Horse
Pronunciation:
ka-mə-ˈrē-ō wīt
Breed Description:
The Camarillo White breed of horse is a pure white horse, with pink skin under white hair. Camarillo White horses are white from birth. Other distinctive physical characteristics include a compact build, strong muscular legs, large dark eyes, an arched neck, and defined withers. They are suitable for general riding and driving, and often appear in parades because of their distinctive looks. As of 2009, there are 14 known living Camarillo White horses. The Camarillo White breed of horse does not carry the genes for Lethal White Syndrome. (This syndrome is described below in the Health Problems section.)
Temperament:
The Camarillo White breed of horse reportedly has a spirited but willing temperament.
Health Problems:
The Camarillo White breed of horse is not associated with any breed-specific health problems. However, a genetic issue arises in breeding the horses. Breeding a true white horse is quite difficult. Although the white "W" gene is a dominant gene, it is fatal when homozygous (that is, when the genetic pairing is WW). Thus, there is statistically only a 50% chance of a Camarillo White horse producing a living white foal from any given mating, regardless of the color of the other parent. [If the other parent is not white, there is a 50% chance of producing a white foal and a 50% chance of producing a non-white foal. If, on the other hand, the other parent is white, there is a 50% chance of producing a live white foal, a 25% chance of producing a non-white foal, and a 25% chance of producing a white foal that dies in the womb.]
Grooming:
The Camarillo White breed of horse requires regular grooming, which means cleaning its coat, combing out its mane and tail, picking out its hooves, and keeping its dock, eyes, muzzle, and nostrils clean with damp sponges (a different one for the dock area than for the eyes, nose, and mouth).
Origin:
The Camarillo White breed of horse is less than 100 years old. All Camarillo White Horses descend from a single sire, Sultan, a Spanish Mustang born in 1912 and bought by Adolfo Camarillo in 1921. Camarillo bred Sultan to Morgan mares at the Camarillo Ranch, and developed a line of horses that was owned and bred exclusively by the Camarillo family for the next 65 years. When Adolfo's daughter Carmen died in 1987, the Camarillo White horses were sold at public auction and scattered. By 1991, only 11 horses remained. Concerned that the Camarillo White breed of horse could die out, interested parties formed the Camarillo White Horse Association in 1992. The registry requires at least one parent to be of Camarillo's original stock. The other parent can be from various breeds, including Andalusian and Standardbred.
The Camarillo White breed of horse is the official horse of the City of Camarillo, California. 