White
A naturally fully white horse with pink skin, born white (unlike grey).
What does this colour look like?
A fully white coat with pink (unpigmented) skin, usually brown eyes. Born white, unlike greys which fade. Mostly the result of dominant white or Camarillo white.
- Body
- fully white
- Mane and tail
- white
- Legs
- white
- Skin
- pink
- Eyes
- usually brown
How does this colour arise?
A truly white horse is born white and stays white; a grey only turns white with the years.
More about the genetics
True white arises from white-spotting genes that make the whole body white (e.g. dominant white W alleles, Camarillo white CW), not from the grey gene. Cremello (double cream) is not white: it has a cream tint and blue eyes.
What is this colour often confused with?
- Grey
A grey turns whiter year after year, whatever colour it was born.
- Cremello
An almost white, cream-coloured chestnut with pink skin and blue eyes.
- Dominant white
A group of genes giving much to fully white, with pink skin but dark eyes.
Does the colour change?
None (born white, stays white).
Discover more
Sources: UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory · Sponenberg, D.P. & Bellone, R.R. (Wiley-Blackwell).