Breeding for Cremello / Baldface?

[Appsolute]

Today on my FB feed, a sale add for a cremello foal popped up. I noticed how in every single picture (taken somewhere in a western desert) the foal was squinting.

My eyes….

Other “squinters” from the same ranch…

Eyes… and eyes again.

Squinting mature horse…

We have a couple of cremellos at my barn (in very SUNNY California), and I can’t help but notice that they usually look quite uncomfortable, squinting in the sun – their eyes needing constant protection (in the way of fly masks etc). I know one is kept indoors during all daylight hours – just can’t handle the direct sun.

I notice the same thing with bald face horses – or any horses with pink around the eyes for that matter. The bald faced horse in my barn just returned from eye cancer treatment…

The California sun seems brutal on them – they look uncomfortable, squinting, pink skin inflamed.

I can’t help but think – mother nature would never produce pink skinned horses – especially on their exposed faces. People breed horses for these traits – but at what cost? What is the benefit of having a pink skinned horse?

I feel bad for these sun sensitive horses – like I feel bad for the pugs bred to the point that they have breathing problems (or any other human propagated genetic defect).

A quick google search revealed many squinting cremellos.

The “albino” foal (no, he is a cremello) - does he ever open his eyes?

http://americashorsedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/Galatas128.jpg

HorseGroomingSupplies.com

https://scontent-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10491175_10203969267135474_6248333771416892604_n.jpg?oh=d8989b28d6112504bea7807da06d1bc8&oe=55E4D9A7

I understand that you can get black tattooed around the eyes - has this proven effective? I have not seen it on a cremello horse before (but have seen a number of tattooed pintos).

http://www.horsenation.com/2014/08/19/what-the-muck-is-that-tattoos-for-horses/

[ReSomething]

When I was a kid in the '70’s , the neighbors, whose name I actually remember amazingly enough, Blaisdell, had what at that time was called an American Albino (no they didn’t know a darn thing about coat colors at that time) stallion and one of his offspring. Up in Marin County. Probably both were Perlino. The stud had normal dark eyes, IIRC and the gelded son blue. They put mascara, or blacking around the eyes of both of them. Back then there were no fly masks either. They were actually quite nice horses. Very polite stallion.

[CHT]

I board a dominant white horse, and it is a serious pain in the butt. Her owner allowed me to keep her in during the day one summer, which really helped, but she felt bad that the horse was in during the day while her friends were on grass.

It isn’t just her eyes that are the issue, also her nose and ears. This horse is also branded, and the skin exposed by the brand is extra sun sensitive. We haven’t had issues with her body, but then she is blanketed 10 out of 12 months at least.

The worst is actually in the winter: you can’t put a fly mask on if there is snow in the forecast (snow would stick to the mask and blind her), and sunscreen makes her more sensitive to cold…so during sunny days when there is snow on the ground, she gets bad burns around her eyes.

She also has some unresolved health issues that may or may not be colour related and had to be retired at age 7.

I would not want to board another horse with these colour related issues.

[roseymare]

This is why I get so irritated at folks berating breed organizations for early rules on color. I suspect the founders of the AQHA didn’t want horses who sunburned or had eye issues. But all of the naysayers just say it is about control and hatred or whatever.

I have yet to see a cremello without the squinty eyes. I have seen paints, pintos, bald faces without problems though as some do have a bit of pigment and I think if the eye is pigmented that is also helpful.