AraAppaloosa

AraAppaloosa Foundation Breeders’ International

Route 8, Box 317

Fairmont, West Virginia 26554

The AraAppaloosa is a more refined Appaloosa of extraordinary quality—one with color, elegance, performance ability, soundness, stamina, and endurance. It is durable, intelligent, and has a great disposition, yet is capable of great spirit. It displays a combination of the color, personality, and good temperament of the Foundation Appaloosa while retaining the bloodlines and spotlines of the Arabian, which traces back in an unbroken line to the spotted horse of the ages.

Foundation Appaloosa

At its inception in 1938, the Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) certified the first 4,932 horses to attain permanent status through inspections as Foundation Appaloosas and gave these horses the “F” prefix before their number. These first horses were considered to be the correct type by the inspectors, who also observed to see if they produced foals of color. Many of these Foundation horses were refined and excellent examples of well-planned breeding programs. They also carried a high percentage of oriental blood, along with the Appaloosa blood tracing to the horses of the Nez Perce, Palouse, and other Native American tribes.

Many of the Foundation horses had distinct characteristics and qualities worth passing on. Additionally, many were genotypes capable of transmitting their color and other attributes to several generations down the line.

Some of the Foundation sire lines known for producing high-performance offspring with refinement are: Apache, Arab Towsirah Alkhar, Bear Paw, Mansfield’s Comanche, Freels Chico, Patches, Patchy, Peter K, Red Eagle, Sundance, and Toby.

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An elegant, red roan AraAppaloosa stallion. Claudia and Alexander Kaul

The AraAppaloosa Foundation Breeders’ International (AAFBI) strives to preserve these Foundation lines and welcomes Foundation-bred Appaloosas that carry three or more generations of Appaloosa bloodlines and/or oriental blood.

Spotline Arabian

“Spotline” purebred Arabian horses trace to parti-colored purebreds of the Arabian Desert that had white spots or spotting along with white sclera, some mottled skin, and/or striped hooves—characteristics that make the Appaloosa breed unique. Although some experts do not concede that these characteristics on an Arabian horse are a result of Appaloosa genes, it still is generally agreed that genes producing such color features would certainly complement the Appaloosa.

Many examples of spotted Arabians appear in ancient paintings. The earliest records of Arabian horses are in Egyptian and Middle Eastern artwork, which frequently depicted them with spotted sections on their coats. Since the Arabian has been a distinct breed type for thousands of years, this evidence makes an important statement about what the foundation of the breed looked like. There is no denying that the original Arabian had spotting, and from these ancient artworks, it can be ascertained that spotted Arabians today denote the oldest and purest lines.

There are myriad examples of these markings that appear in breeding logs and early photos, as well as on many modern Arabian horses. Most commonly they are called the “bloody shoulder” or “Kellogg spotted.” “Bloody shoulder” refers to red hairs in splotchy patches on one or both shoulders and seen mostly in gray Arabs. Sometimes the red hairs are not visible unless the horse is sweating or being bathed.

“Kellogg spotted” comes from the line of Arabians that were imported by W. K. Kellogg (famous for Kellogg cereals) to America earlier in the twentieth century. These were superb horses from the famous Crabbet Arabian Stud in England. A couple of Kellogg’s horses had spots and passed them on to their offspring. The same can be said for other Crabbet and Babson lines.

As well as Arabians, mottled skin and striped hooves are also common on Andalusians and Lipizzaners. Thoroughbreds are another breed that often display spots on their hindquarters, which should not be surprising since they are descendants of oriental horses. The most notable spotted Thoroughbreds are Bend Or, Man O’War, and Candy Spots.

It has been proven that the Arabian spotlines complement and strengthen the Appaloosa spotting gene. The roan gene (not to be confused with the undesirable gray gene) is also useful in attaining optimum color in the AraAppaloosa horse.

History

In 1877 when the Nez Perce failed to escape the U.S. Army, the latter confiscated and destroyed many of the Nez Perce Appaloosas. The horses that survived were crossed with draft animals in an attempt to destroy two centuries of Nez Perce selective breeding.

Claude J. Thompson of Moro, Oregon, founder of the Appaloosa Horse Club, infused the blood of European-bred horses into his native Appaloosas as a way to improve their structure, which the army’s draft crosses had altered. He made great strides in restoring the Nez Perce type of Appaloosa by redeveloping its light body with Arabian breeding. Thompson said, “Having some knowledge of the Arabian horse, and knowing that most light breeds were established on Arabian blood, I made a trip to California where I selected and brought home a pure Arabian, Ferras #922, to refine and improve the conformation of my Appaloosa horses.”

