How the first purebred Appaloosa horse came to be right here in Tennessee
Hardworking, versatility and a whole lot of heart. Those are all descriptions of an Appaloosa horse. Those words are also ways to describe the Dobson family who laid the groundwork for the first registered purebred Appaloosa horse in the world.
Getting back to the farm
Before the family reached this monumental day, Stan and Jan Dobson were just lovebirds in high school. The two met at what was the old Donelson High School in Nashville. They graduated in 1963 and were married in 1965. Their first apartment was not far from the school — and if one could believe it, their rent was just $75 a month. Soon enough, the Dobsons welcomed their first son to their family, but something was missing. Stan had grown up on a dairy farm and always desired to get his family back to that way of life.
“On Saturdays and Sundays, we’d get out and drive around in the country, looking for a farm,” Jan Dobson recalled.
That search paid off soon enough, and the young family moved to a farm off Corinth Road in Mt. Juliet. There they welcomed their second son, but it wasn’t long before Stan wanted to keep growing the farming aspect of their life. They moved to a dairy farm in Lebanon and then eventually settled where they are now in Auburntown. The Dobsons have been at Foggy Valley Farms, served by Middle Tennessee Electric, for 24 years now.
One particular purchase of an Appaloosa mare at the Lebanon Sale Barn in the early 1970s changed the focus of Foggy Valley Farms.
“Belle was the greatest horse,” Dobson shared. “She got us started in the Appaloosa business.”
Stan used Belle to work cows and other jobs on the farm. Both kids had ponies at the time, but they wanted to ride Belle instead. From there, the family obtained more registered Appaloosas and became involved with the Appaloosa Horse Club. Stan eventually became president of the Tennessee State Appaloosa Regional Club, and the family spent many weekends showing their horses.
“We did pretty well at the shows and had a lot of fun while doing it,” Dobson said. “We traveled all over with them but soon realized the horses that were winning that were supposedly grand champion Appaloosas didn’t have much Appaloosa blood in them at all.”
A solution through genetics
The realization that the blood of the Appaloosa horse was being diluted led to a lot of research for both Stan and Jan. The couple soon learned that since the beginning of the Appaloosa Horse Club in 1938, there had never been a purebred Appaloosa horse due to cross breeding with other breeds like quarter horses, thoroughbreds and Arabians. The Dobsons wanted to figure out how to preserve the Appaloosa blood, finding a solution through conversations with geneticists.
“Scientifically, we found out if you breed like to like — which means registered horse to registered horse — for eight generations, the resulting foal will be a purebred,” Dobson said.
Photo courtesy of Jan Dobson
From that moment, Foggy Valley Farms based their breeding program on that very principle. It didn’t take long for Stan and Jan to reach the halfway mark. The couple acquired a stallion that was 77% Appaloosa, meaning 25 of the 30 ancestors counted back in four generations were of the Appaloosa breed, and a mare that was 50% Appaloosa, meaning 15 of the 30 ancestors were Appaloosa. Those two were bred together, and the foal was 87% Appaloosa.
“That was extremely rare at that time,” Dobson explained. “That means that for three generations, this horse didn’t have anything but registered Appaloosas in its bloodline.”
The Appaloosa Horse Club has a program called Foundation Pedigree Designation. The program counts four generations of horses and requires that the ancestors be strictly Appaloosa horses only. According to that program, this foal was 100% FPD. The program ended there, but the Dobsons knew that wasn’t truly the end to this journey.
“We had the first fourth-generation Appaloosa horse here in Tennessee,” Dobson said. “But we knew we had more work to do for the bloodline and the registry.”
Bridging the GAP
One day in 2004 while mowing her lawn, Jan wrote a book in her head about the fifth-generation colt they welcomed to the farm. She wrote her thoughts down on paper and then presented it to the Appaloosa Horse Club in Moscow, Idaho.
“I took this booklet I put together and handed one to each of the directors,” Dobson said. “I explained to them what we were doing and how we had something beyond a fourth generation 100% FPD horse. I explained to them how we wanted a program to recognize the advancing generations.”
The new Generation Advancement Program, or GAP for short, was created in 2006 to recognize horses that start at five generations and so on, with the goal of one day reaching an eight-generation purebred Appaloosa. The Dobsons worked hard at accomplishing this goal. They would breed Appaloosa generations together, so one fifth-generation horse with another. Other breeders were interested in doing this too, but they were scattered across the country. The internet, even in its early stages, became a great tool to allow the couple to connect with those breeders to find good quality horses that weren’t related to theirs. Soon enough, the farm welcomed the sixth- and seventh-generation Appaloosa horses. Even with the great work being done, some still didn’t understand the purpose.
“I was told at one time that the only way to have a good Appaloosa horse was to put a lot of quarter horse into it,” Dobson said. “I was determined to prove them wrong, and I did. The more Appaloosa blood you put into a horse, the better horse you get. They’re easier to handle, better to work with, have great stamina, are extremely versatile and have all kinds of heart.”
A great milestone
On March 7, 2025, the Appaloosa legacy was preserved.
“FVF Iron Vittorio was the first documented purebred Appaloosa horse that has ever been born in the whole world, and it was right here in Tennessee,” Dobson said. “This marks a really great milestone for the breed.”
The few-spot colt was born to two GAP seven horses. The first three letters of his name signify that he is from Foggy Valley Farms. “Iron” honors his mother whose name is Iron Lady. “Vittorio” was inspired by the chief in the movie “Hondo” starring John Wayne. The colt is lovingly known around the farm as “Rio.” Right now, Rio is just a baby, so his future is undetermined, but he will be trained and raised to be a breeding stallion to carry on his famous lineage.
“Rio already looks to be very athletic,” Dobson shares with pride. “He looks like he will be good for many different disciplines.”
“We did something that no one else in the world has ever done. I am really proud of that, and I have been very blessed with lots of help all these years to get to this day.”
— Jan Dobson
Continuing the legacy
The Dobsons have fulfilled their goal of reaching purebred status and have shared horses that are now all over the country.
“I’ve sent Appaloosas to many states,” Dobson said. “There are Foggy Valley Farm horses in Vermont, California, Texas, Idaho, Missouri, Michigan and Washington.”
Many didn’t realize how close the Appaloosa blood was to becoming extinct. Luckily, through the work the Dobsons and other breeders are doing, a new breed of purebred Appaloosa horses is being built. Unfortunately, Stan was unable to see the full effect of his work as he passed away in April 2020.
“I won’t live to see very many of them in the world, but I did live to see the first one, and I wish my husband had because he was so very involved in it. He would have been really proud that we continued it,” Dobson shared with tears in her eyes. “My family and I have kept his and the Appaloosa legacy going.”
