# Perlino and cremellos



## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Ok....can some of you snazzy color experts please tell me the difference between a perlino and a cremello (and while youre here throw in the difference next to a palomino just for good measure) you all know I am crumby at all this color stuff and now that I'm in Canada I oughta learn about these colors! Especially the perlino and cremello as in NZ they are near non-existent......some pictures would help too! Haha sorry if I sound like a task master! I appreciate your help!


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## EthanQ (Sep 5, 2011)

Perlinos have one cream gene, Cremellos have two.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

EthanQ said:


> Perlinos have one cream gene, Cremellos have two.


Thanks! Ok, so what are the physical differences?.....say if I had two side by side, how could I tell the difference without pulling DNA and starting to unravel it:lol: haha!


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## EthanQ (Sep 5, 2011)

Perlinos will have a darker tint to their manes and tails, while cremellos are pure lighter. And Perlinos can sometimes have distinct white markings like any other horse.








Perlino








Cremello.

Just practice judging the colors between them. Practice makes perfect!


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Oh yes, I see. Ok, does a cremello have darker skin? Silly question? It looks like the cremello has a darker tint to its whole body? Right? Wrong? Thanks for the pics!


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## kassierae (Jan 1, 2010)

Incorrect. Perlino and cremello both have double cream gene. Perlino is bay with two cream genes, cremello is chestnut with two cream genes. Generally a perlino will have orangish points and a cremello will be an overall cream color. Both have blue eyes and pink skin.
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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Cream is fun. It is a incomplete dominant, which means that it has greater influence on the colour of the horse if it is homozygous, but still acts while heterozygous.

Let's start with a red horse (also known as chestnut or sorrel). If we then add one cream gene, it becomes a palomino. Add another, so the horse has two cream genes, and it becomes a cremello.

So - no cream gene:









One cream gene:









Two cream genes: 









The same applies to a bay based horse, but with a slight exception. Cream LOVES to act on red hair, but isn't so great on black hair. This is what causes buckskins to keep their dark points. So a bay horse with no cream is bay, one cream gene is buckskin, and two cream genes is perlino. As you can see, two copies of cream DOES act on the black hair, but not to the extent that it does on red - you can still see some colour on the points of the horse, and the rusty tone to the mane and tail. Brown horses are much the same as bay, but often misidentified as "smutty buckskin" with one cream, and often hard to distinguish from smoky cream with two creams.

So, no cream:









One cream:









Two cream:


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

As noted in my last post, black is harder for cream to act on. Hence, cream, while being a dominant, can seemingly hide on a black horse when the cream is only present with one gene. When there are two cream genes, the black is diluted hugely. The resulting colour is called smoky cream.

Black horse, no cream:









Black horse, one cream (smoky black):









Black horse, two creams (smoky cream):


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

Ok I'll admit ahead of time, colors are not my strong point. I really don't need them to be as I don't buy on color or breed. So as long as a horse is a good ride it can have hello kitty painted on its rump! Lol. Anyways, I do wonder about a few things as I like to learn. We have a grey horse that has a pink nose. Does that have anything to do with the with the "melo" gene/ breeding?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

I like the way you explained that chiilaa. Granted I like the way you explain most things. I'm sure that will help many people its simple informative and has pictures. Well done.
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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

Phly said:


> Ok I'll admit ahead of time, colors are not my strong point. I really don't need them to be as I don't buy on color or breed. So as long as a horse is a good ride it can have hello kitty painted on its rump! Lol. Anyways, I do wonder about a few things as I like to learn. We have a grey horse that has a pink nose. Does that have anything to do with the with the "melo" gene/ breeding?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I don't know a lot about grey yet... but couldn't that just mean he had a white marking on his nose. Though I have heard they are prone to melanoma cancer.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

this is the best (crappy) shot I have of his nose. Sorry if I shouldn't of posted it here, but you can kinda see the pink between his nostirls and it fades out. I have heard the cancer thing. Let's hope not. Hes a cool dude.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

Looks like he used to have a blaze to me. Keep sunblock on that nose. At least you don't have an almost completely white paint with pink skin all over like me lol.
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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

Yeah you can see the blaze. We've only had him a short time and I wonder what he'll look like in summer. But yeah we plan to sun screen him up. When the sun comes back out if it ever does! So dreary lately. Is that pink nose related to the whole "melo" thing though? We have another grey horse that doesn't show any sign of pink. just grey.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Nope, that is caused by something different - one of the white patterning (pinto) genes. While grey puts a "white blanket" over the horse's base colour, it leaves the skin grey or black. White markings, as you know, have pink skin underneath them. So what has happened in your horse's case is that the grey has turned him white, which means you can't see the edge of his white markings any more. However, since they had pink skin underneath, you can still see where they are.


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

Thank you for the info. And in a way
I could understand.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Bobthebuilder (Jan 8, 2012)

Theres a picture missing for the bay with a cream gene- they are buckskin.

Smokey blacks can be the absolutely funkiest colours ever. Morgan Colors- Smoky Black Morgan Horses lots of great pictures


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Bobthebuilder said:


> Theres a picture missing for the bay with a cream gene- they are buckskin.


*sigh* Stupid websites not letting me hotlink to their photos *mutter mutter* I swear there was a buckskin there lol


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Wow! That was awesome......next horse I either want a perlino (they look fabulous when they are all sweaty ans war horsey! Or a smokey cream!!!) - provided he/she has good breeding/conformation/attitude - all those before color

That was one of the best explanations I have ever seen, and I have book marked this!


Thank you soooo much!!! I really feel like I understand a whole lot better now!!!


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