Appaloosa

hi meg p and especially hobs because i think you've a bit about what it's like making these difficult choices with young people.

Our dilemma is with our beautiful Appaloosa Spots.

We've had her almost a year now and around 90% of the time she could not be more perfect.

Really, really talented horse who's taught my daughter the ropes amazingly but around five percent of the time she's really really struggling and we can't work out what's wrong with her we've been to multiple vets have multiple scans tests examinations lameness workups and at this point we have absolutely no idea what's up with her She struggles with either numbness or collapse in one or more of her limbs, and we don't know why.

She's an Appaloosa, so we spend lots and lots of time investigating various genetic conditions, and the vets are still trying to do that.

The issue is my daughter absolutely adores her and we adore her too, really.

She's a sweet mare who has given us so much in this last year, but we have absolutely no idea how to help her.

Let's go get horses from Egypt.

And oh, I want more horses because I want Appaloosas and quarter horses.

And then, oh, maybe I want ponies.

See what happens? a once fully devoted heart is now completely divided.

We've had some that have been crossed with standard breds in the Arab and thoroughbred Arab crosses.

I've ridden a thoroughbred Appaloosa cross in endurance.

She was definitely one that brought out the Appaloosa in her when she didn't want to do something.

yeah yeah my horse when I was younger would have been very much the worst horse at enduro I mean pony club was a struggle but what also makes a good enduro rider um and because and an equestrian athlete I mean obviously there's parts of it that you have to be incredibly fit yourself but also very in tune with your horse and I guess the terrain as well a lot of our endurance rides because they are going

through farmland um we do have closed gates and that so to me i think that's an important thing knowing how to open and shut a gate um either on your horse or off it but actually making sure it's latched because there's nothing worse than pissing off a farmer that you've boxed up and will be using lamps but yeah for the the athlete themselves i guess just being able to read that terrain and know that you know hey look at it might look like it's really good but you know riding around Taupo on that pumice is quite a bit different than riding around somewhere down the Manawatu where it's a bit softer underfoot, you know, just thinking about the concussion that goes into it.

Yeah, is there any specific breeds that make better enduro horses or is it very much personality based?

So probably the most benefit is having a bit of Arab in there so the main horse I ride at the moment he is a purebred Arab that my parents bred but I've had a couple other crossbreds we've had some that have been crossed with standard breds in the Arab and thoroughbred Arab crosses I've ridden a thoroughbred Appaloosa cross in endurance she she was definitely one that brought out the Appaloosa in her when she didn't want to do something

yeah yeah my horse when I was younger would have been very much the worst horse at enduro I mean pony club was a struggle But what also makes a good enduro rider and an equestrian athlete? I mean, obviously there's parts of it that you have to be incredibly fit yourself, but also very in tune with your horse and I guess the terrain as well.

A lot of our endurance rides, because they are going through farmland, we do have closed gates and that.

What were some of those storylines?

So then I focused on spotted horses.

So there was a series of portraits just on these unusual looking spotted horses called Appaloosas.

And they're kind of unusual breed because they look like they're wearing spotty pajamas.

And I thought that would make a really great artwork.