The first buckskin coloured thoroughbreds have been registered with Weatherbys.
Xenaura and Auriane (pictured right) were born in May and are by Electrum, the first – and only registered – cremello thoroughbred in the UK.
Electrum was recognised as cremello by the International Stud Book Committee (ISBC) in 2008 (news, 6 November) after Leigh Ann Kerr, of Bexley, Kent, approached Weatherbys.
And in his first crop of foals were two buckskin fillies – horses with a coat the colour of tanned deerskin and black mane and tail – so Ms Kerr went back to Weatherbys.
An application by Weatherbys for buckskin to be included in international studbooks was approved at the ISBC’s annual meeting in September.
Buckskin occurs as a result of one copy of the cream dilution gene acting on a brown coat colour.
“This is very exciting to have another first,” Ms Kerr told H&H.
The fillies will be aimed at eventing and Auriane started her showing career at Edenbridge and Oxted Show in August.
This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (20 October, 2011)
