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2001 CONNVENTION OPENING SPEECH
Good afternoon. My name is Natalie J. Nelson, I am here to request that AQHA to eliminate rule 227J. To allow a viable NATURAL SOLID color to be recognized. A color that has been mislabeled and misunderstood before genetic research. A color described by the AQHA rulebook as "commonly called albino" I am a co-founder of the Cremello Perlino Educational Association, as the name indicates the organization was formed to educate the public of the cremello and perlino colors. Unsurprisingly enough, people tend to believe what they hear. There are so many "old wives tales" and myths associated with the cremello and perlino colors (and I stress color), that so many people still believe is true. So with that in mind lets take a look at some the facts and myths associated with cremello and perlino – from here on out referred as double dilutes.
MYTH: Albinism exists in all species. In reality, albinism does NOT
exist in the equine. Here
is a direct quote from an expert in the field of equine genetics from
his book : EQUINE COLOR GENETICS, by D. Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, PhD and
is considered to be the definitive work on horse color genetics.
In fact, Dr. Sponenberg is the expert's expert on the subject.
. . .
MYTH: Horses born with blue eyes and cream-colored hair coat are lethal whites. The Lethal White Syndrome is associated with the frame overo gene in its homozygous form. Therefore, double dilutes (as in most Quarter Horses) that comply with the excessive white rules will never produce a lethal white.
MYTH: Blue eyed horses cannot see as well as brown-eyed horses. Blue eyes are not a disqualifying trait for registration with the AQHA, although it is being considered to be an "albino trait" when on double dilutes, (and remember there is NO albinism in the equine). When in reality, just as in blue-eyed people, blue-eyed horses can see just as well as their brown-eyed counterparts. Our group has called every University in the country to find a study on blue-eyed cremellos and have yet to find one! However, there have been multiple studies on misc. blue eyed animals. But, according to Dr. Sponenburg these studies do NOT correlate to horses. A committee from the Connemara Registry that was studying this very same issue, has compiled a binder of information and letters, some written by Dr. Sponenburg himself! This information along with results of a health survey on double dilutes will be presented to the committee by Wendy Bockman, shortly.
MYTH: Pink skin burns easily. Again pink skin is not a disqualifying trait for registration, and yet again is considered to be an "albino trait" (which doesn't exist in the equine) when in reference to the double dilutes. Now, I live in about 35 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona where record temperatures have reached 125 degrees! I own a cremello, and he is housed in a 16x16 pipe pen with a half shade. He is exposed to the blistering Arizona sun every day and does NOT sunburn other than on his snip. Auuuh – he burns you say! Well, no more that any other horse with white markings. You see his snip has underlining pink skin; the rest is a salmon tone. Kind of the difference between of a Caucasian's ivory skin and the olive skin of Hispanics in humans. Let me give you an example. I had a loud overo paint mare with a bald face at my place in August, she sunburned terribly on the face, around her muzzle and eyes. My cremello, in the same time period, didn’t burn anywhere not even on his snip! That is the difference the skin tone can make.
MYTH: Double dilutes are ugly and no one wants them registered anyways! I use to think the same until I got a cremello and forced to become educated of the facts of their genetics. After all I had no need to disbelieve the myths until I was face to face with them. After then, since 1996 I have campaigned heavily to organize an effort to educate people about the genetics of double dilutes and their dilemma. Prior to the 2000 Convention, with the power of the Internet I attracted individuals to my cause from all over the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. At the 2000 Convention four of us, who are here again this year, presented the proposal to eliminate rule 227J for the first time - from the rulebook. After the denial letter was received our forces developed an email list that is exclusive to the topic of 227J, which has generated over 7,033 messages since March of 2000. Also last year, we inaugurated the Cremello Perlino Educational Association (CPEA) and created our website, doubledilute.com, which become public June of 2000. Our website has had 8021 visitors in only 9 short months of its debut. The CPEA has also attended every major equine event in the U.S. educating people about the double dilutes & their dilemma of not being recognized by the AQHA. The reason I'm telling you this is that we have found out one thing . . . OVER 90% of individuals that have been given the facts of the genetics of the double dilutes agree that the colors cremello and perlino should be acceptable colors for registration with the AQHA! Proving that people do not think double dilutes as being ugly or defective in any way, and do wish them to be registered, EVEN those who were strongly opposed prior to contacting the CPEA!
MYTH: White horses with pink skin and blue eyes are genetically faulty, that can't perform or produce quality offspring. Cremellos and Perlinos are NOT genetically faulty. In fact Hollywood White is a FULL quarter horse of the wrong color, is a multiple NRHA World Champion with earnings exceeding $60,000! Invest In Rodeo a perilino, by the great Invester, is a PHBA World Champion Sire! The Cremello stallion True Blue McCue has a full sister Sandys Top Choice a palomino mare that was the 1996 NFQHA National Champion Mare. A perlino stallion RFF Starbuck, was the FIRST APHA Breeding Stock stallion to earn a Breeding Stock Superior Halter and the FIRST stallion to earn a Breeding Stock Championship! He is out of quarter horse parents! Blue Eyed Paradise a cremello, is a half brother to a buckskin stallion who had over 30 grands and reserves in the AQHA show ring, an AQHA World Qualifier in Halter, stood 3rd in the ABRA World. He is also a 3/4 brother to a palomino filly who was a furturity money earner and stood Reserve Circuit Champion Yearling Mare @ the AZ Sun Country Circuit (one of the AQHA's LARGEST circuits). THE ONLY DIFFERENCE of these cremello/perlino horses to their palomino/buckskin counterparts, is that they carry 2 copies of the dilution gene and are homozygous for that gene! Do these horses sound faulty to you folks? We all know that well bred horses will produce well bred horses that not only excel, but demand high a market value. I fully believe in that statement! I have crossed buckskin to buckskin for several years for clients and never got a cremello. However when I crossed my own buckskin mare to our buckskin stallion, well, you guessed it a cremello! That was the 1st and only one that I have gotten in over 10 years of breeding dilutes together! He was an exceptionally nice colt and we kept him a stallion - and I geld everything! For several years we did not cross his dam back to our buckskin stallion, spending EXTRA dollars to breed to outside stallions without the same success we had with the resulting cremello. So, in 1998 we took the risk and bred her to a buckskin son of the original stallion. The result was the awesome palomino filly mentioned before, that was a futurity money earner and reserve circuit champion! It was just the best cross for the mare, and we were holding back due to just a minor color issue! Well, I guess I'm in good company, because Hank Wiescamp must of felt the same way, Skipper W was the result of a palomino/palomino cross. It sure would have been a shame if Skipper W's genetics was lost to the bred if he was born a cremello instead of a sorrel!
Conclusion These beautiful cream-colored horses are a NATURAL SOLID color of the American Quarter Horse that has been mislabeled and misunderstood before genetic research! They CAN be and WOULD be an ASSET to the registry! What we propose is to eliminate 227J from the rulebook and accept cremello & perilino as acceptable colors in rule 228. Thank you so much for listening and your attention for our following speakers. . . Wendy |