Having qualified for the Spotfest Champion of Champions at the NW Show back in April, Enzo headed to the event for what would only be his fourth ridden show- and his first appearance in the Open Ridden Class, having won and qualified through the Novice earlier in the season. In preparation, he had to learn to accept a double bridle, and true to his adaptable and intelligent nature, Enzo took it all in stride, mastering the new challenge within just a few weeks.

After travelling solo for three and a half hours, Enzo arrived calm, relaxed, and ready to shine. His performance was nothing short of outstanding: he won The Open Ridden Class, went on to take The Ridden Championship, and to top it all off, was crowned Supreme Champion of Show!

As Deb proudly shared, “We were absolutely thrilled with how he took everything in his stride at such a high-profile venue he’d never been to before. Despite not turning six until October and having been shown very lightly, he was so composed and mature- my very ‘grown-up’ boy!”

The most emotional moment came when both judges awarded Enzo the Champion of Champions title, describing him as “ A beautiful animal, ridden so elegantly – it was a unanimous decision to award him our overall Champion of Champions.” Deb added, “Thank you so much for appreciating the love and effort that has gone into training and producing my special boy. He’s literally gone from baby to athlete in the past two months – we are so proud of him!”

Deb also expressed heartfelt thanks to the organisers Zena and Rosie, the judges, and the kind sponsors Spilsbury Stud and Animal Aunts for a truly memorable event. The rosettes, sashes, and trophies were as spectacular as the results—especially the sparkling diamante Champion of Champions rosette that made the day feel extra special. A special mention goes to Robyn-Jayne Hadland, whose professional turnout and training of Enzo helped bring out his brilliance in the ring, and to Dressage Instructor Adrian Wong for his guidance.

Looking ahead, Deb and her team are preparing for winter dressage competitions and developing Enzo’s love of jumping- with eyes on even greater achievements in 2026.

Congratulations, Deb and Enzo, on such a phenomenal accomplishment! Your journey perfectly embodies the Appaloosa’s versatility, heart, and grace, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for this remarkable partnership.

We’d love to feature YOU in our upcoming newsletters and social media! All the best- Lil (Marketing Director)

I am actually sitting in some sunshine currently as the Year of the Fire Horse begins. Hopefully this will bring some energy and clarity to us all.

It has been a horrendous winter for everyone with livestock, with the relentless rain and price of hay has been a huge challenge for all of us. We hope that you are all surviving and you still have some sense of humour intact!

Kim and I are still ploughing on with DEFRA re-jig. We have to fill in a form that has epic proportions……in fact, War and Peace may be a doddle compared to this.
The changes only apply to the UK register; nothing changes with USA registered horses. The Part-Breds are the most affected and are now classed as being on our Supplementary breed register and going forward will only qualify for an ID only breed passport from their registered breed society. This means they do not have a full Zootechnic certificate which protects their higher welfare as non-meat animals. The ApHC UK are still going to be providing lovely Part-Bred passports to these horses which will include their pedigree breeding in the back of the passport but not the full Zootechnic certificate.

What this means is that if you travel your Part-bred to Europe to compete or want to export, you will have to comply with strict lairage principals, long travel times and mountains of paperwork. If this applies to you, we strongly suggest you think about over-stamping with a Sport Horse Society or if your horse is a gelding and fits the USA hardship criteria consider registering them with the ApHC USA via their hardship clause. This will make them eligible to upgrade to our Main Register. See the fact sheet on the USA website https://sub.appaloosa.com/pdfs/HardshipFactSheet.pdf

If you are planning breeding for this year, please think carefully about what you are hoping to breed and make sure all your paperwork is done correctly. We can no longer accept Part Breds onto our breed register that are Paint, Cob, Pony, Draught or Vanner characteristics or do not meet the minimum height criteria of 14hh.

