Another spin on the same idea: Appaloosa. For those who don't know: The animal on the cover of Apache: The Definitive Guide, Third Edition, is an Appaloosa horse. Developed by the Nez Perce Indians of northeastern Oregon, the name Appaloosa derives from the nearby Palouse River. Although spotted horses are believed to be almost as old as the equine race itself -- Cro-Magnon cave paintings depict spotted horses-- the Appaloosa is the only established breed of spotted horse. The Appaloosa was bred to be a hunting and war horse, and as such they have great stamina, are highly athletic and agile, and have docile temperaments. When the Nez Perce, led by Chief Joseph, surrendered to the U.S. Army in 1876 and were exiled to Oklahoma, the Appaloosa breed was almost eradicated. In 1938 the Appaloosa Horse Club was formed in Moscow, Idaho, and the breed was revived. The Horse Club now registers approximately 65,000 horses, making it the third largest registry in the world. No longer a war horse, Appaloosas can be found in many equestrian venues, from trail riding to western competition to pleasure riding.
[http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/apache3/colophon.html] Appaloosa: APache Project Advanced Loosely-coupled Object-Oriented Services Architecture - Great stamina (unlike the Cheetah, which is quick, but has no staying power) - Athletic and agile => fast, powerful AND flexible - gets the job done - Docile => user friendly. What more could one want? :-) --- Noel
