Horses of Appaloosa attract their attention with an unusual beautiful appearance, because they have an unusual color and a peaceful character. This horse can be easily recognized by a beautiful and even figure and forelock color. Appaloosa often lead to competitions, exhibitions and shows. Beauty lovers have several representatives of the breed in their household.
Origin history
The first horses appeared in the 16th century in the American Republic. They got there by delivery by the Spaniards when America was discovered. Artiodactyls strayed to the local Indians, after which they multiplied and in the 18th century almost all people living in the North and the West began to ride horses. From Europe, they began to import the bluish horses, which eventually began to be crossed with local horses, as a result, a new breed of Appaloosa was obtained.
The artiodactyls got their name thanks to the settlers, who, after the horses arrived in Palouse, they called them Palous. Somewhat later, this name was abbreviated and acquired Appaloosa.
In 1870, the army began to fight with the Indians, Nez Perce had to flee. The horses turned out to be hardy and ran with people on top of 1300 miles who fled from the cavalry.
After that, the number of horses decreased, as some farmers took away some Appaloos and some took the army - the rest died. The tradition of "riding" on horses faded, and crossbreeding did not give positive qualities. But in 1938, Claude Thompson officially recognized the Appalausian horses and the number of animals began to increase.
Spread
The main distribution point is North America, but every year representatives of this breed can be seen in different corners of the earth. Often the groups are not numerous and they are used to participate in various competitions.
Appaloosa Horse Data
The height of the grown horse is 1.45-1.50 at the withers. These parameters are average, so representatives of the Appaloosa breed can grow a little less or vice versa more. The maximum growth can be 1.65, but this is very rare. As for the weight, for representatives of this breed it varies from 450 to 500 kg.
Exterior
The main feature of this breed are interesting combinations of color and shades. Spotting on the skin is that sign by which it is possible to determine appaloose. The skin of representatives is bodily without pigmentation and pigmentation with dark areas.
Exterior Appaluzov:
- a beautiful and even head with pointed ears;
- Muscular neck
- good understanding of teams;
- unpretentiousness to food;
- courage and friendliness;
- fast learner;
- shortened, inflated back;
- round and powerful body;
- muscular lower limbs, hard hooves;
- the tail is high;
- tail with mane is soft.
The next main sign of the Appaloosa horse is the light sclera (the area around the eyes that covers the apple). It is present in all cloven-hoofed animals, but it is in the appaloosa of the sclera that is very noticeable and lighter than in other breeds. In addition, almost all horses of this breed have white spots on their faces.
These horses have good quality jumps, so if a person plans to get it for these purposes exactly, then Appaloosa is ideal. They know how to sharply and at the same time smoothly change the pace of the ride, speed, breathing will not go astray.
Appaloosa suit
For the Appaloosa horse, several colors are used:
- Cheprak.
- Roan
- Suited.
- Small rook.
- Stains.
- Scabbard with spots.
- Small spotted shabrack.
In addition, there are hybrids, but they are noted much more often and they do not belong to any category. Often, newborn stallions are born light, with age the skin darkens, and gray horses brighten on the contrary.
The exact color can be determined only after reaching the age of five. Then you can determine the final color, which can be leopard (white skin with black patches throughout the body), marble (white small frequent black dots on the white body), blackcloth, snow (many black spots directly on the hips) or frost (the black horse has white spots).
Horse character and lifestyle
Each horse breed has its own character, including representatives of the Appaloosa breed. In ancient times, horses interacted with people, so they have the genetic ability to find a common language with a rider. The character is kind, flexible, not impudent, they are loyal to the owner. If there is a change of owner or rider, the horse may experience stress, and she can "show" her character.
Horses are not afraid of danger, quite active and smart, quickly and easily learnable. They quickly memorize various tricks, so they often perform at the races. There were times when the horse herself chose one rider and served only him to death. To people they are complaisant and good-natured.
Nutrition
Appaloosa horses are sensitive to quality feed and good nutrition.
