True Appaloosa
The documentary that sent Conor Woodman into the Kyrgyz mountains looking for the origins of the Appaloosa, and started everything that followed.
Directed and produced by Conor Woodman and co-produced by Munarbek Kuldanbaev, "True Appaloosa" (also released as "The Secret Horse: Quest for the True Appaloosa") follows Woodman, Appaloosa breeder Scott Engstrom, and Kyrgyz breeder-researcher Munarbek Kuldanbaev into the Kyrgyz mountains.
The film asks whether Central Asia's spotted Chaar horses are linked to North America's Appaloosa, a breed tied to the Nez Perce for its strength, speed, endurance, and spotted coat.
The journey it documents is where the Chaar project itself began. "True Appaloosa" premiered at the Sun Valley Film Festival, and later aired on BBC4 under its alternate title, "The Secret Horse." Everything the association does today, the ranch, the breeding programme, the mountain expeditions, traces back to the question this film first asked.
The full film, free to watch
"True Appaloosa" is free to watch. If it moved you, a donation of whatever amount feels right helps cover the herd's feed, veterinary care, and the people looking after them every day.