29/09/2019
PPALOOSA BREED STANDARD
GENERAL CONFORMATION:
• Symmetrical and smooth: head is straight and lean, giving eye prominence
and adding distinction to head appearance; ears are pointed and of me-
dium size; neck shows quality with a clean cut throat latch and a large
windpipe.
• Chest is deep and blends into well muscled sloping shoulders; with-
ers are prominent and well defined; forearm is well muscled, long wide
and tapered down to a broad knee; cannons are wide and flat with wide,
smooth and strongly supported fetlocks; pastern is medium long and slop-
ing; hooves are rounded, deep, open and wide at the heels; back is short
and straight; loin is short and wide; underline is long with the flank well
let down; hips are smoothly covered, being long, sloping and muscular;
thighs are long, muscular and deep, blending into well rounded quarters;
gaskins are long wide and muscular extending to clean clearly defined
wide, straight hocks.
• Forelegs, when viewed from the front, should have a perpendicular line
from the point of the shoulder that should fall upon the center of the knee,
cannon, pastern and foot. From the side, a perpendicular line from the cen-
ter of the elbow joint should fall upon the center of the knee and pastern
joints and back of foot.
• Rear legs, when viewed from behind, should have a perpendicular line
from the point of the hindquarter that should fall upon the center of the
hock, cannon, pastern and foot. From the side, a perpendicular line from
the hip joint should fall upon the center of the foot and divide the gaskin in
the middle, and a perpendicular line from the point of the quarter should
run parallel with the line of the cannon.
COLOR AND COAT PATTERNS:
• The base coat color may be any one of many different colors and can in-
clude dilutes, duns, grays, roans and other modifying types. Eyes may be
any color, including, but not limited to, blue, hazel, green, brown, amber
and black. Coat color patterns may vary from a solid pattern, meaning no
spotting at all, to multi-spotted to blanket hipped with no spots. Patterns
and markings are extremely varied and found in many sizes and combina-
tions with great variations in areas with white backgrounds. Appaloosas
can dramatically change their coat pattern throughout their lifetime. No
two Appaloosa horses are identically marked.
• While color and markings are not primary or determinative factors in
judging, it should be borne in mind that where two horses are equal in
type, conformation, action and soundness, the award may be made to that
particular entry which is more reasonably recognizable as an Appaloosa.
SECONDARY CHARACTERISTICS:
• Mottled or parti-colored skin may be found around the nostrils, mouth,
eyes, a**s and ge****ls. This characteristic may be found present in only
one area, several areas or none at all.
• Sclera of eyes may be white. Sclera may be in one, both or neither eye.
• Hooves may be striated with dark and light striping in the hoof wall. Stria-
tion may or not be present in any or all feet.
