redhorse

like people arguing in text would be SO funny

Person: “And then the prince rode up on his white horse and–” People with just enough knowledge to be obnoxious (and also the nerve to interrupt): “–there’s no such thing as a white horse!” Actually, there are white horses. Especially if you’re writing a fantasy story where people can call coat colors whatever you want them to.  In the Real World, what would technically be considered a white horse IS rare. The definition is that the horse has unpigmented (pink) skin over its entire body, and white hair. That genetic combination is unusual, but these horses exist. Sometimes they have dark eyes, and sometimes their eyes are blue. The genetics of these horses are usually “dominant white” or “sabino white,” but there isn’t a visual difference between the two types. (Pictured below: a rare “dominant white” horse that happens to be a Thoroughbred.)

The obnoxious person was probably about to say that horses that look white are actually grey or gray. And sometimes, that’s true. In the Real World, gray refers to a horse with a gray gene, which is fairly common in most breeds. Gray horses are generally born a darker color, but “whiten” as they age. Their skin is pigmented. Some of them turn completely white when they’re still very young, and some never completely whiten. But most commonly a horse with a gray gene will be totally white by its middle age. One acute difference between most gray horses and most white horses is the appearance of the horse’s head, especially around the eyes and muzzle, with pigmented versus unpigmented skin. (Pictured below, a mature gray stallion.)

But grays aren’t the only horses that can appear white or mostly white. Appaloosa, paint or pinto markings in certain breeds sometimes result in horses that appear white. A famous example is the “medicine hat” tobiano, which is born with white markings over so much of its body, that many lay people would describe them as white.

(Pictured below, a medicine hat tobiano stallion. The skin around his nostrils, mouth and eyes is pigmented.)

Another example of horses with unpigmented skin that can appear white but aren’t, are the double-dilutes, which are the result of horses that carry two copies of the gene that dilutes other coat colors. When two single-dilute horses mate, they have a 25% chance of creating a double-dilute offspring. An example of a horse with one dilute gene, specifically the creme gene, is a palomino (chestnut + one dilute gene) or buckskin (bay + one dilute gene). A horse with two creme genes is called a cremello, and can range in color from light gold to creamy white. Cremellos have blue eyes or sometimes amber eyes.  (Pictured below, a very light-colored cremello stallion. Note the unpigmented skin on his face and how it affects his appearance.)