Amaretto Breedables Customer Connection

Waaaay back in the dawn of time when Amaretto started, they had starter coats called Palominos. They were primitive horses, who could barely use tools, and had no knowledge of traits or racing free on the range. They were the creme, the golden, the silver and the shy tan.

In the United States, some palomino horses are classified as a color breed. However, unlike the Appaloosa or the Friesian, which are distinct breeds that also happen to have a unique color preference, Palomino color breed registries often accept a wide range of breed or type if the animals are properly golden-colored. The Palomino cannot be a true horse breed, however, because palomino color is an incomplete dominant gene and does not breed “true”. A palomino crossed with a palomino may result in a palomino about 50% of the time, but could also produce a chestnut (25% probability) or a cremello (25% probability). Thus, palomino is simply a partially expressed color allele and not a set of characteristics that make up a “breed.” Sounds a bit like Amaretto breeding, with a “hidden” coat.

Due to their distinct color, palominos stand out in a show ring, and are much sought after as parade horses. They were particularly popular in movies and television during the 1940s and 1950s. One of the most famous palomino horses was Trigger, known as “the smartest horse in movies”, the faithful mount of the Hollywood cowboy star Roy Rogers. Another famous palomino was Mister Ed (real name Bamboo Harvester) who starred on his own TV show in the 1960s. A palomino was also featured in the show Xena: Warrior Princess (1995–2001). Xena’s horse Argo was portrayed by a palomino mare. Argo was mainly performed by Tilly.

Meanwhile, back in Amarettoland, Palominos eventually acquired traits but still worried about their looks. One day the 2.0 update appeared as if by magic, and Lo! they changed their appearance. Their legs became slender and graceful, and their colors became truer.

Today the palomino coat is retired after a long life of hard work and breeding. Luckily for breeders, they can still be bred from existing lines and have been used to create some interesting horses, like the Twist horse, the Pintomino which came from breeding any color Pinto to any color Palomino.

My personal favorite color of Palomino is the gold, which always reminds me of Roy Rogers and Trigger. I like to try and duplicate him by adding coat and hair gleam to the gold Palomino coat, with long/long traits.

What is YOUR favorite Palomino?