# Albino horses



## HrsGrl323 (Nov 6, 2007)

I dont think albino is actually a breed but there may be a registry like for palimino and bucksin horses


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## Supermane (Sep 23, 2007)

Albino horses don't exist. An "albino" horse is merely a cremello, perlino, or max sabino.


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## WesternPleasure27 (Nov 9, 2008)

My view on Albino horses?
I'd like to be the first to discover one, as currently, they do not exist.

Also, I don't think they'd be considered a breed if they DID exist as it's a pigment (color) condition...therefore they would need to be considered a color as you could have an Albino QH, and Albino Paint, an Albino TB, ect.


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## hrsrdr (Jul 12, 2008)

Supermane said:


> Albino horses don't exist. An "albino" horse is merely a cremello, perlino, or max sabino.


I think they do exist, classified by pigment-less skin, but what type of coat is a cremello, perlino, and max sabiano?

That brings up another question...since a "gray" horse, whether dappled or flea-bitten, is classified by a white or gray coat and dark skin, would an albino be considered a true white horse?


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## Blkjimni (Nov 11, 2008)

Well I think you are talking about a Cremello or Perlino.
I had a Cremello Stallion QH he was just beautiful.
AQHA now will reg. them both. It was once said that they were Albinos but I don't think there is such a thing.
The Cremello and perlino have pink skin and blue eyes but also have white marking. My cremello had 4 white socks and a white blaze, white mane and tail.
he was a true Cremello, DNA tested by UC Davis.
The Perlino is like a cremello but has red points, almost like a Dun.
They are both beautiful horse colors.
The Cremello and Perlino do not have any more of a heath risk for skin cancer or eye problems than does a pinto or paint horse. Usually it is the grey that has more of a problem or so I am told.


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## RockerWFarms (Nov 12, 2008)

I believe all light colored horses have a chance for sunburn. I have a white appy, and every summer, we have to keep her in the shade as much as possible and keep sunscreen on her nose and around her eyes. If she gets sun burn, it turns red and puffy just like a humans sunburn. It also peels.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

There IS a breed called the American White or American Cream. 

American White & American Creme Horse Registry - Home

Generally, "White" horses with all pink skin are Max Sabinos. We had one born at our last boarding facility. His only color was a speck of brown in one eye (rest of his eyes were blue). 
Sabino

Double Dilute horses can also look white. These are the product of two single dilutes (buckskin, palomino, smokey black) that inherited a creme dilute gene from each parent. Usually they will be milky white (Cremello) or white with slightly rusty points (Perlino). Usually they will have brown eyes and the skin will be a brownish-pink.
Cremello and Perlino Educational Association

You can also get a white looking horse by crossing the Champagne gene with the Cremello gene. This gives you a horse that is irridescent creamy white with green or amber colored eyes and freckled pink/brown skin.
Cream
Double Cream Champagne

One more way is through a horse that has two copies of the Pearl dilution (also known as Barlink Cream in APHA horses of that bloodline). It seems to be most prevalent in Iberian breeds (Lusitanos). 
http://www.horsecolor.com/dilutions/pearl/index.htm

Here's the "White" Max Sabino colt that was born at our last boarding stable. He's 75% Walker, 25% Fox Trotter. His mom is a minimal Sabino (long white socks and face white, but she's gray so you can't see it) and dad was a Blue Roan Sabino with TALL white socks over his knees and a nearly bald face. Any brown you see on this little guys legs is from mud. This photo was him at just 3 days old. He's a big 3 yr old now! I need to get some new pictures.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

There is no such thing as an albino horse, I think it's something to do with the gene being lethal. I remember reading it somewhere...


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

wild_spot said:


> There is no such thing as an albino horse, I think it's something to do with the gene being lethal. I remember reading it somewhere...


I believe you're talking about lethal white. 
OLWS


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## LadyDreamer (Jan 25, 2008)

There are such things as WHITE horses. I know one personally. He is FABULOUS. They either have blue or hazel eyes.

Instead of a gray horse who is usually born dark and grays out over a period of time, a white horse is born white.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

LadyDreamer said:


> There are such things as WHITE horses. I know one personally. He is FABULOUS. They either have blue or hazel eyes.
> 
> Instead of a gray horse who is usually born dark and grays out over a period of time, a white horse is born white.


