by Mary P. Hare
This article was inspired by a couple of things, headed up by those solid-colored Appaloosas with long flowing tails that we see advertised in today's Appaloosa Journal, which triggers this question: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE APPALOOSA?
I suppose I'm dating myself with this question; perhaps I'm simply living in the past and not willing to change with the times. So be it! I've never been a believer that "change just for the sake of change" is all that good. And, somewhere along the line, the Appaloosa judges have fallen by the wayside and the space was taken up with Quarter Horse judges! People who were breeding and winning with their Appaloosas then changed with the whims of the Quarter Horse judges, and began breeding their horses this way so they could win. The people who came into power also had this new mindset, which condoned and/or promoted this change.
I don't know about you, but I can SEE the difference between the basic conformation of a good Appaloosa and a good Quarter Horse WITHOUT looking at color. All I have to do is look in my pasture where I have a lovely Appaloosa and a lovely Quartaloosa!
With more than half a million Appaloosas registered, crossbreeding to improve the Appaloosa is no longer a valid point. The Quarter Horse next door may be a very good horse, but I'm sure there is always an Appaloosa closeby just as good. You may have to go down the road a bit farther to find him, but isn't it worth it? An Appaloosa should be recognized by conformation and color.
I remember back in the 70's, when I was active with running Appaloosa shows, and as a Director (for seven years), I have asked judges, "Why do you seem to pick less colorful Appaloosas over say a horse with a large white blanket and spots?" And, for the most part, their answers were basically the same: A horse with a big blanket is like judging two horses-a solid forequarter and a spotted behind! At which point, I usually answered, "You aren't much of an Appaloosa judge if you can't see past that color!"
This reminds me of an article that appeared in the July 1972 Appaloosa News, headed up by the above cartoon. The Northeast Regional 4-H Horse Judging Contest decided to include an Appaloosa halter class in its judging contest. Until then, Western horsemanship had been represented by halter classes for another breed, with Appaloosas joining in the Western pleasure performance classes. Four top Appaloosas on the Eastern seaboard were brought into Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for this class.
To quote from the article: "From the minute those Appaloosas walked into the Coliseum, it was not the six gun but the Appaloosa that was known as 'the Equalizer'. Teams that had, until this point, led the contest with near-perfect scores took one look over at the spotted coats, striped hooves, mottled skin and white-ringed eyes, and went completely bleary eyed and slack jawed. Teams who were at the bottom of the score heap suddenly flashed to the top of the contest through their ability to separate the spots from the horse.
"A couple of the official judges were there to set the cuts and give the official placings for the class. Naturally, the Appaloosa halter class was a 'reasons class', so if any 4-H'er had made an idiot of himself in placing the class, he now had the opportunity to stand up in front of the panel of judges and explain how he did it! Nothing else brings home the idea that a good horse judge must look beneath his surface impressions." (end of article quote)
Where did the idea of LONG TAILS originate? If there's not enough tail, they attach a false one. The last few years, I've attended the Lee-Jackson Appaloosa Show (held in Virginia), and in addition to the low numbers of Appaloosas in the classes and the lack of color, there were these long, flowing tails whipping around! I found it extremely distracting to watch the Western Riding and Reining classes. The horses looked awkward as they worked, their tails swishing and flapping, and wrapping around their legs! Is it simply because the Quarter horses and paint Horses are doing it in their shows? What with the increased use of outside breeds in today's Appaloosas-and unfortunately, a change in judging customs-has come more tail. I'm not saying "bring back the sparse mane and rat tail" (although they were unique to the Nez Perce horses; and some foundation lines do carry heavier manes and tails than others), but how much tail is considered "enough" in todays show Appaloosas? (Enough on this-I got carried away!)
Although conformation and action are important, it should be expected that Appaloosas should LOOK LIKE APPALOOSAS. Coat markings are a part of our breed. Judges should be able to LOOK BENEATH THE SPOTS and see the Appaloosa conformation or they shouldn't be qualified Appaloosa judges.