# Appaloosa/Arabian Crosses?



## HighonEquine (May 11, 2012)

I've recently come upon a new found respect for the Appaloosa. I didn't realize the breed went beyond "Oh look its a QH looking animal with spots!". Some of them are quite nice! I feel bad for being prejudiced towards them :-(. But I am proud to say I no longer am! 

Now I also really ador Arabians. I've ridden and been around several marvelous indivduals! They are truely intriguing animals. 

Through a few google searches, I have found a few pictures of the cross that I find quite attractive. Now whether those horses were created by chance or by a careful and well thought out breeding program is a different story! I wanted to see if anyone knew of an indivdual(s) that breeds good quality, healthy, and friendly App/Arab crosses.

Or if you happen to have one, please post a picture! And maybe a tiny story?


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## WalnutPixie (Oct 15, 2010)

Araloosas? :lol:

I have never met one, but I hear that they can make exceptional trail horses. With the right parents they're supposed to be the best of both worlds with the endurance, stamina, movement and temperament of the Arabian parent and the muscle, strong hind quarters, tenacity, and (ideally?) spots of the Appaloosa parent.

If was looking to buy a trail horse this cross would definitely be on my list. I hope any members who have one can share some pictures!


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

I bred Araloosas for about 20 years...stopped about 8 years ago.

When bred properly, Araloosas are excellent horses. I bred and trained mine specifically for extremely rugged endurance trail work, and for that particular discipline, they are hard to beat. The trick, though, is breeding stock selection. As with most crosses, if you choose the wrong breeding stock, the cross will either be of mediocre quality or suited for a discipline other than what you are breeding for. Lastly, moreso than with pure breds, there can be a lot of variance with Araloosas and other crosses. If you are not an expert with bloodlines, conformations, and abilities of both breeds and don't know the sire and dam, you have to be very careful in selecting your horse to insure that it will meet your needs...


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Faceman I wish you still did. I'd be beating down your door!
Appy and a araloosa are at the top of my next horse list!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Cowgirl140ty (Jan 7, 2010)

I broke out one for a friend who was phenomenal. She was smart as a whip. Built really well. Beautiful yead. Im not sure if she was planned or just happened. But she truly got the best of both breeds!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## twp (Aug 19, 2012)

I used to ride an Appaloosa x Arab x quarter horse.. My favorite horse of all time.. Even though he was greenbroke, he was still awesome. So much stamina!! That's okay though, because on trail rides, I liked to stop, and trot, sometimes lope to catch back up to the group, lol. 

What an amazing Cross Country horse that would be!! Since an app shuffles instead of trot, and an arab is also gaited, that would be a crazy smooth ride!!


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## WalnutPixie (Oct 15, 2010)

> and an arab is also gaited


Huh?

ETA: Holy cow! :shock: I looked that one up. There actually are some purebred Arabs that will gait; most do a pseudo-running walk or ambling gait. I had no idea. My perception of the world has been skewed!


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## HighonEquine (May 11, 2012)

I would love one someday. I am super picky about quality though, I would prefer a cross that is heavier on the Arab side.. just with some spots added. :lol:


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Here is mine. His Appy sire got loose and did a purebred Arabian thru a fence, so he was born about 6 months out of cycle with most horses. You can't get more selective than that, can you?

First picture was shortly after he arrived. You can see where some *** at a ranch he was loaned to spurred his sides bloody. It is just starting to heal here:










Helping my daughter learn to ride:










Dozing while my youngest listens to the trainer:










Great horse, if not exactly bred to the highest standards. Believes it is his duty to stay between a rider and the ground...


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## twp (Aug 19, 2012)

WalnutPixie said:


> Huh?
> 
> ETA: Holy cow! :shock: I looked that one up. There actually are some purebred Arabs that will gait; most do a pseudo-running walk or ambling gait. I had no idea. My perception of the world has been skewed!


Lol, The Arabian is a Gaited Breed.

**Also, a true Appaloosa is gaited too.. They shouldn't trot, they should shuffle.


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

Some Arabians are. I had one. First time he did it I thought he was just trotting super smooth, but my friend and trainer said it's the Arabian shuffle.


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## caljane (Feb 7, 2009)

HighonEquine said:


> Or if you happen to have one, please post a picture! And maybe a tiny story?


Rusty, 4year old cowboy reject (as usual - as soon as some Arabian blood runs through a horse the way of old style ranch/cowboy training (saddl'm up and go!) doesn't work):


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Caljane, I'm not a huge fan of leopards, but I'd have him in my field in a heartbeat!!! Great looking horse!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Captain Evil (Apr 18, 2012)

Wait a minute! Arabs can be gaited?? What the...!

My sister's mare, Neysara, was 1/2 Appaloosa and 1/2 Polish Arab, and riding her was like riding a snake, or maybe more like a cat. She could go anywhere: up, down, climb a tree... I swear, she could go up and down embankments that were virtually vertical. Agile, but rough!

