# Taking care of a cremello



## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

So I've recently acquired a cremello gelding. I love him to pieces (even though he needs some work health and training wise). I've already gotten him a mask for his sensitive face, but I was wondering if they required any other special care-- for their easily bruised hooves or anything else. I've included a couple pictures of the pretty boy 

Here in his mask









Here's his pretty eye-- the other is the same color


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Well, he might like a fly sheet. My cremello fello gets attacked by every blood sucking fly for miles around if I don't keep his sheet on him. He might like some sun block lotion rubbed on his face, both of my super light horses love that. The seem to have itchier faces than my dark colored horses. I use Banana Boat 50 SPF for kids/babies. 

He's a pretty boy, imagine what he's going to look like when he gains 200 lbs! 

Here's a pic of mine, still pasture condition so not a lot of muscling, yet. I took the pics right before he left for the trainer's.


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

Aww! Yeah, I can't wait to get some more groceries on him! I feel like he'll be the perfect "princess" pony that little girls dream about hahaha. I was thinking about getting him a fly sheet for protection from the sun, but when we move (hopefully) in a month, I'll be able to keep him indoors during the hot days and let him out at night. Should I still get him a fly sheet just for fly protection?


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Well, Skippy got attacked by the blood suckers and tore out an entire 100 ft. section of fence trying to get away from them. If the barn has a good fly spray system and there aren't many flies, your guy probably wouldn't need the fly sheet. I don't like keeping mine inside unless there's a hail storm or something, so he's out 24/7 and we haven't had any problems since he got his fly sheet. 

Here's the other really light one, a 3 y.o. filly who sunburns like nothing I've ever seen. Her poor little face will blister and peel she burns so bad. So she too gets a heavy mask and fly sheet.


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

Poor baby! It just get so hot and miserable down here in the south-- I pasture board now, but the BO keeps all the barn horses in during the summer days and out to graze at night, then swaps in the winter time. Where I'm moving to has 11 acres and a tractor shed that I'm going to turn into a make shift barn  Turn on the fans and get some air circulating in there.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

I got a cremello a little over 3 months ago. He doesn't need much in the way of extra care compared to the darker horses I've leased over the years, but he is stalled except for 3-4 hours of daily turnout. 

When it first started getting sunny, I noticed his nose getting a little pinker than normal a couple times and put sunblock on him. I haven't needed to put sunblock on him in weeks, though. Cremellos have pink skin, but it is still lightly pigmented (unlike the white areas of pinto horses) so they're not quite as photosensitive as many people expect them to be.

I also got a fly mask for him, both because of flies and because his light colored eyes might make him more sensitive to sunlight.

Cremellos' hooves don't bruise any more easily than other horses. Can't tell if your horse has white hooves or not (mine has white markings on all feet and I don't know any other cremellos, so I'm not actually sure if cremellos have white feet if they don't have white markings...) Regardless, white feet aren't any softer/weaker than black feet; both will get bruises if they get banged around, but white feet will show bruises more obviously.

Your new boy looks a lot like mine did when I got him- it shouldn't take long to fill him out. Mine already looks like a completely different horse


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I didn't get good pics when I first bought Skipper at the auction but he was pretty ribby. Not starved but more yearling growth spurt ribby and now he's 2 and filling out a bit with real good groceries. He still needs some weight and muscling and probably will need weight til he stops growing. I won't stuff him like a beef so he's likely going to stay a little lean until he's all grown and fitted. 

I like the looks of cremellos and of course, I like that they will pass on dilute genes which add a pretty color dimension to the conformation & temeperment you always try for. Skipper is still intact, so he'll be breeding a few mares as he grows up.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

@MM, we've been in the 105 F area for 2 weeks now, so I know all about humid, hot, nasty and buggy. Blech! Like I said, if you have a good fly misting system in the barn or don't mind going out and spraying your horse 2 or 3 times a day, keeping him inside without a mask or a sheet is definitely possible. Turning out at night you won't need either one and most folks don't leave a fly mask on for night time turn out due to vision issues. 

After Bless got so sunburnt last year, I couldn't touch her face even to get a mask on, she stayed in the barn during daylight hours and then went out all night. She healed up well and this year we started out with Sun Block & her mask and she's fine, a happy camper. 

Skip seems to like his sheet, it keeps the flies from getting to him and I don't have to chase him around with the bottle of Hiss (fly spray). He's good about it but would rather not. And considering that oil and suntanning can make for a really bad burn in humans, I'd rather not use it on them anyhow. It's all a matter of personal choice and I don't think there's only one right answer.


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

I only said anything about their feet because my farrier pointed out a bruise on his hoof at his last trim-- it was the first time I think he'd had his back feet done in a long time. He said that with that particular color horse (not sure if he said cremello specifically) that their hooves are clear, but get stained with dirt which I thought was interesting-- my QH mare has a white sock but her hoof isn't white, and I remember be had another horse with white stocking whose hooves were light, but I don't think they were as white at Mellow's feet. Anyway, I just love his color. It adds a pop to my little herd and is exactly what I wanted as far as a new horse goes.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Their feet do show dirt and bruises more than dark hooves but I don't think they chip and break any easier, at least Skip & Blessing's don't seem to. A lot of my horses have white or striped hooves because I'm a 'chrome' addict, just about everybody has white socks.


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

That makes sense-- about not being more easily bruised than other hooves, just showing it more. I didn't even know horses could bruise their hooves, even though I'd heard the term rock bruise before with my used- to- be tender footed mare. -eyeroll-


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