Red Eagle and his line represent a turning point for the Appaloosa breed. After the Nez Perce failed to elude the U.S. Army in 1877, the cavalry confiscated and shot many of the tribe’s Appaloosas. The government ordered the few surviving Appaloosas to be crossed with draft animals as a way to destroy two centuries’ worth of Nez Perce breeding.
Red Eagle’s breeder and Appaloosa Horse Club founder, Claude J. Thompson of Moro, Oregon, infused the blood of European-bred horses into his native Appaloosas as a way to improve upon their structure, which the army’s draft crosses had altered. Claude most often crossed his Arabian stallion, Ferras, to mares of the Old Painter line as a way to refine their heavier features, bringing his stock back to its original Nez Perce form. Claude crossed Ferris with Painter’s Marvel (ApHC) to produce Red Eagle in 1946.
The chestnut colored Ferris came from breeding *Ferdin (AHRA) and *Rasima (AHRA), who were imported from the famous Crabbet Stud of England. Red Eagle’s Dam, Painter’s Marvel, is a granddaughter of Ferris. She holds the ApHC registration number of F-47. Her sire, Painter III, is registered as number F-8 while her dam, Snowflake, is F-2.
In 1951, Red Eagle won the National champion stallion title. Later, actor John Derek bought Red Eagle for use in a Western film. When the movie never materialized, Thomas Clay of 1001 Ranch in Caliente, Nevada, bought the stallion. There, Red Eagle made a name for himself in the industry by siring many great horses. Some of Red Eagle’s most prominent offspring include American Eagle F-1476, Simcoe’s Frosty Eagle and Hall of Fame stallion Red Eagle’s Peacock F-1476. Red Eagle’s Guild represented the Appaloosa breed in Main Street Publisher’s “The Horseman’s Bible” by Jack Coggins and was featured on the cover of Horselover’s Magazine.
Red Eagle sired 81 registered foals who earned several National championships and a recorded two bronze medallions. He died of natural causes on May 17, 1971, at the age of 25.
