Appaloosas

[Vickie Smith <kiwana@sover.net>]

As a person who has ridden Appaloosas for most of my life, I have mixed 
emotions on what everyone is writing about them.  (I have a problem with 
the majority of people who are now in charge of the Appaloosa Horse Club.) 
 In all fairness, they started out registering any horse with spots and/or 
characteristics.  These were certainly not all from the Nez Perce.  It 
included Danish Knabstruppers (leopard colored warmblood type Circus 
horses), as well as many other breeds who happened to sport some type of 
spots and combinations thereof.  Bear in mind that one very prominent mare 
produced foals that were registered with the fledgling QH, Ap and Paint 
registries.  Simply put, her foals were registered according to what color 
they were.  (She was a roan with high stockings and a bald face and  was 
registered in all three registries as well.)  I know that one of the 
original promoters of Aps used Ferras to upgrade the horses in his breeding 
program.  (A good move in my mind!)  Anyway, the Nez Perce were gifted of 
some fine horses to get their youth involved in something meaningful in 
terms of their heritage and elected to include the Akhal-Teke for its 
gorgeous color, endurance and the fact that several of these were donated 
to the tribe.  (I also suspect that someone wanted to proved that this 
project was not simply an "offshoot" of the Appaloosa Horse Club...)  I 
want to believe that the Appaloosa is a breed but must believe it is more 
of a color designation.  NOW, that said, I would encourage any App lover to 
take a good look at the Colorado Rangerbred.  General Grant was given two 
Turkish (Barbs?) horses that were sent to a Remount station in Colorado. 
 Many ranches were encouraged to use these two to upgrade native (as in 
rounded up from wild herds) ranch horses.  A rancher by the name of Mike 
Ruby crossed mares rounded up  the remaining mares resulting from cavalry 
 raids on Indian horses/camps and bred them to these remount stallions who 
arrived to upgrade the endurance potential of cavalry mounts.  The 
important part here is that this rancher kept records!  This is the 
beginning of the Colorado Rangerbred breed.  A high percentage of these 
horses are Appaloosa colored and bred for endurance and ranch chores! 
 Anyway, I find a lot of modern type QH are invading the breed but a nice 
high concentration of non-modern type QH blood is still available.  This is 
where my future endurance prospects are coming from.  (I will be 
outcrossing to certain proven endurance Arabs.)  I also like the fact that 
most of these Rangerbreds are family type horses in that they don't spook 
at much and love children.

Best wishes,
Vickie Smith
Smithfield Appaloosa Rangerbreds
Lincoln, Vermont

(Not telling how many in case someone inadvertently mentions this post to 
my husband!)