How do you tell if a horse is an Appaloosa? – Appaloosa Exchange

Appaloosa Exchange

How do you tell if a horse is an Appaloosa? – Appaloosa Exchange

How do you tell if a horse is an Appaloosa?

OFFICIAL APPALOOSA IDENTIFICATION:

The easiest way to tell if a horse is an appaloosa is through their registration papers with the Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC).

With the ApHC, all horses registered have either both parents as registered Appaloosas, or One parent is a regular registered Appaloosa and the other parent could be a Non-Characteristic Registered Appaloosa, Arabian, Quarter Horse, or Thoroughbred.

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS OF APPALOOSAS:

Coat Patterns :

Spotty Buckskin Leopard Gelding Undersaddle

One of the most known features of an Appaloosa is its coat coloration or pattern:

Leopard (which is a genetic trait identified by the LP genetic), the ApHC papers might describe the pattern as white with spots over the entire body. The actual color of the horse is not white but would be the base color (i.e. black, bay, chestnut, and modified versions of the colors.)

Breeders will call their Homozygous Leopards Few spots as you will see only a few spots on them which means without genetic testing or knowing the parents you may not know what the actual color of the horse is.

MHS Honors theFallen born with a snowcap

Blanket is when there is white over the rear and can extend up to their withers. Those that don’t have spots or look like there is snow on their backs will be called snowcap by breeders and are considered homozygous. Which is believed to be allowed due to the PATN1 gene.

Rivendells Bleau Heart Blanket with Spots

When both genes are present the appaloosa may have spots within the blanket, and they may or may not be homozygous for either the LP or PATN1 or even both.

Appaloosa Roan

One more gene that can show up in Appaloosas for their pattern is Appaloosa Roan, which is unlike the typical roan you see out there. Doesn’t cover the body leaving the points alone. Appaloosa Roan can roan in white spots over the body, or even on a blanket.

Buckskin with Dark Spots

You can also have a solid-colored horse that develops darker spotting.

There are many variations of the patterning of the coat that can be displayed; we are only showing a few of the main ones.

If the horse is solid it must also have 2 of the following characteristics:

Mottled skin on nose

Mottled Skin around Eye and Sclera

White Sclera, the white around the iris gives them more of a human-looking eye.

Another way to tell if a horse is an Appaloosa is the characteristic of mottled skin. Where the grey/black skin has pink skin interspersed in the darker color skin. This coloration will show up around the muzzle, eyes, anus, and genitalia.

Stripped Hoof

Striped hooves are another way to tell if a horse is an Appaloosa. There will again be white hoof and black hoof striping up and down the hoof with no white markings on the legs.

The Appaloosa Horse Clubs Official poster on how to tell if a horse is an appaloosa.

Now there is Appaloosa Registration for those horses with the appaloosa pattern that they can do if they are gelded or spayed. ApHC will not let undocumented breeding horses into the registry.

With all of that being said, it still might not be an appaloosa, as there are other breeds that have the wonderful LP and PATN1 gene.

Solid Foal and Blanket With Spots Foal

I will admit that the Appaloosa was the first horse I had interaction with that had the exciting coloration.

Whinny Brite was a 1992 Bay Snowcap Mare I had chosen her for her foundation pedigree, and her flashy color.

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Appaloosa Exchange was first started on January 16, 2022, and went live for the first time on June 1st, 2022 to make a place for people who enjoy the Appaloosa horse and the appaloosa coloration in other breeds to have a place to get together and market.