Ferras’ sire and dam were two registered Arabians, Ferdin and Rasima, who were imported from the Crabbet Arabian Stud of England. Thompson most often crossed Ferras to mares of the old Painter Barb line as a way to refine their heavier frames. Seventeen Foundation Appaloosas were sired by Ferras, whose most famous offspring was Red Eagle (ApHC F-209). Claude crossed Ferras with Painter’s Marvel (ApHC F-47) to produce Red Eagle. Painter’s Marvel was a granddaughter of Ferras. Her sire, Painter III, is number F-8, while her dam, Snowflake, is F-2.

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The AraAppaloosa is a more refined Appaloosa with superb athletic abilities. Claudia and Alexander Kaul

Red Eagle represented a turning point for the Appaloosa breed. His coloring was bay and white with bay spots, and he was foaled in 1946. In 1951, Red Eagle won the National Champion stallion title. Later, actor John Derek bought Red Eagle for use in a western film, which never materialized, so Derek sold Red Eagle to Thomas Clay of Caliente, Nevada. While in Nevada, Red Eagle made a name for himself by siring many great horses. Red Eagle’s most prominent offspring included American Eagle (F-1472), Simcoes Frosty Eagle, and Hall of Fame stallion Red Eagle’s Peacock (F-1476). Red Eagle sired eighty-one registered foals that earned several National Championships and record wins of two Bronze Medallions.

During the 1930s and 1940s, breeders of the Foundation Appaloosas primarily used Arabians and Arabian crosses to refine their spotted horses. More than thirty Arabian stallions are listed as the sires of many Foundation Appaloosas.

The AraAppaloosa

Today, there is a surplus of the heavy, Quarter Horse–type Appaloosa; however, the lighter types infused with Arabian or Thoroughbred blood can still be found. A small percentage of Appaloosa breeders in the United States are determined to keep Claude Thompson’s dream alive.

The type of horse needed to continue the breed in the future is the spotted horse of the past, the one the Nez Perce Indians selectively bred and is pictured time and again in paintings throughout history. The AAFBI is a registry that focuses on breeding horses within this heritage, in which the Arabian breed has had a vital role. Both plans—breeding Appaloosa to Appaloosa, or delving back in the lineage by incorporating oriental/Arabian blood into a breeding program—achieve the same goal: to produce the authentic Appaloosa of the past, the AraAppaloosa.

Owners of valued Appaloosas with Arabian traits are attracted to the breed. In 1997, when Julie and Randy Berghammer found it difficult to obtain registration papers for their Appaloosa mare, they became involved in the AAFBI, which had a hardship clause available for those horses that met the criteria of color and conformation. Their mare was a varnish roan with dark legs and a spot on each hip, commonly referred to as a varnish mark. She also had good conformation and a dished face. She produced a varnish-colored daughter just like herself and a son who also displayed lots of color and a dished face. He was a dark chestnut with a hip blanket, spots, marbling on his barrel, and lightening marks on his legs (common Appaloosa traits). With their beautiful Appaloosa color and obvious Arabian traits, these horses were the type that epitomized the AraAppaloosa. The Berghammers discovered that there were also other horses with Appaloosa/Arabian combined traits that fit the AraAppaloosa description and similarly found their way into the AAFBI.

Registration

When faced with setting up a system to rate horses, the AAFBI decided to highlight known pedigrees and mathematically determine the percentage of blood from these known sources, as well as to emphasize Appaloosa color and characteristics. With use of these pedigrees, breeders can understand which bloodlines help achieve the goal of the perfect AraAppaloosa. The goal is to produce horses that have excellent dispositions, superior athletic conformation, beauty, and Appaloosa color.

A breeding stock certificate is available for solid-colored horses that are produced from qualified parents. A hardship registration is also available for those horses that have no known background. These horses must display obvious Appaloosa color and characteristics. Conformation must be of the light horse type.

Registration certificates contain a prefix rating, a number, and a suffix rating, such as A 44 ap. From this example, the “A” rating means the horse has at least half Arabian blood; the “44” is the number in the registry; and the “ap” means that the horse has less than half Appaloosa blood. The entire rating list is as follows:

• “a” prefix: at least one-quarter Arabian blood

• “ap” suffix: less than one-half Appaloosa blood

• “A” prefix: at least one-half Arabian blood

• “Ap” suffix: at least one-half Appaloosa blood

• “2A” prefix: at least three-quarters Arabian blood

• “2Ap” suffix: at least three-quarters Appaloosa blood

The AAFBI bloodline rating was established for the express purpose of helping breeders and owners of AraAppaloosas understand what is behind their horses’ pedigree. The rating helps determine exactly how much Appaloosa and Arabian blood (which includes Thoroughbred blood) is in the horse being registered. The AAFBI rating is unique because it is based on the most recent four generations. Therefore, as a breeding program continues to focus on restoring the Nez Perce-type Appaloosa, the future foals’ rating can improve. (Source: AraAppaloosa Fact Sheet: The AAFBI Registry and Focused Restoration by John L. Baker)

