# Do albino horses exist?



## starfia (Nov 13, 2010)

Do they? I'm getting confusing mixed messages from people about it. (albino as in the genetic colour kinda thing)


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## Ink (Sep 25, 2009)

From what I understand there are no albino horses. Any "white" horses you may see are caused by the creme gene which is entirely unrelated to an albino gene. 

I am by no means an expert on genetics though, so I'm sure some of the more knowledgeable members can elaborate.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Here's a great article I found on "albino" horses (which, by the way, do not actually exist...the article explains):
http://www.whitehorseproductions.com/white.html


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

No. From what is currently understood, anything that may be an albino horse dies as a fetus and is aborted. 

However, misinformed individuals are likely to refer to several colors as albino, such as cremello and perlino. These colors are actually double cream dilutes, meaning they have two copies (and are therefore homozygous, meaning they will always pass it on to offspring) of the cream gene, which is the gene responsible for making chestnuts into palominos and bays into buckskins, etc. If you take a palomino and add another cream gene, you will get a cremello and a buckskin will become a perlino. 

These colors are almost white, but still have a creamy color to them with blue eyes, hence people believing they are albino (although a true albino would have red or pink eyes). 

There are a couple of white pattern genes that in full expression will produce a white horse; however, they too will also either have brown or blue eyes. 

Hope that clears things up a little. I'll continue to lurk for a while if you have any other questions or need more elaboration.


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## starfia (Nov 13, 2010)

Thanks everyone. Story goes I said something about there not being albino horses and someone said their horse was an albino...I wanted to make sure I was right or learn something new if I was wrong thanks for the article by the way 

edit:
Just wondering how can you tell a dominant white from a cremello/perlino or grey horse?


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## Madisonluvshorses (Apr 1, 2012)

Probably are.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

A gray horse, even fully white-colored, will have dark skin underneath.

A perlino/cremello, as said, will still have a creamy color to their hair, more like an off-white than true white. I'm not 100% on the skin color of these horses, but I believe they are mottled or freckled so that they are not "pink" but they are not dark either.

A horse that is expressing a maximum pinto pattern will be true white (when not stained) and will have pink skin.


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## Kawonu (Apr 24, 2011)

Horses are pretty much the only animal I've ever known to lack albinos, and now I know why - rejection at fetal stage. Hm. Interesting facts. You learn something new daily here!


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## Bridgertrot (Dec 2, 2011)

Is there a certain cause to the albino fetus rejection?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Kawonu (Apr 24, 2011)

Bridgertrot said:


> Is there a certain cause to the albino fetus rejection?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Well, I'll use a dog comparison here. There's probably some link in the albino gene that causes it to be too weak and in the end, dies. The comparison here would be boxers, as my mom used to raise them. Boxer dogs come in some very basic colors; fawn, brindle, reverse brindle, and black. All of these can be black mask or flashy. Flash means they have large amounts of white located on the face, chest, neck (but not always so much here), belly, and legs. If you breed two flashy boxers together, you stand a chance of gaining at least one or all white puppies, which is frowned upon by Boxer lovers who know better (I know I do). I love white Boxers, don't get me wrong, but there's a reason I hate it. White Boxers are defective (most of the time). White boxers are more likely to be blind or deaf at a young age or at birth, and tend to die sooner due to health complications. Only recently did AKC start allowing registration for white Boxers, and as far as I know, they're still frowned upon in the show ring (and I think are completely unshowable).


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Stoddard said:


> Well, I'll use a dog comparison here. There's probably some link in the albino gene that causes it to be too weak and in the end, dies. The comparison here would be boxers, as my mom used to raise them. Boxer dogs come in some very basic colors; fawn, brindle, reverse brindle, and black. All of these can be black mask or flashy. Flash means they have large amounts of white located on the face, chest, neck (but not always so much here), belly, and legs. If you breed two flashy boxers together, you stand a chance of gaining at least one or all white puppies, which is frowned upon by Boxer lovers who know better (I know I do). I love white Boxers, don't get me wrong, but there's a reason I hate it. White Boxers are defective (most of the time). White boxers are more likely to be blind or deaf at a young age or at birth, and tend to die sooner due to health complications. Only recently did AKC start allowing registration for white Boxers, and as far as I know, they're still frowned upon in the show ring (and I think are completely unshowable).


So, basically the same as lethal whites in aussies and border collies.


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## wyominggrandma (Nov 4, 2009)

yes, it is a lethal gene, except white boxers, dobermans, dalmations,are born alive and can live the same as any other dog, they don't die inetero.

White boxers, white German Shepherds, white Dobermans can be registered with AKC but can't be shown in the breed classes. However they can be shown in performance classes.


