West Appa Mustang
Basic Information
Anatomy
The breed is a hardy, relatively short, and stocky, adapted to hilly terrain and harsh conditions. Their legs have light feathering on their backs, but does not extend around or all the way to the hoof. West Appas are known to have incredible hearing and are quite vigilant, and will take off with great speed and power at the first sign of trouble.
The breed comes in a wide array of colors, most originating from domestic horses, though many coat types seem to be exclusive to the breed, having originated with them and them alone. Many of these patterns show similarities to ancient horses from the paleolithic era, and have been suggested by researchers to potentially be due to extremely old recessive genes spreading within the population due to an extreme genetic bottleneck in the past. Striping, Capped or Black headed, and Blanket patterns are extraordinarily common.
Top: Blue Tiger Dapple, Tiger Grullo, Tiger Grullo Blanket, Silver Tiger, Few Spot Silver Blanket, Blue Roan.
Bottom: Chestnut Blackcap, Capped Leopard, Light Tiger Bay, Bay, Blood Tiger, Spotted Blackhead
Dietary Needs and Habits
Due to living in a more heavily forested environment, this horse breed feeds on a wider array of vegetation than most domestics. Clovers, ferns, shrubs, and even the occasional young deciduous tree's leaves are all on the menu. Among Western Appalacia's waterways and rivers the horses are known to be particularly fond of wetland plants such as bullrush. Like many feral and wild horses, this breed spends the majority of its time foraging, due to the poorer nutrition of wild plants and their higher scarcity compared to domestics, and can be hard to switch to hay and pellet feed if caught and tamed.
In some areas of north Appalachia, such as Michigan and New York, the horses are known to be occasional nuisances to orchards by hopping fences and feasting on apples, pears, peaches, blueberries, and other fruits. In the late fall, it is not uncommon to see local news stories about entire herds having eaten fermenting and discarded fruit and become 'drunk', and a hassle to workers.
Behaviour
The breed is skittish from many centuries of being feral and having to contend with the elements and predators alike, but when backed into a corner, will kick, bite, and trample anything in the way of their escape.
Additional Information
Domestication
The breed was originally a domestic, originating in the human era from human's domestic horses. It is thought that most of the breed originating from domestics released or escaped during the uprising of dragons, and later on bred with wild horses in what is now Laramidia and Great Plains, before moving back east due to competition from other animals such as bison and the Laramidia Mule, taking over an open niche.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Origin/Ancestry
Natural- Feral Horse breed
Conservation Status
The West Appa Mustang is considered a feral or naturalized species, in that they have become accustomed to the wild, and their impact on the environment has been adapted to.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Dun, Bay, Chestnut, Blue roan, Buckskin, and Gray are very common coat colors. Dapple, leopard, appaloosa, brindle, blanket, and reverse leopard are common patterns. Greying is also common in the breed.
Geographic Distribution
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