Appaloosa

yeah no that's right that's right now um the cultural part of this is a big part of the journey as well because uh who actually came up with this idea i know that the appalooza horse club is part of this but now it's also again like everyone i was saying the website jeep joseph trail ride.org is its own nonprofit as well, right? But who had the idea of, like, we're going to actually ride Chief Joe and the Nez Perces trail, really? Well, it was

a group of men that actually started the Appaloosa Horse Club.

I think it was back in 1938.

They actually started the Appaloosa Horse Club, and in 1965, some of those men were still alive and just thought this would be great to add this to the repertoire of what they do with their Appaloosa horses, not just showing and maybe riding in cuttings or parades.

They said, we need to follow this Nez Perce Trail.

and actually honor the history of the Nez Perce Indians, who is the tribe that developed the Appaloosa breed.

So these men got together and started this ride and started following the trail.

So it started in 1965.

I didn't trust it except for if it was my animals.

Like I had another horse, her name was Coco's beautiful Appaloosa.

And I had her on a trail ride one time and we'd ridden all day, uh, It was for the Rodeo Houston.

And we'd been on the trail for several days, actually.

I mean, we've got two horses right now.

We've got an old Appaloosa gelding.

He's 32, blind in one eye.

And then my wife's horse is a thoroughbred cross, and he's missing both of his eyes, completely blind, but he's now got to be 29.

And then I, in 2000, I went back And I had just bought a horse at home that I instantly loved when I saw her.

Five years old, Appaloosa mix, really ugly, like really ugly.

But I was just like, oh my God, that's a lovely horse.

And I managed to get her and get her home and she did not like people.

It had a bunch of varieties of competitions.

And it actually got, you know... 100 plus horses to come for that it was a really big nice event um so i then i pulled a big a bit out of teaching and training horses and then i got a little bit back into it again and i had my own horses i lost my that very first horse the one that i really really really loved um the ugly one that grew really pretty um i lost her because she got blind she got that uh uveitis, like a moon blindness thing.

She was in Appaloosa and she got this thing in her eyes.

And I lost her when she was only 14.

Then he was astounded to see Delgadito turn.

take time to strip saddle and bridle from his own horse and put them on the Appaloosa.

Geronimo marveled.

This was enemy country, and when the Papagos discovered that some of their horses had been stolen, they were sure to launch a hot pursuit.

But Delgadito seemed as calm as he had ever been at home in his own wickiup.

Mounting the Appaloosa and whooping at the top of his voice, Delgadito charged the herd.

The other riders took off, one after another, and drove the horses full speed straight north.

This puzzled Geronimo.

49, okay.

Baton Rouge is about two hours from Appaloosa's, but here's the thing about it.

It was my first... growing education, I guess I would have to say real life education.

Yeah.

This is like going into my junior year or senior year, going to my senior year of high school, catch a bus at five o'clock in the morning.

And it would be a bunch of older guys on this bus.

And we'd drive from Appaloosa to Baton Rouge to go work at Exxon.

And we'd get up and get there.

you know.

And so I could have swore that I heard the response appy, A-P-P-Y, that's short for Appaloosa.

I might have been the only person in the room that knew that or what that was.

And so I almost didn't say anything, but then I did, and then we even got more response.

Can you tell us the colors of them? Are they brown or black? Do you have any Appalachian horses? Two.

Two.

How many horses are here? How many horses are here? How many horses are here? Do you have any Appaloosa horses? Do you have any Appaloosa horses? Do you have any Appaloosa horses?

Yeah, so do you have any horrors of