Among the rarer dilutions, pearl or Barlink probably comes from horses of Iberian descent. Long known as pearl to the Spanish, American Quarter Horse breeders named the same characteristics after a stallion called Barlink Macho Man.
Updated Colors
We’ve been giving our colors section a major overhaul, to make the information more accurate and provide better images. Equine color genetics are incredibly complex and some of it still remains a mystery, even for geneticists. We think that is part of the fun.
Pearl is Prettier
Today most agree to call this dilution pearl, to recognize that it likely made it’s way to the Americas via Iberian animals. We prefer the name, Barlink doesn’t sound nearly as romantic. Similar to cream (both mutations are located in the same gene) it requires a double dose to have an affect on black or red pigment. Not to mention they can work together to produce creamy white.
The Range
Unfortunately we don’t have any good pearl images to show. We think the top image is a pearl, but it could be a perlino. We’ve got placeholders in the pearl section, but don’t want to use them as color examples because they are the best we could do with AI. When we do find those elusive pearls, you can be sure we will announce it.
Pearl Breeds
While there aren’t pearl breeds per se, there are breeds that carry the genetics. It has long been known in Andalusian and Lusitanos which brought it with them to the Americas, passing it on to Quarter Horses and Paints. As far as we know there are not any breeds bred specifically for this lovely coloring, but as recognition and appreciation grows that may change.
Colorful World
The world of horse colors is truly a spectacular one and we will continue to share updated color (and breed) pages, with all of their spectacular images.