"Horse Tribe" documentary: Nez Perce project to re-establish their breeding program

[Zonderpaard]

UPDATE: This film looks to be available on Amazon prime.

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I just happened on this. A Idaho Public TV/PBS show about the Nez Perce tribe’s project.

Not the same one as was discussed in the ‘secret horse’ show thread. It’s available on line here:

http://video.pbs.org/video/2365398118/

But says it expires TOMORROW (Monday).

Filmmaker Janet Kern follows the story of the Nez Perce tribe’s effort to get their horses back through breeding modern Appaloosa with a rare desert breed from Iran, and developing their own horse registry for the animals. The effort also included an extensive youth program. The documentary includes the history of the Nez Perce and their horses, and the ups and downs of the modern program.

[Sunflower]

Thanks for posting!

Edited to add–
This is WELL worth watching. Fascinating, very well done documentary.

[Zonderpaard]

Some somewhat dubious cowboying along the way but it was interesting. They have some nice looking horses.

The light roan in the shot that comes up on the link (the loose horses in the meadow) s the spitting image of my own Appaloosa. Eerie.

[Sunflower]

I hope they are able to get the horse program back on its feet. It seemed like it held so much promise. I felt heartbroken at the demise of it all-- that was NOT the ending I was expecting.

[Guilherme]

The Army euthanized all the Appy stallions after the defeat of Chief Joseph and substituted draft and half-draft horses. It’s always been rumored that a few original stallions survived but if they did Bog only knows what happened to them after that.

I don’t think they can “get their horses back.” They can create a “New Appaloosa” with all the traits that they want.

G.

[BabyGoose]

Just finished watching this. Very good, definitely worth watching! Sad to see Rudy have to leave the Nez Perce horse program, but glad to see it appears he is back on his feet at the end. Interesting the dislike some of the Nez Perce had for him being a Navajo. I realize some tribes didn’t get along through history, but interesting that it still would carry over today.

I would love to see a horse developed that resembles the old style appy. It is too bad that the appy has basically been turned into a quarter horse with spots.

[ThisTooShallPass]

Have not watched it yet. Cliff notes please. Is this the same tribe that was given all those Akhal tekes a few years back?

[SarahandSam]

I saw that documentary a while back–really neat. Yes, they have a bunch of Akhal-Tekes with one breeder hoping to use them to re-create the old-style conformation and endurance of the Appys.

[NoDQhere]

Not all Appaloosas are spotted Quarter Horses but it is a shame what the AQH has done to the breed. My mother and Lola Parks grew up together in Montana. Lola bred Appys from the NP lines that had been saved. They had no draft blood or QH blood for that matter. She produced the stallion Stardance and my mother took him to northern WI. He was the first Appy east of the Mississippi river. He produced many beautiful horses over the years and was a wonderful stallion. They were tough, sound horses with fabulous dispositions.

The non QH ones are rare, no doubt. We quite by accident stumbled across the stallion BJC Asher Seven who has no modern QH breeding and more importantly no QH characteristics. We bought him. I wouldn’t mind having a NP mare or two for him, although I’m afraid the Akhal Teke won’t maintain the good disposition the Appaloosa is known for and will contribute a lot of “hot”.

I enjoyed the well done documentary and hope the NP are able to keep the program going.

[goodhors]

[QUOTE=BabyGoose;8001111]

I would love to see a horse developed that resembles the old style appy. It is too bad that the appy has basically been turned into a quarter horse with spots.[/QUOTE]

You can’t sell horses who look the least bit “old fashioned” in the head, let alone have a bit of roman nose to him. Horses need to be “pretty” which means tiny heads, dish faces if possible, way out of proportion to their bodies, or no one will buy them. Of course that doesn’t leave a lot of brain room, breathing room, in the skull, but horses don’t actually use “those parts” so much anymore!

I loved the old Appy build, longer muscled, leaner build, still solid bodied and fast with good bone, hooves. Not common now, hard to find. As you said, now Appys are (usually) spotted QHs in body build. Cross with the 'Teke might get some of the build back, sure will be shiny!!

I hope the video is viewable again in the future, expired now and I missed it.

[Kwill]

Yes, video expired, what a shame.