The table provides the diet of a horse weighing from 500 to 600 kg:
Feed | tons per year | kg per day |
Hay | 2 | 13 |
Bran | 1,6 | 1,5 |
Succulent feed | 1,2 | 3 |
Nowadays, you can find many types of feed: feed, grass pellets, root crops, etc. The choice is up to the owner himself how to feed the animal, someone prefers not to save and buys store-bought food, and someone, on the contrary, prefers natural food.
- Meadow or cereal grains. Grain is the most high-quality type of feeding, since it contains many usefulnesses. It is often mixed with wheat, oilcake or peas. Someone chooses classic feeding, while others buy it in specialized stores.
- Hay. In winter, hay is the main type of feed for any horses. For better feeding, farmers are fed hay harvested from several fields.
- Straw. It is best to give preference to oat straw, millet or corn. Often it is mixed with hay and fed animals.
- Oats It is most often given in its pure form, without mixing with other types of feed. If the animal has strong teeth, then oats are given entirely, but if the teeth are bad, on the contrary, they grind it.
- Peas. The daily dose should not exceed two kilograms. It is impossible to give peas entirely, it is crushed or grinded, and only after that animals are fed.
- Juicy feed. Tuberous plants and root crops include carrots, fodder beets, and potatoes. Before offering an animal a vegetable, it must be washed, cleaned, chopped, and only then give the horse. Potatoes are allowed to be given both raw and boiled.
- Greenery. This method of feeding is used in the summer. But after the winter it is impossible to give large portions sharply, you need to start with a small bunch, then gradually increase the size.
- Combined feed. Store mixes containing several components. It can be added to the main diet.
- Drink. A prerequisite is the constant presence of clean water in the stable. It will be convenient if there is a room with water in each stall.
Feeding is done at a certain time, so the animal will get used to it, and the digestive tract will be prepared in advance by eating. If this regimen is violated, stress can occur.
Care and conditions
Horses of the Appaloosa breed do not require special care and maintenance, just follow some recommendations. The main criteria are accuracy and restraint. If a horse is loving, timely fed, cleaned and washed, then it will serve as a support for many years.
- Stable. In summer, artiodactyls live on the street, and in winter indoors. It is necessary to build stalls in the stable: the first for eating and sleeping, and the second for the rest of the animal. The walls should be built of durable materials, and the doors are tensile. For the floor, concrete or stone will be the best material. Be sure to have a litter made of straw.
- Room cleaning. Before you start cleaning in the stall, the horse should be taken outside, then take out feeders and drinking bowls. The litter, wet with urine, is removed, the same applies to manure. Then the broom sweeps the entire room using a disinfectant. After the floor has dried, a new straw is established and clean water is put.
- The appearance of the horse. Before releasing a horse for grazing, it must be thoroughly cleaned with a special scraper. If necessary, the horse can be saddled. For horse care, it is best to purchase natural hair accessories: brushes, scallops for mane and tail. Also, the hook with which you can pull the stuck garbage from the hooves and all parts of the body will not be out of place.
- Forging. A good master called a blacksmith should shoe hooves. He knows how to properly size and correctly install a horseshoe. Different nails are suitable for each individual, and a horse can be reforged only after a month and a half.
Cleaning. Bathing is done in the warm season, since in winter such procedures can result in a cold. But if the animal is afraid of water, then it is not necessary to force it. In this case, just wash it with a shampoo using a hose.
Immediately after the jumps, you can’t wash the horse, you need to wait until it cools down and dries out. Immediately after the jumps, a coverlet should be placed on the artiodactyl, as protection against hypothermia.
More information on the care and maintenance of horses - look here.
Breeding
When breeding horses, a number of rules are used before careful selection is made. The animal must be completely healthy, not having problems in behavior and character. When mating, the female is preferably older than the male. Age should not be less than three years, only upon reaching this age their body is fully formed.
A case can be made both artificially and naturally. In the first case, the stallion's sperm is taken and introduced into the female uterus, and in the second case, from March to July, the stallion is brought to the mare, and mating occurs.
Disease
A healthy horse will always look well-groomed and cheerful. Appalouse’s health is strong, immunity is on top, they are adapted to different living conditions. But still they are prone to injuries and certain diseases, so preventive measures will not be out of place.
