The Appaloosa's origins date back to the time of the North American Native Indians who received their first horses from Spanish explorers. The Nez Perce tribes, which ranged through current day Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, proved particularly skilled in horsemanship. Not only did they quickly learn to use the horse to its full advantage, but they practiced selective breeding as well. The Appaloosa was the result of Nez Perce's search for a quality horse full of versatility, endurance and solid temperament. White settlers are said to have coined the horse's name. They first saw the spotted horses among the tribes along the Palouse River, and the horse was christened 'Appaloosa'.

Unfortunately by the late 1800s Native Americans were being forced from their land by the US government. The Nez Perce, like many other tribes, were forced onto reservations and encouraged to take up agricultural pursuits. In keeping with their desire to contain the Native Americans, the US government undertook a program to destroy their horses. Many Appaloosas were rounded up and sold or simply shot. Their distinct bloodlines became blurred and were almost on the edge of extinction before the Appaloosa Horse Club was formed in the late 1930s. Thanks to the Appaloosa Horse Club, after much selective breeding, the characteristic mottled skin and striped hooves (which add to their durability) have resurfaced.

google_protectAndRun("ads_core.google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad); According to the Appaloosa Horse Club of Canada, the modern day Appaloosa is considered a light horse with a height between 14.2 and 15.2 hands at the withers. The typical Appaloosa has a dark coat with white dappling on its rump, but coat patterns vary. The 'leopard' Appaloosa, for example, is the Dalmatian of the horse world with a pale body covered in black spots.

The Appaloosa's endurance and courage have added to the horse's popularity over the years. The horse is used across several equestrian disciplines but is heavily concentrated in the open frontiers of the western United States and Canada. Certain Appaloosa bloodlines are renown for their cattle cutting abilities, while others are bred for dressage trials. Appaloosa horse shows typically have Native dress classes for men and women where spectators see both horse and rider in full Native American regalia.

During the Nez Perce War of 1877, the Nez Perce tried escape the US government on the backs of their spotted horses. The endurance of these horses delivered the Nez Perce within one day's ride of the Canadian border before Chief Joseph was forced to surrender. Although the US government attempted its extinction, the modern Appaloosa's bloodlines are well preserved to this day in the Appaloosa Horse Club's international breed registry. However today Native Americans, particularly those closely linked with the Nez Perce, have begun to breed for a purer Native American horse - one that brings out the best Appaloosa traits so favored by their ancestors.

Answer 2

the Palouse river.