American Cream Draft facts for kids
American Cream Draft Horses in Minnesota State Fair Parade
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| Distinguishing features | Cream color, medium-heavy build |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Breed standards | |
| American Cream Draft Association | Breed standards |
| Horse (Equus ferus caballus) | |
The American Cream Draft is a special kind of draft horse from the United States. It's the only draft horse breed that started in the US and is still around today!
This horse is quite rare. You can spot it by its unique cream color, which is called "gold champagne." This color comes from a special champagne gene. The gene also gives them amber-colored eyes. Sometimes, you might see an American Cream Draft horse that is chestnut colored. Like some other draft horses, the American Cream can have a genetic health issue called junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB).
This breed began in Iowa in the early 1900s. It all started with a cream-colored mare (female horse) named Old Granny. The Great Depression made it hard for the breed to survive. But some dedicated breeders worked hard to keep the breed going. In 1944, they even created a special group called a breed registry to keep track of the horses.
Later, when farmers started using machines instead of horses, the number of American Cream Draft horses went down a lot. The breed registry stopped being active for many years. But in 1982, it started up again! Since then, the number of these horses has slowly grown. Even so, groups like The Livestock Conservancy and the Equus Survival Trust still say the breed is in a "critical" state, meaning there aren't many left.
Contents
What Makes Them Special?
American Cream Draft horses have nice, neat heads. Their faces are flat, not bumpy or sunken in. They have wide chests and strong, sloping shoulders. Their backs are short and powerful. They also have strong, well-muscled hindquarters and sturdy legs that are set wide apart.
These horses are very sure-footed, meaning they walk steadily. They have strong hooves. Their movements are smooth and easy. People who own them say they have a calm and friendly personality. This makes them great for people who are new to handling large draft horses.
Female horses (mares) are usually 15–16 hands (60–64 inches, 152–163 cm) hands tall. They weigh about 1,500–1,600 pounds (680–730 kg). Male horses (stallions) and geldings are taller, around 16–16.3 hands (64–67 inches, 163–170 cm) hands. They weigh 1,800 pounds (820 kg) or more.
The perfect color for these horses is a medium cream. They have pink skin, amber eyes, and a white mane and tail. This special cream color comes from the champagne gene. You can find them in light, medium, or dark cream shades. Their eyes can be amber or hazel.
Sometimes, a cream mare with dark skin and a light mane and tail can join the breed registry as a foundation stock horse. But stallions must have pink skin and white manes and tails to be officially registered. If a purebred American Cream foal is too dark, it might be put into an "appendix registry" instead. This appendix also accepts horses that are half American Cream and half another draft breed, if they meet certain rules. This helps to make the breed stronger and increase its numbers.
How Their Color Works
The champagne gene makes colors lighter, or "diluted." The gold champagne body color, light skin, light eyes, and ivory mane and tail of the American Cream Draft come from this gene acting on a chestnut base color. When they are born, their eyes are often described as "almost white." This is normal for champagne foals, whose blue eyes look more creamy than other blue eyes.
The champagne trait is "dominant." This means a horse only needs one copy of the gene to show the champagne color. Scientists found this gene in 2008. They studied American Cream Draft horses to learn more about it. It can be tricky to tell if a horse has one or two copies of the gene. But horses with two copies might have less freckling or slightly lighter hair.
Horses that look like American Creams but have dark skin are actually chestnuts. This is because the breed doesn't always have two copies of the champagne gene. The champagne gene lightens any base coat color. For the American Cream Draft, the main base color is chestnut. Scientists haven't found the "cream gene" in this breed, even though people call the color "cream." American Cream Drafts are never cremello (a very pale cream) or white. Even though their gold coat with a white mane and tail looks like a palomino, their unique look comes from the champagne gene.
A Genetic Health Issue
Some American Cream Draft horses can have a genetic health issue called junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB). This is a serious problem that can be passed down from parents. Foals born with JEB lose large areas of skin and have other issues. Sadly, they usually need to be put to sleep. This problem is often seen in Belgian horses and other draft breeds.
In 2002, a DNA test was created for JEB. This means breeders can test their horses to see if they carry the gene. If two horses that carry the gene are not bred together, JEB can be avoided. The American Cream registry has been very active in testing its horses since JEB was found.
