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# Perlino
- URL: https://equinecolors.com/perlino/
- Published: 2025-11-13T10:22:57.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-10T10:33:35.000Z
- Description: Perlino is a horse color caused by two copies of the cream dilution on a bay base. The coat, mane and tail are a creamy color.
- Author: Hannelore Roodhooft
- Tags: Colors, Dilutions, MATP, #Import 2026-08-12 09:42

## Appearance

| Foals | ![Perlino foal](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/11/perlinofoal.png) |  | Cremello foals have a **cream-colored body,**mane and tail. They have **pink skin** and**blue eyes**. |
| ----- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |  | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |

| **[Bay base](https://equinecolors.com/bay/)** diluted to a **nearly white or creamy** color. **Mane and tail** can be **slightly darker** andmore reddish than the coat. Perlino horses have**pink** skin and **blue eyes**. | ![Perlino horse](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/11/perlino-1.png) | Adults |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------ |

### Mimics

All double cream dilutions ([cremello](https://equinecolors.com/cremello/), perlino, [smoky cream](https://equinecolors.com/smoky-cream/)) have overlapping appearances. Genetic testing is necessary to confirm the coat color.

## Genetics

Perlino is the result of a **bay base** diluted by **two copies of cream**. The cream (CR) dilution is an allele of the [**MATP**](https://equinecolors.com/matp-gene/) gene.

![CTA Image](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/12/Equinecolors_Icon_DNA1-14.png) 

****Perlino:**  
Bay (E/\_ A/\_) + CR/CR

Perlino horses will always pass on a cream [allele](https://equinecolors.com/dictionary/#:~:text=the%20DNA%20sequence-,Alleles,-Different%20versions%20of) to their foals.

**Read more:**  
[Bay](https://equinecolors.com/bay/) | [Palomino](https://equinecolors.com/palomino/) | [Smoky black](https://equinecolors.com/smoky-black/) | [Buckskin](https://equinecolors.com/buckskin/) | [Cremello](https://equinecolors.com/cremello/) | [Smoky cream](https://equinecolors.com/smoky-cream/)

[Back to Cream](https://equinecolors.com/dilutions/)

## Articles

1. Locke, M. M., Ruth, L. S., Millon, L .V., Penedo, M. C. T., Murray, J. D., & Bowling, A. T.; ***The cream dilution gene, responsible for the palomino and buckskin coat colours, maps to horse chromosome 21***. Animal Genetics (2001); doi: [10.1046/j.1365-2052.2001.00806.x](https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2052.2001.00806.x?ref=equinecolors.com)
2. Mariat, D., Taourit, S., & Guérin, G.; ***A mutation in the MATP gene causes the cream coat colour in the horse.*** Genetics Selection Evolution (2003); doi: [10.1051/gse:2002039](https://doi.org/10.1051/gse:2002039?ref=equinecolors.com)

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