And they don’t have to have any to be Appies. It’s been estimated that only about 25% of the original Nez Perce horses had spots. I had a CPO solid (would be a performance permit under today’s rules) whose parents both had gorgeous color. He had one brother who was also a big bay and another who was a leopard. I love Appy color - sometimes you just never know what you’re going to get!
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I know breeding for spots is complicated. I know of another person who bred 2 very loud spotted horses and got a solid. And she was SO mad. I had a registered appy who was all black except for a white blaze. His dam was also registered appy and she had the same coloring. He was the best horse i have ever owned.
Why either or? Going purely on the photo I’d guess both.
I had a racebred AQHA with mottled skin, two striped hooves, and a minimally expressed Sabino gene. No Appaloosa ancestor to explain the skin and hooves.
