Instructions
Genetically, a Cremello is a chestnut horse with two copies of the "dilute" gene, making the Cremello a "double dilute" (essentially an albino). What this means in the breeding world is that the Cremello will always throw one copy of the dilute gene and one one copy of the chestnut gene. Finding a true Cremello is not as easy as it might seem, as a Perlino and a Cremello can look identical.
Visually identifying a Cremello is not a guaranteed way to make certain of its genes. Although they are fairly recognizable with their pale coats (creme), usually white manes and tails, and blue or pink eyes, the only way to be absolutely sure they are Cremello is to have them tested through a genetics lab.
Once you have identified that the horse is a Cremello, you should look either for another Cremello or a palomino horse of the opposite sex. A Cremello will always give one copy of the dilute gene and one copy of the color gene to its foal, so if you breed it to another confirmed Cremello, you will always have a Cremello foal, and if you breed it to a Palomino you will always have a Cremello foal.
Another option for getting the rare double dilute Cremello color is to breed to a Perlino horse of the opposite sex. You will roughly a 50 percent chance of producing another Cremello, and a 50 percent chance of producing a Perlino. Since both parents are double dilutes, the foal will also be a double dilute but it will either carry a copy of the chestnut (Cremello) or the bay (Perlino) gene as well.
Breeding for color is not an easy business. You must always remember that quality is far more important that color. After all, a Cremello horse of the most beautiful color can have the worst disposition, and not be breeding material.
How to Breed a Cremello Horse
Breeding for color is a tricky business. Producing horse colors is like playing genetic dice. Sometimes you get what you want while sometimes you don't. The results will be living, breathing creatures that need care and good homes, even if they aren't the color you want. This article will give you the basics on how to go about breeding a horse with the Cremello coat color.