Please use a registered and licensed UK stallion or registered USA stallion to cover your UK or USA registered mare. If you have a full-bred mare and breed to a non-Appaloosa the foal will only be eligible for the Supplementary register (as above). You will also find that as we will have percentages for up-grading offspring through the UK register, this will affect where the future offspring are added in the register. Even Main register to a permitted out-cross will only produce enough Appaloosa blood to go on the lower part of the register in the 50% category. We will publish the full class categories and percentages once they are approved by DEFRA.

In lots of ways we are luckier than some of the other breed societies, so we are hanging on in there and trying to stay positive as we think it will improve the already awesome quality of our horses and stop indiscriminate breeding which will improve welfare and breed standards.

Sorry my article is soooooo dry this month (at least something is!!! ) – I promise it will be more exciting in the next one!

Stay warm and dry…. Spring is on its way!

First up we have Jo Prestidge-King and her Appaloosa Gelding Spot. They have recently began volunteer work on horseback for Northamptonshire Police!

“Spot is a striking and steady Appaloosa who exemplifies the breed’s renowned versatility- calm under pressure, responsive in varied environments, and a natural partner for community engagement.

Together, we have already begun patrolling the village of Potterspury and will be regularly visible across Potterspury, Deanshanger, and Wicken, offering reassurance and a friendly presence to local residents. As part of Northamptonshire Police’s Volunteers on Horseback scheme which has been running since 2014 with around 50 active volunteers- we work closely with Neighbourhood Policing and the Rural Crime Team”

Jo and Spot recently took part in the Northamptonshire Community Open Day at Delapré Abbey, where they met several members of the public and their families- many of whom had never encountered a horse before. Spot stood calmly among crowds, sirens, pushchairs, dogs, wheelchairs and children, demonstrating the temperament and adaptability that make Appaloosas such valuable partners in public-facing roles.Their presence is a practical and impactful way to connect with rural communities, support crime prevention, and promote public confidence in policing.

Great work team!

To feature in our new spotlight, members are warmly encouraged to get in touch with the Society to have their achievements featured in an upcoming newsletter. Let’s come together to honour the versatility, beauty, and spirit of the Appaloosa – and the dedicated people who make up the ApHC UK family. You could be next!

All the best, Lil (Marketing Director)

All current 2025 members are invited to join our AGM meeting to discuss the activities, finances and running of the club.  If you are unable to attend but would like to appoint a proxy you can complete the proxy form and email it by 27 June to marketing@aphcuk.org

You can also download a copy of the proxy form and the agenda for the meeting here.

A hard copy of the agenda, proxy voting form and a copy of the draft 2024 accounts will be sent out to current members in early June.

We look forward to seeing you there!

It is a double celebration for the club this year!  It is 25 years since the Appaloosa Horse Club UK was formed.  We are also proud to celebrate that it is 25 years since we were affiliated to the mother breed, the Appaloosa Horse Club of America, led by our original founder member, Joyce Nutland. Our two day ApHC UK National Show is taking place at our normal show venue, Moreton Morrell College on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 August 2025. The schedule is now available on our website and you can download it here.  It follows are normal two day format.  Saturday is our UK & English ridden classes judged by our UK judge Kay Smith and Sunday is our USA & Western classes judged by our USA judge, Sonja Merkle from Germany. There are classes for all our registers on both days.

I am also pleased to announce that we are holding a pre-show clinic on Friday 8 August in the evening kindly being run by Tim Keeley, also one of our original founder members.  The clinic will once again be free for our members although you do need to book in advance if you wish to attend.

We hope that as many of you as possible will join us in this important moment in our history and help us celebrate whether you are competing or spectating we would love to see you there.  We will be having some entertainment on the Saturday evening social and you will also be able to book an evening meal.  If you have any questions or would like some more information email marketing@aphcuk.org or contact any of the directors.  Their contact details are on our website www.aphcuk.org

Deb Rogers took her stunning boy to Spotfest in the North West for the first time and didn’t he do well!  In 2025 the ApHC UK affiliated certain classes at each of the Spotfest shows running this year.  This is Deb’s account of how they got on.

