Last updated on August 12th, 2022 at 04:45 am
The Cremello Horse
The cremello horse is a pure cream horse with a pale white mane and tail, piercing blue eyes, and unusually pink skin. These horses are one horn short of being literal unicorns. They are also sometimes called albino horses.
But what a lot of people don’t know is that cremello horses are not a specific breed. Cremello is a colour given to any horse of any breed that shares these specific traits.
A cremello can range from pale white to pale gold. They have no markings at all, except for their legs which can sometimes be a shade darker than the rest of their body. Cremello horses also have a base colour of chestnut, which a lot of people don’t know. Depending on the horse’s genes, the chestnut becomes diluted into a creamy white colour.
The most common breeds of horses that can be cremello include quarter horses, Shetland ponies, and draft horses. The American quarter horse association in the past has not accepted these types of horses, but regulations are changing, and now cremello is accepted. The cream gene affects both the red and black pigment and ‘dilutes’ it and gives the lighter coat shades. The cream gene is responsible for palominos, buckskin, cremellos and others. A chestnut horse with a cream gene will typically not be chestnut, but look more buckskin or even cremello.
Are Cremello Horses Albino?
Cremello horses are certainly not albino. In fact, there has never been a true albino horse observed in recorded history. People sometimes think cremello horses are albino, but the truth is they are more like pseudo albinos. It’s true their eyes are bright blue and their skin is bright pink, but albinism is caused by a lack of pigmentation and often comes with congenital defects. This is not the case with cremello horses.
It’s also important to note that cremello horses are not fully white. They are more of a creamy colour, whereas albinos lack any pigmentation at all, making them white as snow. This is very different from white as cream.
Cremello horses typically have a white main and tail.
What is a Palomino Horse?
To understand what the palomino horses, we need to understand colour genes. A cremello is always going to have a base colour of either red or chestnut. When a horse is born with two cream dilution genes, it becomes creamy cremello.
A palomino is a horse that has only one cream dilution gene, making it more of a golden colour. They lack the second cream dilution gene that makes a horse extra white. When two palomino horses are bred together, there is then a 25% chance that the baby will receive two cream dilution genes, therefore being full cremello.
As you can tell, the colouring of a horse has everything to do with unique genes in the parent horses, and with careful breeding, one can create horses of whichever colour they prefer.
What is a Perlino Horse?
Perlino horses are another version of a cremello horse. The colouring of a perlino is very similar to cremello, with the only difference being that the horse has a dark mane and tail, much darker than its cream-coloured coat. Usually, they also have a rosy pink nose.
To breed a perlino horse, one must mix a palomino with a buckskin. This should double dilute the normal colour of a bay horse. The perlino horse still has striking blue eyes and bright pink skin, along with a creamy coat. It just has a darker mane and tail.
Cremello, palomino, and perlino are all derivatives of the same breed. They’re all essentially the same horse, only tweaked to have differently coloured coats. They all still have amazing blue eyes. They’re all still majestic. They don’t have varying health problems or temperaments, only different colours.
Are Cremello Horses Rare?
Cremello horses are not as rare as you may think. Remember that any horse breed can be a cremello. It all depends on the genetics. If there is a breeder who strictly wants cremello horses, they can breed multiple animals until they finally produce a creamy white horse.
That being said, this isn’t the easiest thing to do. Most horse breeders are also not that interested in putting so much time and effort into creating cremello horses. For this reason, they are considered rare and in demand. This means you must pay much more for a cremello horse than you would for an ordinary horse of the same breed.
Depending on the breed, pedigree, height, and general health, you could be paying up to $20,000 for a cremello mare or as low as $300. You have to take into consideration the same variables when purchasing a cremello as you would with any other horse. It’s just that the rare colouring is probably going to add a few dollars onto the final cost.
Do Cremello Horses Have Health Problems?
Because a cremello horse is not a specific breed, they don’t have any health problems that are specific to them. They have the same health issues as whatever breed they come from. You still need to vaccinate your horse, you still need to have your horse on a proper diet, and you need to follow all standard management practices to keep your cremello horse as healthy as possible.
Can Cremello Horses Have Brown Eyes?
Cremello horses almost always have blue eyes. However, there are different shades of blue from horse to horse. Sometimes, they will even have green eyes, while perlinos are notorious for having amber eyes. It is extremely uncommon for a cremello horse to have brown eyes. It’s just not in the genetic makeup.
In rare cases, a cremello horse could have yellow, hazel, or very light amber eyes, which may appear brown in certain lighting.
It is interesting to note that other horse breeds like quarter horse and thoroughbred can also have blue eyes.
Can Cremello Horses Be in the Sun?
Considering how light a cremello horse’s coat is, you need to exercise caution if living in an area with strong sunshine. Even though a cremello horse can come from any breed, they all share a susceptibility to sunburns and skin issues. The last thing you want is your cremello horse getting baked in the sun and coming down with a skin disorder.
This means you need to offer your cremello horse proper roofing to keep the sun off their skin. If you’re in an area with particularly hot summer months, it’s highly recommended that you use horse sunscreen to care for the animal’s skin.
How Do I Keep My Cremello Horse Healthy?
One of the primary things you need to do is use sunscreen on their nose. It will burn, so you need to be careful in fully direct sunlight over the summer. Buckskin horses can suffer from this too, any double diluted horse, meaning that they have the cream genes and pink noses will have this health issue. Cremello horses cost about the same as other horses, but they do have some upkeep quirks.
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