Camarillo White Horse facts for kids
A Camarillo White Horse
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| Distinguishing features | Pure white, compact, muscular but refined build, clean-cut head, well arched neck. |
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| Country of origin | United States of America |
| Horse (Equus ferus caballus) | |
The Camarillo White Horse is a special and rare type of horse. It's famous for its beautiful, pure white coat. This breed is less than 100 years old! It all started in 1921 when a man named Adolfo Camarillo bought a young male horse, a stallion, named Sultan. He found Sultan at the California State Fair in Sacramento. The Camarillo family owned and bred these white horses for many years, until Adolfo's daughter, Carmen, passed away in 1987.
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What Makes Camarillo White Horses Special?
The Camarillo White Horse is known for its pure white color. This means they have white hair and pink skin underneath. Unlike a gray horse, which is born dark and gets lighter as it grows, Camarillo White Horses are born white and stay white their whole lives.
These horses are not just about their color. They also have a unique body shape. They are known for being strong and well-built, but also graceful. They have:
- Strong legs
- An expressive face
- Large eyes
- Well-defined shoulders
- A nicely arched neck
How Do They Get Their White Color?
Getting a true white horse is very rare and tricky. This is because of a special gene called the "W" gene. If a horse has two copies of this gene (WW), it's not able to survive and dies before birth. This means all living true white horses only have one copy of the "W" gene (Ww).
When a white horse (Ww) is bred with a non-white horse (ww), there's a 50% chance the foal will be white. There's also a 50% chance the foal will be non-white. Breeders often choose to breed white horses with non-white horses. This way, they still have a good chance of getting a white foal without the risk of the foal not surviving. It's important to know that Camarillo White Horses do not carry the genes for a different problem called Lethal white syndrome.
The Story of the Camarillo White Horse
All Camarillo White Horses can be traced back to one special horse named Sultan. Sultan was a Spanish Mustang born in 1912. Adolfo Camarillo called him a "Stallion of a dream." Camarillo saw Sultan at the 1921 California State Fair in Sacramento. He bought Sultan, and together they won many awards across California.
Camarillo bred Sultan with Morgan mares (female horses) at his Camarillo Ranch. He created a special line of horses that only his family owned and bred for the next 65 years. When Adolfo Camarillo passed away in 1958, his daughter Carmen took over the horse breeding. She continued to show the horses in parades and events for the people of Ventura County.
When Carmen died in 1987, the horses were sold at a public auction. This ended the family's special ownership of the breed.
Saving the Breed
In 1989, a few people decided to bring the horses back together for public shows. By 1991, there were only 11 horses left, and it looked like the breed might disappear! So, in 1992, the Camarillo White Horse Association was created.
To keep the horses healthy and avoid inbreeding (breeding horses that are too closely related), the association allows new horses to join the group. At least one parent must be from Camarillo's original horses. The other parent can be from other breeds, like Andalusian or Standardbred horses. They also keep records of any non-white foals born from these special horses.
Famous Appearances
Since the 1930s, Camarillo White Horses became very well known along the California coast. They performed at many events. They were regular participants in the famous Tournament of Roses Parade. They even attended the parade to open the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.
Today, they are the official horse of the city of Camarillo. They have appeared in every Santa Barbara Fiesta parade since it started in 1924. Many important people have ridden Camarillo White Horses, including:
- Ronald Reagan (who later became President)
- John Mott, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946
- Movie star Leo Carrillo
- Steven Ford, son of President Gerald Ford