This was my first time at a Spotfest Show – Zena (the organiser) was very welcoming and helpful and everyone was so friendly.  We had many admirers and so many lovely compliments about how handsome Enzo is, how white he was and his immaculate turn-out.

The sun shone and it was such a great atmosphere at the show! 

My 5 year old gelding by ‘It’s Cool Hand Luke’ was ridden by Robyn-Jayne Hadland at Spotfest North West in April 2025.  This was only his second Ridden Show (1st Affiliated Show) and he did really well winning the Ridden Novice Class, Ridden Champion and went on to  be awarded 2nd Reserve Supreme Champion in Show (qualifying for Spotfest Champion of Champions in July 2025). 

To break the day up and add a bit of “fun” we entered the fancy dress class. Robyn had expressed a wish to be ‘Jessie’ from Toy Story, so out of the children’s Toy Box came the characters and together (with the help of Robyn’s seamstress mum) we put together a bespoke costume which saw Robyn & Enzo riding in a western saddle for the first time …we think he rather liked it and looked just the part!

Huge thanks to Zena & The Spotfest family for a really enjoyable day

Thank you Deb for writing in and providing the fab photos of Enzo.

We love to hear what you are all up to with your Appys so please send us your news with a nice photo and we can share it in our Digital newsletters.  It doesn’t have to be show news, it can be anything that you are doing with your Appys.

See the calendar for details of more affiliated shows in 2025.

Don’t forget our Silver Anniversary ApHC UK National Show at Moreton Morrell College on 9 and 10 August with a pre clinic on the Friday evening that is free for members.

It would be great to see as many of you as possible there celebrating our wonderful Appaloosas in this our 25 Anniversary year whether you are spectating or competing.

In our horses it can come across as sweet-itch or head-shaking, coughing and runny eyes. This can be distressing for the horse and annoying and expensive for the owner.

In all cases, first eliminate all sugar and starch from your horse’s diet. Your horse can live happily and healthily on hay, water and salt.,24/7 turnout and access to forage like wild hedgerow herbs, bark and leaves of trees, long grass (‘standing hay’ over 8 inches long) If you are interested in reading more, I have just put a blog on my website.

Healthy gut microbiome is paramount, so eliminate chemical wormers, drugs and injections for a while to let the gut colonise its beneficial bacteria. Natural forage and hay are full of pre-biotics which is the key. Most probiotics are single strain and you want to encourage multi strain micro-organisms, this takes time. I have one friend whose horse had fecal water and a very unhappy tummy, she managed to source a friend’s young horse that had never had injections or antibiotics and she took some of the horse’s poo (with the owners consent) She added a teaspoon of the horse’s poo to her horse’s feed every day and in a week she had cured the problem. This is why foals eat their mum’s poo – to colonise their own gut bacteria and why you see some horses with gut issues eating poo in the paddock.

Amazing, but very difficult to find a clean donor, so for many years I have used Plus-Bac Feed which is a liquid multi micro-organism fermented additive. I recommend it for horses that are struggling due to a poor gut micro-biome. You add between 25-60ml per day into their feed. I buy the 5L ‘wine box’ it lasts my 3 horses at least a month. It is also good for change of grazing/feed and stress etc.

The skin is a major and huge organ of elimination, if the liver and kidneys are struggling to process food, the toxins will get pushed out through the skin, this somehow seems to attract the biting beasties. Again I prefer to use natural fly-sprays, so I make one which is just water to which I add a few drops of essential oils. I vary these but I always use citronella and eucalyptus, then add patchouli, lavender, clove bud, neem and cedarwood which I rotate! Neem is very thick and sticky, so you will need a few drops of natural soap or shampoo otherwise it will block up your spray. You can add apple cider vinegar or cold tea as well.

At dusk, which seems to be the midges time and when the horseflies are out, I buy a very effective natural fly spray called Icaridin. Made from Black Pepper, they state that it is as effective as DEET, (which is terribly toxic to horses) did you know that horseflies can’t smell, so scented fly-sprays won’t work. The icaridin apparently makes you almost invisible to them so they can’t land on you to bite! You can get Icaridin from https://www.hedgewitchessentials.co.uk/onlineshop/icaridin-insect-repellent.html

Extra nuggets……..

