About the Breed
Gait Tips
Getting Spotted!
 

Although the Walkaloosa Registry is fairly new, the Walkaloosa horse has been around for centuries. Appaloosa breeders claim to have the oldest recognizable breed known to man - a claim backed by drawings of spotted horses in the prehistoric ice caves of France. Paso Fino breeders consider their breed to be the oldest breed in the Western Hemisphere. The ancestors of the Paso Fino came to the New World with Columbus on his second voyage from Spain. Paso Fino literally translated is "smooth gait". The Paso Fino horses were the preferred mounts of the Conquistadors. Some of their Fino horses also carried the spotted coat patterns of what is known as the Appaloosa today. As horses made their way North, the Nez Pierce Indians eventually claimed them. The Nez Pierce were one of the only tribes to practice selective breeding. They were very proud of their spotted horses and well pleased with what was known as the Indian Shuffle. The Indians could move their households quickly without undo jarring of belongings or rider. (See Appaloosa News, 6/78, "The Indian Shuffle").

Cowboys were said to be willing to pay up to $50.00 more for a "Shuffler". The easy gait saved wear and tear on the cowboy and his gear as it had for the Spaniards and the Indians before him.

After the founding of the Appaloosa Horse Club in 1938, the gaited spotted horses were lumped with all other spotted horses and called Appaloosas.

Gene Autry owned a gaited Appaloosa, "El Morroco" #F-18. It is said that he delighted in showing off El Morroco's smooth gait by placing a glass of water on his saddle horn and riding swiftly without spilling a drop.

What goes in the show ring is all too often what breeders strive for, and Appaloosa breeders are no exception. An intermediate gait, other than a trot, is cause for disqualification in the Appaloosa show ring. Early breeders did not try to keep the Shufflers in their herds. The Appaloosa Horse Club will, in fact, no longer accept for Registration, any foal with Appaloosa coloring and a parent from a "gaited" breed. With the large percentage of Quarter Horse, Arabian, and Thoroughbred in today's Appaloosas, many breeders have never even heard of a "Shuffler".

Gaited Appaloosas can still be registered Appaloosas if they qualify by AHC rules (ApHC, AQHA, AHR, JC parentage) but the gene pool is so small that these horses are extremely rare. Since they are fantastic pleasure, work and performance horses, the Walkaloosa Horse Association was formed in 1983. In order to qualify as a Walkaloosa, a horse must meet one of three criteria: 

1. Be the progeny of a Registered Walkaloosa stallion and mare or; 
2. Show Appaloosa coloring and demonstrate an intermediate gait, other than a trot or: 
3. Be the product of verifiable Appaloosa and gaited horse blood.