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The Myth of the Modern Appaloosa Show Horse
True Appaloosas at work and show
As bigger money and prestige entered the show ring, so did changes to the prevailing way of thought. Although its color patterns remained popular, in certain circles, the thrifty, rugged, tough-as-nails, rat tail, short mane -- the True Appaloosa conformation and look -- grew out of favor with former Quarter Horse judges, newly minted to judge Appaloosas. Breeders began to take gratuitous liberty, outcrossing Appaloosas to Quarter Horses and Arabians to achieve, what they believed to be, a more refined look. In essence, they were undoing the hard work and years of dedicated breeding of Claude Thompson and his followers. The Appaloosa that prevails today, particularly in the show ring, has been bred down to a mongrel horse with color stolen from the foundation stock.
Judging criteria has also evolved to a preference for height, dainty feet, small head and overall elegance that, among other things, is uncharacteristic of the Appaloosa breed.
The result of this desire for a "modern," "contemporary" or "fashionable" Appaloosa look in breeding is a genetically weakened specimen that has lost its conformational integrity and has basically little use outside of the show ring. These poor horses are what I generally refer to as "creampuffs". They are certainly not True Appaloosas and it is an insult to the breed to refer to them as such.
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