Appaloosa Sporthorses: Bloodlines and Training
by Michelle Iacona

The requirements to be registered as an Appaloosa Sporthorse are really no different from those of the Appaloosa Horse Club: coat pattern, striped hooves, mottled skin, white sclera. So what is the difference? Why is one an Appaloosa Sporthorse and the other simply an Appaloosa?

The primary difference is the training. However, breeding is also important, as it affects conformation.

A sporthorse is defined by the ISR (International Sporthorse Registry) as a "noble, large-framed and correct horse with dynamic, spacious, and elastic movements; well suited for Dressage, Jumping, Eventing, and Hunter classes due to its temperament, character, and rideability." Long bred as stock horses, Appaloosas have the easy temperaments and large frames necessary to excel in Jumping, Eventing,and Hunter classes, together with the intelligence to respond to a rider's expectations in the Dressage arena. The elasticity and long lines necessary for correct movement have come into the bloodlines thanks to large, powerfully-built stallions such as Wapiti (16hh) and Prince Plaudit (16hh).

For years, Warmbloods and Thoroughbreds have dominated the arena in the Olympic disciplines. In fact, there was a time not so long ago that a horse and rider could be given low marks in the dressage arena simply because the horse had spots! The fact stands, however, that the breed associations and breeders/owners of Appaloosas have largely been just as guilty as the judges have been in the past of pigeon-holing their horses into the Western disciplines: roping, reining, Western pleasure, etc.

Appaloosa breeding programs in the past have focused more on color than conformation. However, in the beginning, under the guidance of the Nez Perce, programs focused predominantly on power, performance, and attitude. With the rise of the Appaloosa Sporthorse, we return to this emphasis.

If Appaloosas are to flourish in English sports, the Appaloosa community has to work to accept a different style of horse than they are accustomed to. There needs to be a promotion of the new, leggier, more elastic conformation coming to the fore in the Appaloosa horse world. Breeding must once again turn its emphasis from color only to conformation and performance. By building on the Plaudit and Wapiti lines and introducing a healthy dose of Warmblood improvement stallions, a new style of Appaloosa is being born.

The most influential sire of Appaloosa Sporthorses today is Kismet Farms' Wap Spotted. A leggy, well-lined black bay semi-leopard standing at approximately 16hh, Wap Spotted is double-Wapiti bred on his sire's side, and double-Plaudit bred from his dam. There are no apparent Warmbloods staring up at us from his pedigree, yet he is recognized and registered by the American Warmblood Society and the American Warmblood Registry. His get are making names for themselves and for their sire in the Olympic disciplines, including dressage (two of his get were champions at Devon). He has become the harbinger of a new age for the Appaloosa.

Yet, no one saw this in Wapiti in the beginning. Registered as a Quarter Horse, and out of registered Quarter Horse parents, Wapiti was heralded as somewhat of a freak because of his loud coloring. He went on to become an ApHC Hall of Famer. More importantly, he threw powerful, leggy get who made names for themselves in hunter classes and on the racing circuit.

Prince Plaudit, a large red roan leopard, was influential in the production of equally large, powerful get who carried their sire's even temper and intelligence.

Combined, the two lines were a recipe for success.

The Appaloosa Sporthorse brings color, power, intelligence, and a gentle temperament into the Olympic arena. But the move towards a "spotted perspective" on the English disciplines has not yet begun in the model horse world. Of the top three online photo shows in the May/June entries, there are only thirty-four Appaloosas entered in the English disciplines (most of those, surprisingly, in Dressage, with Pleasure and Showmanship classes running a close second), as compared to forty-nine in Western Performance classes (mostly in Showmanship classes-twelve, as compared to five in English Showmanship-and Western Pleasure).

So, why compete only in Western Performance if you have a horse that can do the job in the English disciplines? Do we do this because it is what the judges accept/expect? Or do we do it because we do not realize these horses have more in them than stock-working capabilities?

The move must begin with us. In the model world as in the real world what we need is positive promotion. Associations such as the Appaloosa Sporthorse Association (ApSHA) are doing just that in the real horse world. Now, the Model Appaloosa Sporthorse Association (MApSHA) is making a move to do this in the model horse world.

We must work together as lovers of the Appaloosa breed to broaden these horses' horizons. In the realm of pedigree assignment and bloodline research, it is important to become knowledgeable of the benefits provided by the Wapiti and Plaudit lines and the influx of Warmblood sires. We must also make ourselves aware of what's going on with sires in the world of real Appaloosa Sporthorses. While we cannot do a lot to change the models issued, we can change our perspectives on what existing models can do (is that Hank, the Ranch Horse sitting on your shelves cantering into the herd to cut a calf, or is he performing a piaffe in a collected canter on the left lead?), and we can provide them with the pedigrees to back up that training. As always, do your research: read those studbooks; ask questions of the right people. Simply because the manufacturer did not label the horse in question a sporthorse does not mean it does not have sporthorse-potential. This is our world, and it is what we make it!

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