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Walkaloosa horses are gaited horses with the same exotic
coloring of the Appaloosa, but contrary to what the breed's
name implies, a Walkaloosa does not have to have Walking Horse
ancestry. Any combination of naturally gaited horse with Appaloosa
coloring qualifies as a Walkaloosa and the many accepted gaits
include the Fox Trot, the Running Walk, the Rack, and the
Stepping Pace or basically any smooth saddle gait somewhere
between a trot and a pace. Even Gene Autry owned a gaited
Appaloosa and he delighted in showing off El Morroco's smooth
gait by putting a glass of water on his saddle horn and riding
swiftly without spilling a drop.
Even though the Walkaloosa breed registry itself is fairly
new, the breed itself has been around for centuries. Appaloosa
breeders claim to have the oldest recognizable breed known;
a claim that can backed up by the drawings of spotted horses
in the prehistoric ice caves of France. The Paso Fino breeders
claim that their breed is the oldest breed in the Western
Hemisphere since their ancestors came to the New World with
Columbus on his second voyage from Spain and some of the Conquistador's
Paso Fino horses also carried the spotted coat patterns of
what is known as the Appaloosa today. These spotted horses
made their way via various means throughout the Americas and
the Nez Pierce Indians eventually claimed them as their own
when they turned up in the north. They were one of the only
tribes to practice selective breeding. They were very proud
of their spotted horses and extremely pleased with the smooth,
rolling gait called the Indian Shuffle, because they could
move their belongings quickly without jarring of either the
rider, or their belongings. In an age when the average horse
could be bought for as little as $2, cowboys were willing
to pay up to $50.00 or more for a good Appaloosa Shuffler.
Not only was it a mark of prestige, but the comfortable gait
was as easy on the cowboy and his belongings as it had been
for the Spaniards and the Indians before him.
But as wonderful as the Shuffling horses were, early breeders
did not try to keep the Shufflers in their Appaloosa herds
and with the large percentage of non-gaited Quarter Horse,
Arabian, and Thoroughbred in today's Appaloosas, many breeders
had never even heard of a Shuffler. With so much Quarter Horse
influence in the breed now, the current emphasis on stock
horse performance has all but erased the gait that had been
so carefully bred into the horses centuries ago. In fact,
breeders shy way from including the naturally gaited horses
in their breeding programs because any intermediate gait,
other than a trot, is cause for disqualification in the Appaloosa
show ring, yet that gait is exactly what the Walkaloosa show
ring is looking for to put back into their horses.
The Appaloosa horse had already been a distinct breed for
over a hundred years by the time the Appaloosa Horse Club
(AHC) was formed in 1938. At that time, no distinction was
made between the many gaited and non-gaited Appaloosas, so
they were all registered as Appaloosas. But now the AHC will
no longer register any Appaloosa colored foal that has a parent
from a gaited breed. However, gaited Appaloosas can still
be registered as Appaloosas if they qualify under normal AHC
rules (ApHC, AQHA, AHR, JC parentage only) but that gene pool
is so small that these horses are extremely rare. A related
breed is the Tiger Horse, a gaited Appaloosa with no added
gaited breeds, but rather an attempt to find and register
the original gaited Appaloosas to preserve them before they
are lost completely.
The earliest recorded registration of a Walkaloosa was from
1965, but there is no other information available regarding
that comment, or just when the Walkaloosa name was chosen,
since the Walkaloosa Horse Association (WHA) wasn't formed
until 1983. The WHA maintains the records of horses that have
both Appaloosa coloring or heritage and the smooth saddle
gait. In order to qualify as a Walkaloosa, a horse must meet
one of three criteria: it must have both registered Walkaloosa
parents; or show Appaloosa coloring and demonstrate an intermediate
gait, other than a trot; or have both verifiable Appaloosa
and gaited horse blood.
Because the registry is currently open to so many different
breeds of gaited horses, the Walkaloosa comes in many body
types, but it is the combination of the coloring and the smooth,
natural gait that makes them unique. Horses of Walkaloosa
breeding that do not display either color or gait at registration
time are registered with a Breeding Stock number since gait
often develops as the horse matures and may be passed along
to offspring even if not seen in the parent. As for color,
it is know that Appaloosa color just does its own thing, and
if the horse does develop a gait and/or color, it will be
acknowledged on the papers. The complete pedigree is not necessary
to register a horse, but it looks better on the certificate.
But even with so many conformation types possible, there
is a breed standard that is designed to promote the ideal
look for the breed, with the goal being to create a horse
that combines beauty with functionality and a docile temperament
along with smooth and brilliant gaits. Walkaloosa horses are
to be bred for balance of movement and harmony of form with
the ideal Walkaloosa traveling in a smooth solid gait with
animation, rhythm, and style. They should have radiant coloring,
intelligent minds, good conformation and the genetic ability
to transmit all these traits to their offspring. Breeders
of Walkaloosa horses should keep a special adherence to a
breed standard that ensures soundness and versatility, with
conformation adhering to standards that promote a sound, hardy
horse with longevity.
The Walkaloosa ranges between 13 and 17 hands with 14.2
to 15.3 hands being average and they can weigh from, 600 to
1,300 pounds, additionally, the Walkaloosa horse should be
able to perform three gaits: walk, their special gait and
the canter, all with equal ease. The overall physical impression
of the breed should have stallions displaying masculinity
and mares displaying femininity. The thickness and type of
muscling pattern will vary between the gait types, but the
muscling should be ideal for the specific gait that the individual
horse is best suited for.
The Walkaloosa is meant to be an outstanding pleasure and
trail mount, but also a working cattle or show horse and therefore
they should show a kind disposition with a willingness to
work and learn.
About the Author
Crystal is a writer for www.HorseClicks.com,
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