History of the Breed
The American Cream is the only draft horse breed that started in the United States and is still around today. The breed's story begins with a special mare named Old Granny. She was likely born between 1900 and 1905. People first noticed her at an auction in Story County, Iowa, in 1911. She was bought by Harry Lakin, a well-known horse dealer.
Old Granny was later sold to Nelson Brothers Farm in Jewell Junction, Iowa. No one knows exactly what breeds she was, but she was cream-colored. Many of her foals were also cream, and they sold for good prices because of their color. Her cream coat, pink skin, and amber eyes became the perfect look for the breed. This color is now known as gold champagne. By 1946, almost all registered American Cream horses could be traced back to Old Granny.
In 1920, one of Old Granny's sons, a young male horse called a colt named Nelson's Buck No. 2, really impressed a veterinarian named Eric Christian. Nelson's Buck then had several cream-colored foals. One of his registered sons was Yancy No. 3, whose mother was a black Percheron mare.
Yancy had a son named Knox 1st in 1926. Knox's mother was a bay mare with some Shire ancestry. From this family line, a great-great-grandson of Nelson's Buck was born in 1931. His name was Silver Lace No. 9. Silver Lace became one of the most important stallions for the American Cream breed. His mother was a Belgian mare with a light chestnut color. She is thought to be why Silver Lace was so big. He weighed about 2,230 pounds (1,010 kg), much more than others in his family.
Silver Lace quickly became a popular stallion in Iowa. However, stallions used for breeding in Iowa had to be registered with the Iowa Department of Agriculture. This agency only allowed horses from recognized breeds. Since Silver Lace wasn't registered, his owners created a special group called a "syndicate." Mare owners who bought shares in the "Silver Lace Horse Company" could breed their mares to him.
Silver Lace's main breeding years happened during the Great Depression. This was a time when money was very tight. At one point, Silver Lace had to be hidden in a neighbor's barn so he wouldn't be sold at an auction. Another important stallion was Ead's Captain. His family lines are found in about one-third of all American Cream Draft horses today.
Around 1935, even with the Depression, some breeders started to carefully breed cream-colored horses together. They wanted to make sure the color and type of the breed were consistent. C.T. Rierson, in particular, bought many cream-colored mares sired by Silver Lace. He worked hard to develop the American Cream breed.
In 1944, 20 owners and breeders formed a group called the American Cream Association. They received a special business permit in Iowa. In 1950, the breed was finally recognized by the Iowa Department of Agriculture. This was based on a recommendation from the National Stallion Enrollment Board in 1948.
When farming became more mechanized in the mid-1900s, fewer draft horses were needed. After C.T. Rierson died in 1957, the number of American Cream Draft horses started to go down. By the late 1950s, there were only 200 registered American Creams, owned by just 41 breeders. The registry became inactive.
But in 1982, three families who had kept their herds of horses reactivated and reorganized the registry. In 1994, the group officially changed its name to the American Cream Draft Horse Association (ACDHA).
From the 1990s to Today
In 1982, owners began testing their horses' blood. By 1990, genetic tests showed that American Creams are a unique group among draft horses. They are not more closely related to Belgians than to other breeds like Percherons, Suffolk Punches, or Haflingers. Records from the early 1900s show that only draft horse breeds were used in their ancestry.
In 2000, there were 222 registered horses. This number grew to 350 by 2004. About 40 of these were "tracking horses." These are purebred American Creams that don't quite meet the color rules. Or they are mixed-breed horses with American Cream and other draft blood, but they still look like the breed. These tracking horses can be used for breeding. Their foals can then be registered as purebred American Creams. About 30 new horses are registered each year.
The Livestock Conservancy says the breed is in "critical" status. The Equus Survival Trust also calls the population "critical." This means there are only between 100 and 300 active adult breeding mares today. To help increase numbers, the ACDHA has rules that allow foals to be registered even if they are born using methods like artificial insemination (AI) or embryo transfer. Carefully using the appendix registry also helps increase the number of horses.
The American Creams living in Colonial Williamsburg are very famous. In the village, they pull wagons and carriages. Since 2006, Colonial Williamsburg has had a breeding program to help increase the number of these special horses.
See also
In Spanish: American Cream Draft para niños
