The American Appaloosa was developed by the Nez Perce Indians in the eighteenth century, using as a foundation, the Spanish stock imported by the conquistadores. The Nez Perce lived northeast of Oregon and their lands included fertile, sheltered river valleys. The Palouse river was one of their principle areas, and Appaloosa is a derivative of "a Palouse horse". They were skillful horse breeders and practiced a strict, selective policy. The result was a distinctive, practical, work horse that had the advantage of color.

The Nez Perce Indians bred their horses as practical, hardy and versatile mounts for war and hunting. They bred horses that were sensible, with a tractable temperament, endless stamina and endurance. The Nez Perce horses were prized both for their qualities and their colorful coats. The colorful horses were traded and ended up with tribes as far away as the Northern Cheyenne and the Apache of the southwest.

Material Required The basic steps that follow can be used on any of the large hollows plastic horses manufactured by Mattel, Disney, Formative or Marx. These are all made out of a hard plastic like styrene or a related plastic. These will not work on the cellulose acetate used to create Breyer & Stone horses. Materials Needed: Model horse Spray Primer, black, white, brown & gray Spray Paint, black, white, brown & gray Bondo (optional) Epoxy putty Sandpaper Black model paint like Testors Paint thinner Gray, black, brown and white hair from a wig If you have trouble finding materials Firebird has used model horses and epoxy putty for sale.

This project is starts with a old battered Dallas model. Dallas was the the most realistic model horse Mattel ever created. Dallas can be found lurking in thrift shops across the nation.. Here's a Dallas model straight from the thrift store complete with chipped hooves, ratty mane & tail, and seams that gap.
Here's the finished product, a Appaloosa war pony.

Body Basics
Step 1: Fill in leg hollows
Step 2: Mane & Tail
Step 3: Neck Groove
Step 4: Sanding
Step 5: Head Sculpting: Dallas
Step 5: Head Sculpting: Khan
Step 6: Head Detail
Step 7: Eyes

Gray Samurai Horse
Step 0: Shades of Gray Horses
Step 5: Primer
Step 6: Top coat of Paint
Step 7: Final details
Step 8: Mane & Tail Hair

Appaloosa Horses
Step 0: Appaloosa Coat Patterns
Step 5: Primer
Step 6: Top coat of Paint
Step 7: Final details
Step 8: Mane & Tail Hair

Pintos & Paint Horses
Step 0: Pinto & Paint Coat Patterns
Step 5: Primer
Step 6: Top coat of Paint
Step 7: Final details
Step 8: Mane & Tail Hair

Bay & Brown Horses
Step 0: Bay & Brown Horses
Step 5: Primer
Step 6: Top coat of Paint
Step 7: Final details
Step 8: Mane & Tail Hair

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