[NoDQhere]

This site: http://appaloosaterritory.com/Articles/oldphotos10.html has a lot of old pictures of Appaloosas from before they were turned into the QH with spots. Many of them were pretty headed horses with tails.

[gumshoe]

I must be blind. All the pictures I’m seeing are very much QH looking and dated in the 70s. What am I missing?

[QUOTE=NoDQhere;8002174]
This site: http://appaloosaterritory.com/Articles/oldphotos10.html has a lot of old pictures of Appaloosas from before they were turned into the QH with spots. Many of them were pretty headed horses with tails.[/QUOTE]

[ThisTooShallPass]

[QUOTE=gumshoe;8002404]
I must be blind. All the pictures I’m seeing are very much QH looking and dated in the 70s. What am I missing?[/QUOTE]

THIS^

[Appsolute]

Well, I am an Appaloosa lover - ever since my first horse in the 1980’s - he had a tiny bit of QH 5 generations back, and a saddlebred in there too. The rest were “foundation” appaloosas. He was 15 hands, with an athletic, but not at all bulky build. Great jumper, enough endurance to ride mountain trails from sunup to sundown.

“Laurel’s Rain Dance”

As for what a “real appy” is - well, there are many opinions on that, but for me, its not a quarter horse with spots, thats for sure!

The All Breed Pedigree site has a neat option where you can hit “photos” and see pictures of horses that appear in a certain pedigree. Here are some my appaloosa traces back to, that scream “appaloosa” to me. - hover over the little photo icon at the top of the page to see the photos.

Prince - foaled 1890

Sis - foaled 1903

TOBY I - Foaled 1936 (photo)

MARVELS ANGEL - foaled 1932

BOGALOOSA foaled 1940

BARRENDO RED - foaled 1942

[NoDQhere]

How about these guys? http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/siri+sheik

http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/arab+toswirah+alkhar

http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/rock+bottom+red

Do these look like QHs to you?

[NoDQhere]

There are several on this page that aren’t very QH looking, IMO. I have my Mom’s photo albums with many pictures of “real” Appaloosa horses, including 23 Leopard who is pictured on this page: http://appaloosaterritory.com/Articles/oldphotos7.html

And this guy certainly wasn’t drafty, pickle headed, rat tailed or QH looking.

I love looking up these old pictures, just wish I had more time to go through my Mom’s albums.

[gumshoe]

Well, certainly not the ones that are 1/2 Arabian or 1/2 TB.

[QUOTE=NoDQhere;8002674]
How about these guys? http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/siri+sheik

http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/arab+toswirah+alkhar

http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/rock+bottom+red

Do these look like QHs to you?[/QUOTE]

[goodhors]

[QUOTE=gumshoe;8002699]
Well, certainly not the ones that are 1/2 Arabian or 1/2 TB. ;)[/QUOTE]

These crosses were for getting “pretty” back on the heads fast, after the draft or unknown stallions turned out with the App mares after the Nez Perce lost them. Trying to bring back a better looking animal, the folks went to other breeds for crossing. Unfortunately the grey in Arabs made the color fade so spots got lost, both early and late in horse life. And those DARN roman noses kept reappearing on down the line in foals, despite well bred mares or stallions crossed with the Apps. I do think the old-style TB was helpful, kept the leaner look, added a bit more body flexibility that had been lost with the unsupervised breeding. TBs were available thru the Remount program, good quality of TBs for use by local ranchers. Genetics study was not well understood at the time, beyond breeding good to Quality, for improved foals.

Things started going QH with some well-bred QH outcrop horses with spotting appearing and getting registered in the App Assoc. Joker B for example. I loved his looks, to me he WAS the example Appaloosa horse! He was a great performer in a number of events, fast, threw spotted babies on both plain and spotted mares. But he WAS part QH though not appearing as the bulldog type that was popular when he came along. So his get added QH where ever they got used in the App breeding, seemed to be good performers, not just Halter horses.
QH crossing was in a lot of the breeding by the 1970s, those plain babies still sold, just not for as much as the colored babies.

[511]

[QUOTE=Zonderpaard;8000016]
But says it expires TOMORROW (Monday).[/QUOTE]

Don’t you think that was just a bit mean? Like telling someone the winning lottery numbers between the last call for tickets and the drawing.