Cow Parsley and wilted Nettle and Ribwort Plantain are great for Hayfever

Cleavers and dandelion leaves are great for filled legs.

A hydrosol made from Cornflowers is fab for runny sore eyes and because our Appies have a lot of pink skin, I use the UV blocking masks such as Equilibrium or similar and a natural sunblock cream.

Headshaking can respond well to Bowen therapy or other energic bodywork.

I have found that sorting the ‘cause’ of the allergy rather than treating the symptoms has removed the need for Fly rugs and Boett blankets. Obviously there are always exceptions but I think you will find that improving your horse’s gut function will help on many levels.

Auriol

To get us started, what we are proposing is to provide a recycling point at this year’s show so that members awarded a rosette in the show ring can have their photo taken with the rosette and then pop it in the recycling bin – simple!

If anyone is organised enough before the show to sort out any previous rosettes that are in good condition and, of course, haven’t been written on, we will happily receive those too. Of course, there will be special occasions when you want to keep your rosettes and write on them. We are not expecting to have too many championship rosettes back.

Our lovely rosettes are made especially for us by ApHC UK Director, Elisa Spivey, although I am sure that Elisa will not mind if she has a few less to make next year!

A big thank you to Elisa!

Some people are starting a fitness programme for their horses (and themselves) and planning what shows they want to compete in. Our National Show is on the weekend of the 9th/10th August and it is our Silver Anniversary special. We are pretty excited about it already. Lisa has compiled a list of affiliated shows that you can attend with beautiful rosettes for the highest placed member and double points towards your performance awards. If you are doing something with your Appy and you would like to share photos and write something for the E-news, we would be delighted. You can also post on our members FB page and WotsAppy WhatsApp group. Please ask to be added to either of these if you are not involved already.

Please check that your horse’s passports are up to date – in your name and that you are a current paid up member. (online form is on the website or contact Karen Bache (memberships@aphcuk.org) Your horse’s vaccinations need to be up to date to show. If the passport is tatty, you can upgrade it to a gold standard hybrid Equiventus passport. We just transfer all the vaccinations over adding new photos, USA registration certificate if applicable. We may need a new silhouette from the vet, it depends on how old the original is but I can always advise you. The cost is £30. (contact: 07827 858120 or registrations@aphcuk.org)

Knowledge Nugget #2

Spring is all about detoxification. Shaking off the Winter and getting everything moving again.

Your horses are probably shedding like crazy which makes them itchy, this puts a strain on the liver and kidneys as the natural spring detox cuts in. The best forage herbs to help are just popping up in the hedgerows now. Cleavers (Sticky Willy, Sticky Weed) Cow Parsley, Dandelion Leaves and Nettles. Go and find a few handfuls and offer them to your horse every day if possible. You will need to wilt the nettles before offering, or make a tea ( pour boiling water on the nettles, steep for 10 minutes, then allow to cool or add to a bucket of water) You can also offer Hawthorn sprigs, Gorse flowers and Bramble leaf buds. All of these herbs will boost sluggish lymph and circulation and support the kidneys and liver. (credit to Rachael Maxwell at animalbotanical.com)

Supporting the horses gut is very important as the spring grass comes in. Ad-lib hay and movement is the key. The reason that laminitis is such a risk now and is because the sugars in the grass are high in the new growth and the gut microbiome cannot adjust to the change quickly enough. For many years I have been using a fermented liquid in their feed. It is like kombucha for horses, fermented from water and herbs it contains billions of micro-organisms and is pre-biotic to help colonise the gut. I have found it invaluable to help with change in feed or forage. For more details go to www.plusbac.net and look up Plusbac Feed. The best way to buy it is in a 5L ‘winebox’. I give between 25-100 ml a day per horse. Enjoy!