Yes, as I and others have said, all white horses are usually Maximum Sabino. It's where the horse is one BIG white marking basically.


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## LadyDreamer (Jan 25, 2008)

Then why not say it one more time just so the point is hammered home.


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## hrsrdr (Jul 12, 2008)

You can also get a white looking horse by crossing the Champagne gene with the Cremello gene. This gives you a horse that is irridescent creamy white with green or amber colored eyes and freckled pink/brown skin.
Cream
Double Cream Champagne

Thanks so much everybody for your comments! I didn't know a horse could have GREEN or Amber eyes...I'd like to see that! 

So there's no such thing as an albino horse? I thought they were found in every species of animal. Does that mean that "albinos" from other species may just be a special type of color or gene mix too? And what about the horses you see in pictures, with pink skin, hooves, and eyes? Is that just a fluke, or are pink eyes a special characteristic of some color too? :?


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

Albinos do happen in all animals, it's just very rare. A true albino animal will have pink skin and red eyes, like the Albino rats. The hair or scales will be 100% white. Both skin and hair will be slightly translucent. If you see any pattern or color to the eyes, skin, or hair/scale, then it's NOT an albino, it's really some sort of special/recessive color.


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

So in order for there to be an albino horse, it has to have red eyes, not blue.

Thanks for posting this


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## Joshie (Aug 26, 2008)

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_an_albino_horse

Albinism is a genetic defect caused by a lack of pigment. You would not see blue eyes or pigment an individual with albinism. I'm not sure if there's such a thing as mosaic albinism. Some genetic defects may be transmitted as a mosaic pattern (incomplete penetration or not all cells carry defect). Even if there was such a thing in horses it would be pretty rare. It seems that albinism in horses must cause fetal death or we would see more of these individuals born.

Albinism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

Iwasn't talking about the lethal white gene, I know about that already :]

This is what i read, not sure about it's accuracy though.

Albino: There are no true albinos in the horse world (white coat with pink skin and pink eyes). If a foal is born a true albino, it either dies in the womb or shortly after birth. The equine coat color genetics factors that create true albinism, for reasons not yet fully understood, are lethal in horses. See "white" color, below for description of a truly white horse.


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

luvs2ride1979 said:


> Yes, as I and others have said, all white horses are usually Maximum Sabino. It's where the horse is one BIG white marking basically.


From the book Horse Color Explained: "Truly horses are documented to be the result of the dominant gene WW... They are all white with pink skin and sometimes dark speckles around the genitalia, or elsewhere, which can appear as the horse matures... The eye color is normal.... Homozygous whites are unknown." So there is a white gene, it's just very rare and (like roan) is not viable in homozygous form. Still, most white horses are sabino-white. 

The book goes on to say "From time to time, reports come in of white horses which don't fit any of the criteria just described. They are thought to be the result of mutation or genetic stress response. Some which survive subsequently prove to have other defects... Others are healthy themselves but when used for breeding produce a high ratio of lethal deformities... Mares carrying defective white foals may have a prolonged or difficult birth." The author calls this "defective white." We know that extreme stress can cause hair to turn white, so these are probably just very unhealthy foals, not true whites. 

It's all very confusing isn't it?


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## JILLY712 (Jul 26, 2019)

*I think i have a 5 mo. Old albino*

My husband and I are transplanted from Southern California, living in Arkansas on our grandma's ranch for the last 3 yrs. We are horse novices, for sure. But, we have a 5 mo. old horse on our property, bred from my brother-in-law's wild black and white paint horse (female) and a black wild (male) horse he took in. This pair had one lovely black and white paint horse about 2 yrs. ago. 

This year, the same pair (black horse/paint horse) had what I would call an albino horse. He is absolutely blonde/white. He has very light blue eyes, the skin around his eyes is pink, and he has very pale pink/white lips. I was assuming it was obvious this horse was an albino but after reading all the comments above, I'm confused. 

I just wanted to add this information to the research pile.

He seems quite healthy and normal in every other way.


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