AraAppaloosa, Arappaloosa
Leopard, Blanket, Roan, and more---colorful coat patterns are the crowning glory of the refined, spirited, personable, elegant Araloosa--Also known as the AraAppaloosa or Arappaloosa.
Many Araloosas can be registered with the Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC), International Arabian Horse Association (IAHA) as Half-Arabian, or the Ponies of the Americas (POA) to name a few... offering Araloosa enthusiasts a myriad of options to showcase, market, and enjoy their horses.
The Arabian-Appaloosa cross is one of the undiscovered treasures of the Equine world. Intertwined in early history, yet later developed by breeders far-seperated by distance and time, these two breeds share many common traits; both the Arab and the Appaloosa were bred for great stamina, both were culled by harsh natural environments and had to be hardy, thrifty, and sound to survive, both were the way and means for survival of proud, hunting and warring nomadic Peoples, and both breeds are well known for the bond they formed with their masters.
Early Oriental and Asian artwork depicts refined horses of many colors and patterns, including those now associated with the Appaloosa. Spotted blankets, leopards and roans were known and depicted in China, Egypt, Turkey, the countries of Central Asia, Persia, and everywhere else fine light horses were used and valued. However as various breeds evolved from local populations, most were limited to solid colored individuals, with colorful examples bred away from.
When the founders of the Appaloosa Horse Club in the USA undertook the monumental task of restoring the Appaloosa to the pinnacle of perfection attained by the Nez Perce Nations (Neemeepoo) , thery turned directly to the source of refinement of all light breeds; the purebred Arabian. Many of the Foundation Appaloosa horses used to build the Appaloosa breed were 1/2 or more documented Arabian blood, and many more carried significant Arabian influence through their Thoroughbred, Morgan, and other ancestors.
Popular opinion of what an Appaloosa should be has evolved along different paths, but even though there are other influences seen in the conformation and traits in Appaloosas today, the connection between Appaloosa and Arabian remains. There are breeders continuing to use the Arabian influence to complement and in some cases enhance the Appaloosa type, and the results are some of the most breathtakingly beautiful animals ever created. The AraAppaloosa has a rightful place in the development, history, and future of the Appaloosa. The selective propogation of this blend follows the model constructed by ApHC founders, and the almost magical "nick" between the Arabian and the Appaloosa should never be discounted or forgotten.
There are also those interested in taking the Araloosa further by creating a horse with Appaloosa coloring and the most Arabian type possible; this might be considered extreme by some; to others, it is a return to the ultimate spotted horse.
The Araloosa is generally thought of as a horse with Arabian type and movement, and Appaloosa coloration.
The face should be dished, the neck arched, the eyes large, muzzle small and sensitive, and the ears small to medium. The build is refined yet strong, with fullness to the body without bulk, and muscling appearing smooth.
Appaloosa coloration seen on the Araloosa includes white over the hips, with or without spotting (commonly referred to as a blanket or spotted blanket), white with or without spots over the entire body (leopard or few-spot leopard), and roaning (which is white hair intermixed with the base-color hair) over the hips or the entire body (often bony areas such as the nasal bones, hip and elbow areas, and lower legs will remain dark, called "varnish marks").