Foot diseases. The lower limbs are the most vulnerable, which require special attention. Although the hooves are strong, his legs still often get injured and inflamed, and this interferes with his career.
Infectious diseases. Too individuals are also susceptible to various infections, but any disease is easier to prevent than to treat it later. There are a number of preventive measures that can prevent diseases, it is carried out once every six months.
In the first-aid kit should always be:
- Peroxide, alcohol, iodine and brilliant green for bruises.
- Zinc ointment, Vishnevsky, Levomekol.
- Vikasol or aminocaproic acid to stop bleeding.
- Nonsteroids to relieve inflammation.
- Bandage, cotton, harness for dressing.
Be sure to take vaccinations every six months or a year, and take tests. With the same schedule, deworming should be carried out and the main thing is the disinfection of the room.
Purpose, use and price
The horses of the Appaloosa breed are excellent horses, since their homeland was North America, where the Indians lived, they carried out breeding work. They needed fast horses with good endurance. Thanks to these criteria, horses have more than once helped people hide from pursuers.
Nowadays, the breed is used in competitions, races. After all, they are fast and at the same time hardy. In addition, horses are endowed with a shovel, that is, they can quickly change the pace, the speed that the rider “orders” to change.
The horses are friendly, kind and smart, they are called riding horses, as they are often used in rodeos, races, jogging, and competitions. They are often hired for family vacations. Appaloosa quickly remember even the hardest tricks.
To purchase a stallion of a blubble horse at a price of 70,000 to 150,000 rubles. It all depends on age, color and other characteristics.
Measures that were aimed at preserving the breed
To preserve the exterior of the Appaloosa horses, no measures had been taken before Claude Thompson opened a club where all fans of this breed gathered. Thanks to this, the farmer was able not only to save the breed, but also to put it ahead of other horse breeds.
Today there are one and a half million horses of the Appaloosa breed, over time new foals are born and their number increases.
Famous representatives of the breed
In our world there are famous representatives of the breed Appaloosa, among them:
- Foal Joker. His date of birth is 1941. A famous individual took part in many races, various competitions and exhibitions. The Joker always took first place. The foal received its first award in 1965 in Texas, after which it gained popularity and was bought out for 26 thousand dollars, at that time it was not a small amount of money. A year later, he died at the age of 24.
- Mighty Bright Foal. The famous Appaloosa stallion was born in 1960. He often took part in races, competitions, contests, but, unfortunately, dreams for the future were not realized. At the age of one, the baby broke his leg, but in the future he still could become a good producer, because 189 kids helped to be born. At 14, he died.
- Absaroki Sunset Foal. The black and brown stallion of the Appaloosa breed was born in 1956. In many competitions he was the first, became the most beautiful representative of the breed and won a place on the board of the Appalouse club. He gave birth to 500 foals, some of them also became prize-winners in races and one even the all-around champion. He died at the age of 18.
- Foal Prince Pluudite. Date of birth 1963 More than once he was awarded the title of best producer. He also often took first places in competitions and races. They sold a horse for 300 thousand dollars, died at the age of 25.
The horses of Appaloosa have long been known; even in ancient times they were painted in Chinese and French caves. Nowadays, archaeologists find 20,000 summer drawings of spotted artiodactyls.
Interesting Facts
Appalusian horses are interesting because beautiful creatures will be born, they can be in one color, and in the future it can radically change. For example, a foal with light hair is born, then over 5 years they shed heavily, after which they darken noticeably. Dark foals, on the contrary, also molt for several years, but acquire a light skin color.
You need to be prepared for the fact that horses are predisposed to one disease called uveitis, which is developing very rapidly. If the horse is not cured in a timely manner, then it can completely go blind or die at all.
Appaloosa breed is great for calm and quiet walks, because the horse does not kick and does not make sudden movements. Scientists prove that they inherited little from their ancestors, due to multiple breeding.
In this video, the farmer talks about the behavior, nature of Appalousia, about caring for them, feeding. On this video you can see their unusual color, behavior in the herd and other interesting facts:
Horses of Appaloosa are very beautiful horses in the world, which are mainly acquired for participation in competitions, exhibitions. They succumb to tricks very quickly, and they are also perfect for equestrian family walks.
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