A great friend of
mine raises and competes with Appy's, and from her I recently learned a LOT
about the breed. First of all, they are different from other "stock"
horses because they were originally USED for long distance riding by the Native
Americans. They were not intended as cow ponies (which is what the QH was
bred for). AND the coolest thing (to me anyhow!) is that Appy's can be
outcrossed with QH, TB and ARABIAN!! My friend's mare is registered
Half-Arabian and a full Appaloosa.
As far as having/not
having an Arabian.. sometimes you have crazy horses in every breed. You
really shouldn't just lump them all in together. If you are looking for a
good endurance mount, that is sane and trail ready, then breed should be
secondary. Find a horse that fits your requirements, then worry about what
breed he is. I think lots of GOOD horses are overlooked because people
only want a certain breed or color, and can't get past that. Look at each
individual horse, you'll have a better chance that
way.
