The Nez Perce tribe were the inventors of the original Appaloosa (see my recent post). Needless to say, the US had at times a policy of confiscating or destroying the horses of Native Americans, so only recently (well, over a decade ago now!) have the Nez Perce begun a project to rebuild their horse breeding program. With the Appaloosa now an established breed in the US, and even the Foundation Appaloosa being fairly widely bred, the program directors thought to do something unique, and began a line of crossbred horses: Akhal Teke and Appaloosa. It's an interesting mix, bringing together the light, lean energy of the Akhal Teke and the dependability and wonderful color of the Appaloosa.
In the American way, the idea of this cross seems to have caught on, and other breeders are also doing this cross independently.
It will be interesting to see where it goes over time. Horses take years to mature and be trained, so it is hard to determine the fate of a breed clearly until many years have passed, especially if it is not being heavily marketed.
Photo: JC i Núria on flickr.com
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