| If horses are kept inside in a barn, they require regular | | | | parents or a registered Appaloosa and a equine friend |
| daily exercise for their physical health and mental | | | | from an approved breed registry. The middle of the |
| well-being. Some scholars believe the Spanish | | | | road "stock equine friend" build is well suited to |
| Conquistadors brought some vividly-marked horses | | | | western horsemanship disciplines such as cutting, |
| with them when they first arrived in the early 1500s, | | | | reining, rodeo and O-Mok-See sports such as barrel |
| others believe that the Russian fur-traders brought | | | | racing (Camas Prairie Stump Race) and pole bending |
| them at a later date. The Nez Perce obtained their | | | | (Nez Percé Stake Race) as well as |
| original horses from the Shoshone people, and from | | | | short-length equine friend racing, generally at the |
| there took advantage of the fact that they lived in | | | | quarter-mile distance. The breeding program was |
| notable horse-breeding country, relatively safe from | | | | financed by the United States Department of Health |
| the raids of other tribes, and developed strict breeding | | | | and Human Services, the Nez Perce tribe, and the First |
| selection practices for their horses. The earliest | | | | Nations Development Institute, a nonprofit organization |
| evidence horses with a spotted coat pattern is from | | | | that promotes tribal business development. The |
| the cave paintings dating from the Upper Paleolithic | | | | Appaloosa Museum foundation was formed in 1975 to |
| era, circa 18,000 BC found at Lascaux and | | | | preserve the history of the Appaloosa equine. The |
| Peche-Merle in France. The Nez Perce tribe of the | | | | physical conformation of the original Appaloosa was |
| American Pacific Northwest developed the breed. The | | | | typical of the range horses found in the western |
| Nez Perce people were a relatively peaceful nation, a | | | | United States. |
| high amount of of whom engaged in agriculture as well | | | | Appaloosa markings overlay the base coat color, and |
| as horse breeding. | | | | have several pattern variations. |
| In any case, the Nez Perce had a high amount of | | | | The preface of the ApHC rule book states that the |
| spotted horses by the late 1800s when they once | | | | Appaloosa is "a breed defined by ApHC bloodline |
| again came to the attention of the rest of the world. | | | | requirements and preferred characteristics, including |
| The encroachment of gold miners in the 1860s and | | | | coat pattern. The Nez Perce tribe once again began a |
| settlers in the 1870s put pressure on the tribe to give | | | | breeding program in 1995 to develop a distinct breed, |
| up much of their land, and various treaties between | | | | the Nez Perce Equine friend. The registry was |
| 1855 and 1863 reduced their original treaty lands of | | | | originally housed in Moro, Oregon, then in 1947 moved |
| seven million acres by 90%. | | | | to Moscow, Idaho. Today, the Appaloosa breed is one |
| A similarly spotted breed in Europe, with a sport equine | | | | of America's most in favor breeds and there are over |
| build, is the Knabstrup. All ApHC-registered Appaloosas | | | | 670,000 Appaloosas registered by the ApHC. |
| must be the offspring of two registered Appaloosa | | | | |