Her son, 3/4 Polish Arab and 1/4 Appaloosa was nothing like her at all. He was flashy and eye-catching: always prancing and showing off, but, although beautiful, he was sort of scorned by the serious riders, because he couldn't even trot correctly. Take him out on a trail, though, and he was the best! By far the most comfortable horse I have ever ridden, and he could do his little non-trot shuffle for miles and barely break a sweat. He would be as perky after 15 miles as he was when we began. I wonder... could he have been gaited? I really never heard of such a thing!


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

Coincidence, I just read Rabiyas, sire of Abu Farwa, was 5-gaited and a favorite at the Sunday Kellogg ranch shows in the 40's........


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## HighonEquine (May 11, 2012)

Caljane, your horse is beautiful!!


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

Huh? Arabs are gaited...by standards of Walkers and others? Had Arabs and crosses for 40 years and only met one that did a running walk (unless they were TWH crosses or something similar). Had to trot to keep up with the dude.
Mostly, I believe, Arab gaits are walk, trot, canter, gallop, gallop faster and jig.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

was actually a Polish stallion that gaited like a walker, and passed it on, actually crops up from time to time.
A true Appy/arab cross could make a good hardy trail or endurance horse, but you never know till it actually hits the ground with crosses. Like was pointed out earlier depends on the stock. The color only breeders have ruined many appy lines and basically bred out all traits except the color.


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## clairegillies (Nov 25, 2012)

I have just started to play with this five year old mare, out of a nice little arab mare by a very nice appaloosa stallion.
awesome temperament, super quick learner, curious and confident.
she is for sale in central scotland, please pm me if interested.


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## dreamcatcherranch (Jul 4, 2014)

I had just had this 50% Araloosa colt this year. I also have 2 Araloosa fillies this year (I had 3 in 2013, 1 in 2010). But this guy was gaited. His Arabian had Raseyn 2x in his pedigree (known for being gaited). And his dam was linebred several times through Old Fred I believe to a Saddlebred mare. I believe that's how he ended up with his Indian Shuffle. Sadly I just lost this little treasure to a tragic accident. 
Mikey_0855.JPG


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## clairegillies (Nov 25, 2012)

aw, such a pretty little guy. what a shame..


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## Captain Evil (Apr 18, 2012)

dreamcatcherranch said:


> I had just had this 50% Araloosa colt this year. I also have 2 Araloosa fillies this year (I had 3 in 2013, 1 in 2010). But this guy was gaited. His Arabian had Raseyn 2x in his pedigree (known for being gaited). And his dam was linebred several times through Old Fred I believe to a Saddlebred mare. I believe that's how he ended up with his Indian Shuffle. Sadly I just lost this little treasure to a tragic accident.
> Mikey_0855.JPG


I just saw this beautiful guy, clicked "Like" because he was gorgeous, and then finished reading... so sorry he is gone.:-(


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## squirrelfood (Mar 29, 2014)

Most of the gaiting would be coming from the Appaloosa side. They are known for their 'indian shuffle', as it is called. Some Arabians are 5 gaited, but not many.


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## dreamcatcherranch (Jul 4, 2014)

These are my other 2 Araloosas from this year - fillies. Bay and dunalino. (Besides the colt). The dunalino is 75% Arab, the bay is 50%.


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## dreamcatcherranch (Jul 4, 2014)

These are Araloosas that I've previously bred and sold. 3 buckskins and a chestnut.


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## HighonEquine (May 11, 2012)

Do you still breed and sell? I'm not at a point now where I can have more than one horse, but if I ever get there I may be speaking to you! Those are some gorgeous babies. They aren't just a pretty color. There is some substance. They look like they could be used!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

The appys the Nez Perce bred had phenomenal stamina and could easily outdistance the early cavalry horses that were mostly TB. The shuffle made them a comfortable ride. To retaliate, the calvary would turn draft stallions in with the mares and the resultant foals weren't desirable. The shuffle and stamina was lost with this outbreeding but fortunately many good shufflers are still around.


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## KsKatt (Jun 2, 2014)

I never heard about the cavalry turning Draft stallions out. The history I have read is that the cavalry was so mad that the Appaloosas outran sets of their horses that they penned many of them and used them for target practice.
The rest were basically sold to farmers who crossed them with the draft horses so they could pull a plow better. That is the reason that, for so long, Appys had the big head and big feet. 
Now Claude Thompson brought the breed back by crossing the best Appaloosas he could find with Arabians. I traced my mare way back and discovered a line of Arabians going back to the great Nureddin II.
Another Arabian Thompson used was Ferras AHC 922, purchased from the W.K. Kellogg ranch.
Araloosas are simply going back to what brought the Appaloosa back the refinement that was lost when the cavalry tried to destroy it.


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