Appaloosa Horse

Appaloosa Horse, 2022
Yulia Shtern, Magical Zoo Series
20 x 19 1/2 x 6 1/4”
upcycled materials, glue, varnish
3200

Appaloosa is an American horse breed identified by its colour. Spotted horses have been depicted in art throughout history. Research goes as far as indicating that leopard-spotted coat may have been a characteristic of an ancient wild horse. Originally Appaloosa horses were bred in the 18th century by the Nez Perce people, an indigenous nation that lived in the Pacific Northwest of what is currently the United States. Breeding of horses was a big part of the Nez Perce people’s culture. A war with the US troops in 1877 fought over their refusal to give up their ancestral lands resulted in a defeat and a forced surrender. Most of their horses were lost or killed as well, and the Appaloosa breed had nearly disappeared. The breed was preserved to some extend, mostly by sellers for their farms. A breed registry tracing the horses’ origin was created in 1938. Today Appaloosa is one of the most popular American horse breeds.
After the war of 1877 the surviving Nez Perce people were dispersed. Some were forced into a reservation in Idaho, and some escaped to Canada. They no longer bred the Appaloosa. In 1994 the Nez Perce people have began a new cultural resurrection horse breeding program, cross-breading the old lineage Appaloosa horse with the famous Asian breed Akhal-Teke. This new breed is called the Nez Perce horse, and is known for its speed.