ChaarSuluu is one of the key foundation stallions for the Chaar Appaloosa Horse revitalization project, to rebuild a breed that was thought to have vanished and to reclaim a history that weaves together horses, people, and the land.

ChaarSuluu not only carries the leopard gene for spots (his name means “spotted elegance”) but he is also an unexpected carrier of the gene DMRT3, which is responsible for “Indian shuffle”–a gait thought to be unique to the American Appaloosa and is believed to be the gait that gave the Nez Perce the advantage in mounted warfare. Yet it is present in these native Central Asian spotted horses, and every one of ChaarSuluu’s progeny expresses it.

Next year, we will welcome one of his descendants with both the leopard gene and DMRT3 gene to North America, a huge honor and culmination of efforts. They will carry ChaarSuluu’s story, the history of Kyrgyzstan’s celestial horses, and his legacy forward.