Lynda Taylor and Kellie Pakootas of Elk, Washington, United States

International Purebred Appaloosa Association Feature Member December 2010

How many horses do you have, and what breeds are they?

Kellie and I have two mares, Fourmiles Blue Rybn and TC Kamiah Moon. They are both heritage/old bloodline Appaloosas.

What do you like to do with your horses?

Rybn is the only broke to ride/drive horse at this time and Kellie rides her on the trails. I have done ranch work with her, and she has proven herself to be an excellent cowhorse. I have even assisted Washakie County Search and Rescue with her during hunting season to find two lost hunters and a husband/wife team caught in early snow hiking (I did a story on this for Cascade Horseman magazine). We have been working on a trail course and Kellie is thinking about Trail Horse Challenges with her in the future. Kami is just 2-years-old, but we still do quite a bit with her. Right now if the weather permits I work with her on ground driving and trail obstacles from the ground. I am hoping to show her in the future in western pleasure classes, trail, and then move on to reining and maybe cattle classes.

What is your favorite horse book if you have one, either from childhood or adulthood or both?

Kellie’s favorite horse book is The Black Stallion, and my childhood book is Misty. As an adult – lol – too many choices!

How did you come to love Appaloosas?

As far as I know, I have always wanted to have a horse. I was 9-years-old when I got my first horse. I emptied my mason jar bank of $125.00 to buy her. Her name was Judy’s Black Jade. She was ¾ Morgan and ¼ Appaloosa and black as a ace of spades. She was the best first horse anybody could of ever had! Then at 14-years-old I bought my first registered Appaloosa, Navajo Bar Laddie. This guy introduced me to the world of horse shows. I did just about everything with him. We showed in western pleasure/hunter hack classes, reining, working cow, trail, side saddle classes – yes, side saddle – and we would win against Arabians, Morgans, and Saddlebreds! I showed mostly open, class A shows, but we showed at Appaloosa shows that were in the Northwest also. Well, my gelding Navajo Bar Laddie introduced me to the wonderful disposition and versatility of the Appaloosa. He opened my eyes to learning about bloodlines, the history, and the different coat patterns. My deep appreciation of the breed grew from having him. Kellie was born into the Appaloosa breed. Although she has considered other breeds of horses, she always has come back to the Appaloosa because of their disposition, varieties of colorful coat patterns, and their heart.

Tell us something fun and non-horse related about yourself.

Both Kellie and I love taking off on a nice day with our two dogs, a lunch, and our camera. We both love photography, hiking, and visiting touristy towns like Sandpoint, Winthrop, Moscow, or driving down logging roads taking photos of wildlife, lakes especially in the fall time. We both enjoy sewing, painting, and doing crafts and creating projects.

What do you hope to do in IPAA as an active, excited member?

Well, I am hoping with my many years of experience with Appaloosas to contribute my knowledge and love of the old line Appaloosas to grow and prosper. I have many ideas for marketing and promotion of these special horses. Also, I could write articles for IPAA newsletters and other horse related magazines about IPAA as well. And as for Kellie – kids like her are the future of IPA. Dyed in the wool, she will have years of knowledge and experience to carry on the old bloodlines of the Appaloosa.