CremelloSuch a horse could also be called a "homozygous cream" or "double diluted chestnut". For some reason, many myths have surrounded the cremello and other double-dilutes. While some coloration, such as the medicine hat, are considered good luck, others, such as double-dilutes, have undesirable myths concerning them. Perhaps this came about because people didn't know what to make of such a different color-- they automatically assumed it was a mutant, and therefore inferior. The basic description of a cremello is pink skin, blue eyes, white or cream hair. The cremello's skin is not really pink like that seen under white markings; it has some pigment, protecting it from the sunburning that some true pink-skin suffers from. They do not sun burn easily. The eyes are blue, and stay blue throughout the horse's life. They are not inferior to the eyes of any other colored horse. The hair, although often described as "white", actually does not lack pigment like the white patches seen on pintos. Instead, it is a light cream-color; when paired with white markings or pinto markings, the color difference is obvious. Cremellos do not have weak immune systems, are not deaf, do not die early, have sick foals, nor are they related to lethal whites. Unfortunately, these myths are still in circulation. Cremellos (and other double-dilutes) occur in every breed that has palominos or buckskins. Non-cremellos can be born with pink skin, blue eyes, and cream hair, too-- but they usually darken at a few weeks/months old. |