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Butch Cassidy's Appaloosa
Of the Appaloosas that survived, one found its way to a famous American outlaw. Butch Cassidy robbed banks and railroad trains throughout southern Utah and relied on swift horses to outrun the lawmen that followed him. One of his best mounts, an Appaloosa stallion named MineGard, bore him many flights across the San Rafael Swell and north to Hole In The Wall, his refuge in Wyoming. Cassidy and his gang were friendly with some of the ranchers in that remote area, often swapping exhausted horses for fresh mounts. It is likely that MineGard, while in the care of these ranchers, sired innumerable ranch horses, explaining the number of Appaloosas found in that part of Utah. There is a theory that MineGard is in the pedigree of the famous Appaloosa Sundance F-500 see Appaloosa Horse Club Hall of Fame. Local lore has it that Cassidy preferred the Appaloosa for its sure-footedness and great stamina as a getaway horse. Anyone traveling that part of Utah today, along Interstate 70, can appreciate what a challenging ride it must have been for rider and horse.
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