You have probably seen many
American Creme and White horses.
Emperor Hiro Hito's horse was an American Creme and White, as was
the Lone Ranger's horse,
Silver. So was the horse
Thunderhead in the movie of that name.
Gene Autry,
Minnie Pearl, and
Tex Cooper have all participated in shows with performing Creme and White troupes. The
American Creme and White regularly performs in
circuses,
horse shows, and
parades. The
breed has been favored by movie stars and politicians since the 1920s for its
pure white hair and pink skin.
The breed name "
American Creme and White" is a bit of a misnomer, though. The
American Creme and
American White are actually two separate breeds, although their histories are closely intertwined and it is rare to mention one without the other. The
American White is a pure white breed that originally descended from a horse named
Old King, who was owned by
William Newell of
Illinois. Old King was a perfectly white horse with pink skin and dark eyes. He was also highly talented in parading and was friendly and gentle. He was born in 1908 from
Arabian and
Morgan stock, and weighed about 1200 pounds and stood slightly over 15
hands. In 1917,
Old King was sold to
Caleb and
Hudson Thompson of
West Point,
Nebraska, who intended to create a new breed with Old King's characteristic white hair and amazing trainability.
Old King died of illness in 1922, but by that time he had sired many
foals which were being used to breed a race of pure white horses with pink skin. When
Caleb Thompson married
Ruth Hackenburg in 1936, they established the
White Horse Ranch just outside of
Naper,
Nebraska and worked to develop the breed they named the
American Albino. They eventually established a herd of around 150 horses which they formed into a
riding troupe. This troupe performed all around the country, eventually growing to include such events as
high jumping,
broad jumping,
dressage,
bareback riding, and team hurdle jumping. The horses, most of whom were direct descendants of Old King, were known for their gentleness and brilliant color as well as their spectacular tricks.
The official
American Albino Horse Club (AAHC) was formed in 1937 by the Thompsons. They soon opened registration to all white horses with pink skin, regardless of
bloodline. This makes the
American Creme and White a
color breed rather than a
pure breed. After
Caleb Thompson's death, Ruth Thompson maintained the title "
American Albino Association" for the breed registry. In 1980 the
American Creme Horse registry was formed for horses that had been originally described in the
Albino registry as "off-colored". In 1985, the American Albino Association's name was changed to the International American Albino Association, at which time the breed name was officially changed to American Creme and White. In more recent history, many American Creme and Whites have competed and excelled in
English and
Western shows,
parades,
endurance competitions,
driving,
farming,
riding,
jumping,
dressage,
circus routines, and
gymkhana. They also make wonderful horses to be used in
youth camp and handicapped riding programs.
Appearance
The
American White is not a true
albino; nor is the
American Creme. As such the horses do not necessarily have
pink eyes. They are also spared the common problems of albino animals:
insanity,
blindness, and
deafness. The American White has pure white hair, occasionally with a few off-colored patches, a white mane and tail, and pink skin. The hair of the
American Creme ranges from
ivory to
cinnamon, and its
mane and tail may be anywhere from pure white to brown. The eyes of both breeds are generally dark, although the American Creme is slightly more likely to have blue eyes. The pale color is carried by a different gene in the Creme than in the White. When two Creme horses are
mated, their
offspring are always Creme. When a Creme horse is mated with a
horse of a different color, the result is always foals that are halfway between the colors of the two parents. On the other hand, when two White horses are mated 75% percent of the foals are white, and when a White is mated with a different color half of the foals are white and the rest are varied in color.
As an
American Creme and White can be of any breed from
draught horse to
pony, there are no real standards for size,
gait or features. The average American White and Creme weighs around 1200 pounds and stands 14
hands, although there are horses registered as White and Cremes which are very small or very large. It is interesting to note, though, that the average horse of this breed has decreased substantially in size since the days of Old King and the
AAHC.
sources:
Central Pets American Creme and White Page - http://centralpets.com/pages/critterpages/mammals/horses/HRS3551.shtml
Oklahoma State University - http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/americancremeandwhite/
American Creme and White Horse Rescue - http://www.giveusahome.co.uk/allpets/horses/americancreme.htm
White Horse Ranch - http://www.whitehorseranchnebraska.com/registry.htm
Cowboy Frank's American Albino Page - http://cowboyfrank.net/fortvalley/breeds/AmericanAlbino.htm