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## Kawonu (Apr 24, 2011)

YAY I'm smart lol


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

White German Shepherds are white due to a masking gene, more like pinto in horses. Under the white they are still black and tan or whatever they would otherwise have been. That's why white GSDs can throw non-white pups.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

This is really interesting to me.When I was young I leased a horse that I was told was albino. I do not know her breeding but I remember she had blue eyes and pink skin. I was given a sunblock mixture to keep on her when I rode but otherwise she was kept in a barn and only turned out at night because she would burn very badly with too much sun.I was 13. So I don't remener a lot about her. This clears up a lot, thank you for the lesson learned today.


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## starfia (Nov 13, 2010)

Cinnys Whinny said:


> This is really interesting to me.When I was young I leased a horse that I was told was albino. I do not know her breeding but I remember she had blue eyes and pink skin. I was given a sunblock mixture to keep on her when I rode but otherwise she was kept in a barn and only turned out at night because she would burn very badly with too much sun.I was 13. So I don't remener a lot about her. This clears up a lot, thank you for the lesson learned today.


What colour do you reckon she was? Probably Cremello or something? (I think cremello's have blue eyes)


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

smrobs said:


> A gray horse, even fully white-colored, will have dark skin underneath.
> 
> A perlino/cremello, as said, will still have a creamy color to their hair, more like an off-white than true white. I'm not 100% on the skin color of these horses, but I believe they are mottled or freckled so that they are not "pink" but they are not dark either.
> 
> A horse that is expressing a maximum pinto pattern will be true white (when not stained) and will have pink skin.


Double cream dilutes have pink skin without freckling. Freckling is caused by the leopard gene and champagne gene.


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

starfia said:


> What colour do you reckon she was? Probably Cremello or something? (I think cremello's have blue eyes)


I'm thinking she may have been some double creme dilute or something. All I know is she was 22, missing an eye and had some sort of on again off again lameness in the fore (which I'm thinking was probably navicular). Owners only words to me was that she was and old albino, keep sunscreen on her and be careful of her front legs. As I recall,the intact eye was brown. I'll have to see if we still have some pictures of her somewhere.


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## starfia (Nov 13, 2010)

Cinnys Whinny said:


> I'm thinking she may have been some double creme dilute or something. All I know is she was 22, missing an eye and had some sort of on again off again lameness in the fore (which I'm thinking was probably navicular). Owners only words to me was that she was and old albino, keep sunscreen on her and be careful of her front legs. As I recall,the intact eye was brown. I'll have to see if we still have some pictures of her somewhere.


Probably. Be interesting to see a photo of her.


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## smokeslastspot (Jan 11, 2012)

True albinos have red eyes. Anything with blue or colored eyes is not a true albino. I saw a mule once that had white hair, pink skin, and his eyes were red. Really freaked me out the first time I saw it. That has been the only equine I or anyone else in town had ever seen like that. The guy who owned it couldn't sell it because it just looked so odd and a lot of little kids were scared of it, saying it was a devil mule. It was sort of intimidating, it was a very large mule and was actually very friendly but those eyes coming at you in that big body was just to much for most i guess.


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## starfia (Nov 13, 2010)

smokeslastspot said:


> True albinos have red eyes. Anything with blue or colored eyes is not a true albino. I saw a mule once that had white hair, pink skin, and his eyes were red. Really freaked me out the first time I saw it. That has been the only equine I or anyone else in town had ever seen like that. The guy who owned it couldn't sell it because it just looked so odd and a lot of little kids were scared of it, saying it was a devil mule. It was sort of intimidating, it was a very large mule and was actually very friendly but those eyes coming at you in that big body was just to much for most i guess.


Interesting! Can you get albino donkeys?


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## smokeslastspot (Jan 11, 2012)

I'm not sure. That mule sure was strange looking though.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Kawonu (Apr 24, 2011)

I'm fairly cerain donkeys can be albino, which easily explains the albino mule.


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## haviris (Sep 16, 2009)

If the mare's eye was brown, she wasn't a double delute. Cremellos have very light skin, but it is not pink like a truely white horse's. And the ones I have known did not burn the way a white horse would.

White boxers are not generally defective, there is a higher incendent of deafness, but not blindness, and most are perfectly fine lovable healthy pets that live normal length lives.


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## starfia (Nov 13, 2010)

haviris said:


> If the mare's eye was brown, she wasn't a double delute. Cremellos have very light skin, but it is not pink like a truely white horse's. And the ones I have known did not burn the way a white horse would.
> 
> White boxers are not generally defective, there is a higher incendent of deafness, but not blindness, and most are perfectly fine lovable healthy pets that live normal length lives.


Probably white then? She said it had blue eyes in her first post.


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## Rascaholic (Oct 4, 2010)

Donkey Patrol | Surfing Travel | Surf Resort | Kandui Mentawai Islands Indonesia | San Diego » Albino Donkey Spotted off the Coast of Carlsbad

Yes there are albino donkeys. I wonder what allows albino donks but not horses?


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