Characteristics

With a height varying from 14 to 16 hands, the general appearance of the AraAppaloosa should fit the registry’s slogan “tough but elegant.” The head must be small and refined. A dished face similar to the Arabian’s is desirable but not essential. Eyes should be large and encircled with visible white sclera; ears should be small and curved inward like crescents.

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AraAppaloosa. Claudia and Alexander Kaul

The neck of the AraAppaloosa should have a natural arch but shouldn’t be overly long. Withers are not prominent and the back is short. Although the ideal topline for an Arabian is level, the AraAppaloosa should have a slightly sloping croup and a long, sloping hip, along with deep heart girth and long underline. The overall appearance of the AraAppaloosa should be symmetrical and athletic.

An AraAppaloosa in action is almost unsurpassable in beauty. It has the springy prance, flared nostrils, arched neck, and tail carriage of the Arabian, coupled with the striking contrast of a white blanket and/or spots, striped hooves, and sclera-encircled eyes.

Due to its oriental heritage, an AraAppaloosa foal is likely to inherit loud coloring, although many AraAppaloosa foals are born with little or no color, then “color out” as they mature. Characteristics such as evident sclera, mottled skin, and striped hooves should be present from birth, even if Appaloosa-type color is not. A variety of patterns exist, but the following are most common:

Spotted blanket: Most breeders prefer this classic pattern. The foreparts of the horse are a solid color, while its rump has a white “blanket” with dark spots. Blankets may vary in size and spots vary in shape, from large egg-shaped spots to halo (roan edged) or teardrop shaped spots.

White blanket: The foreparts are dark and a solid white blanket covers the hindquarters. The blanket may extend to the shoulders.

Marble: The marble pattern comes with maturity. Foals that have this pattern are usually born with a solid color and then roan as they age. Marble AraAppaloosas are often white or roan with speckled spots over their hindquarters. Faces, legs, and necks, however, are often a much darker color. Variations in this pattern are red, strawberry, and blue roans.

Leopard: A marble may seem to be a leopard, but a true leopard AraAppaloosa is foaled snow-white with dark spots over the entire body. A “near leopard” is similar to the true leopard, except the face and upper neck of the horse are a solid color. The legs may be dark with white lightning marks on the cannons. A “fading leopard” is born pure white with loud spots over the coat. If the sire or dam is a gray, however, the owner is sure to see the horse’s spots fade with age, resulting in a pure white horse.

Snowflake: This pattern has a dark base color with white spots or flecks sprinkled over the entire body and neck. The snowflake AraAppaloosa is often born solid and then colors with age. There is also a pattern called “snowflake blanket,” in which the white spots are concentrated on the rear quarters.

Lace or frosted blanket: The base color of the horse is dark with white “lace” on its rump. Foals that later develop a spotted or white blanket are often born with a muted lace blanket. The blanket may have spots of any size, but the spots are often not too noticeable because there is less contrast.

AraAppaloosas in Action

The future of the AraAppaloosa is moving toward sport horse competition. Many are in endurance racing and several have competed in three-day eventing and dressage.

In Europe, the expanding popularity of the breed is seen in the famous stallion, Congal’s Cosmic Sky. He is an AraAppaloosa in Germany that passed the Körung (an advanced breeding suitability test) and is listed in the First Stud Book, which only accepts stallions of the highest perfection with unusually superb conformation and movement. This is a rare and prestigious honor only bestowed on the very best quality stallions, and Sky is the only AraAppaloosa in Germany to have achieved this so far. He also has won his first distance competition, a 36-kilometer race (about 18 miles), competing against sixty-seven horses. He has initiated the excellence of the AraAppaloosa breed to Europe.

AraAppaloosas are great family horses and are quite often used in therapeutic riding programs because of their gentle nature. They make excellent all-around horses, excelling at just about anything for which they are trained, as they are intelligent and pick up training quickly. In the show ring is where they really shine; whether in dressage, hunter/jumper, western pleasure, or saddle seat class, they have a show-ring presence that is breathtaking. AraAppaloosas project the refined elegance of the Arabian and the spotted patterns of the Appaloosa. It is a rare and beautiful breed.

Credit: Randy and Julie Berghammer, Sandy Hollow Farm

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