View source for American Cream Draft

{{short description|American draft horse breed}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox horse breed
| name            = American Cream Draft
| image           = American Cream Draft Horse.jpg
| image2          = ACD Horses in Parade (cropped).jpg
| features        = Cream color, medium-heavy build
| status          = Critical
| altname         =
| nickname        =
| country         = United States
| group1          = American Cream Draft Association
| std1            = https://acdha.org/
}}

The '''American Cream Draft''' is an American [[list of horse breeds|breed]] of [[draft horse]], characterized by the cream or "gold champagne" color of its coat. It was developed in Iowa during the early twentieth century from a cream-colored mare named Old Granny. A [[breed registry]] was formed in 1944 but became inactive for several decades when breed numbers dropped due to the [[mechanised agriculture|mechanization of farming]]. It was reactivated in 1982 and population numbers have slowly grown since then. It is a [[rare breed]]: its [[conservation status]] is considered critical by [[The Livestock Conservancy]] and the [[Equus Survival Trust]].

== Characteristics ==

American Creams have refined heads, with flat facial profiles that are neither concave nor convex.<ref name=Official/> They have wide chests, sloping shoulders and short, strong backs. Their ribs are well sprung, and they are [[Back (horse)|short-coupled]] with well-muscled hindquarters and with strong well-proportioned legs set well apart. They are sure-footed with strong [[horse hoof|hooves]], and their [[horse gait|movement]] is free and easy.<ref name="brochure">{{cite web|url=http://www.acdha.net/pdfs/acdhabrochure1.pdf|title=American Cream Draft Horse: The Cream of Drafts|publisher=American Cream Draft Horse Association|access-date=2010-10-25|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723002414/http://www.acdha.net/pdfs/acdhabrochure1.pdf|archive-date=2011-07-23}}</ref> According to enthusiasts, the breed has a calm, willing temperament, particularly suited for owners who are new to handling draft horses.<ref name=ACDHA/> [[Mare]]s stand {{hands|15|–|16}} high and weigh {{convert|1500|–|1600|lbs|kg}}, while [[stallion]]s and [[gelding]]s stand {{hands|16|–|16.3|lk=off}} and weigh {{convert|1800|lbs|kg}} or more.<ref name=Dutson/>

The ideal coat color for the breed is a medium cream with pink skin, amber eyes and a white mane and tail.<ref name="IMH">{{cite web|url=http://imh.org/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&cid=197:north-america&id=2225:american-cream-draft-horse&Itemid=253|title=American Cream Draft Horse|publisher=International Museum of the Horse|access-date=2012-01-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514213948/http://imh.org/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&cid=197:north-america&id=2225:american-cream-draft-horse&Itemid=253|archive-date=2018-05-14|url-status = dead}}</ref>  The characteristic cream color of the breed is produced by the [[champagne gene]].<ref name="ACDHA">{{cite web|url=http://www.acdha.net/index.html|title=What is a cream draft?|publisher=American Cream Draft Horse Association|access-date=2010-10-23|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110214210921/http://www.acdha.net/index.html|archive-date=2011-02-14}}</ref> Recognized colors include light, medium and dark cream, with amber or hazel eyes.<ref name=Official/>  A cream mare with dark skin and a light mane and tail may be accepted by the registry as [[foundation stock]], while stallions must have pink skin and white manes and tails to be registered.<ref name=brochure/> Purebred American Cream [[foal]]s that are too dark to be accepted into the main [[breed registry]] may be recorded into an [[appendix registry]].<ref name="Dutson">{{cite book|pages=340–342|title=Storey's Illustrated Guide to 96 Horse Breeds of North America|author=Dutson, Judith|publisher=Storey Publishing|year=2005|isbn=1-58017-613-5}}</ref> The appendix will also accept half-bred Cream Draft horses crossed with other draft bloodlines if they meet certain requirements, and the registry provides an upgrade system that uses appendix horses to strengthen genes, increase breed numbers,<ref name=brochure/> and allow more diversified bloodlines.<ref name=Dutson/>

=== Color genetics ===

{{Main|Champagne gene}}
The champagne gene produces [[dilution gene|diluted color]], and the gold champagne body color, light skin, light eyes, and ivory mane and tail associated with the American Cream Draft are produced by the action of the champagne gene on a [[chestnut (coat)|chestnut]] base coat.<ref name="ICHR-gold">{{cite web |url=http://www.ichregistry.com/gold.htm |title=Gold Champagne |work=Colors |publisher=International Champagne Horse Registry |access-date=2009-06-08| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090524033000/http://www.ichregistry.com/gold.htm| archive-date= 24 May 2009 <!--DASHBot-->|url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="CHBOA-gold">{{cite web |url=http://www.chboa.com/classifications/gold.html |title=Gold Champagne |work=Classifications |publisher=Champagne Horse Breeders and Owners Association |access-date=2009-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705192415/http://www.chboa.com/classifications/gold.html |archive-date=2008-07-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  In the adult horse, the skin is pink with abundant dark freckles or mottling,<ref name="ICHRID">{{cite web |url=http://www.ichregistry.com/identification.htm |title=Identifying the Champagne Colored Horse |publisher=International Champagne Horse Registry |access-date=2009-06-03}}</ref> and the eyes are hazel or amber. The eyes of champagne foals are blue at birth, darkening as they age, and a foal's skin is bright pink.<ref name="UCD">{{cite web |url=http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/coatcolorhorse.php |title=Horse Coat Color Tests |publisher=UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory |access-date=2009-06-04| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090615220714/http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/coatcolorhorse.php| archive-date= 15 June 2009 <!--DASHBot-->|url-status = live}}</ref>  The breed registry describes foals' eyes as "almost white",<ref name=brochure/> which is consistent with the nature of the champagne blue foal eye, which is creamier than other types of blue eye.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=5049|title=Blue's Clues|access-date=2010-10-25|author=Anderson, Michelle|date=October 1, 2006|journal=The Horse|url-access=registration }}</ref>

[[File:Sleeping American Cream Draft Horse.jpg|thumb|Skin freckling is slightly visible around the muzzle of this resting horse]]
Champagne is a [[Dominance (genetics)|dominant]] trait, based on a mutation in the [[SLC36A1]] gene.<ref name=UCD/> The mapping of the gene was announced in 2008, and the American Cream Draft cross was among the breeds studied.<ref name="plos">{{cite journal|vauthors= Cook D, Brooks S, Bellone R, Bailey E|year=2008 | title=Missense Mutation in Exon 2 of SLC36A1 Responsible for Champagne Dilution in Horses| journal=PLOS Genetics |volume=4|issue=9| pages=1–9|pmid=18802473 |doi=10.1371/journal.pgen.1000195 | pmc=2535566|editor1-last=Barsh|editor1-first=Gregory S |doi-access=free }}</ref>  The authors of this study noted that it was difficult to distinguish between [[homozygous]] and [[heterozygous]] animals, thus distinguishing champagne from [[Dominance (genetics)|incomplete dominant]] dilutions such as the [[cream gene]].  However they noted that homozygotes may have less mottling or a slightly lighter hair color than heterozygotes.<ref name=plos/> Anecdotal reports also note mild differences, including lighter freckling, skin and hair coat, though eye color remains the same.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ichregistry.com/articles/Just_About_Everything-rev6-10.pdf|title=Just About Everything You Need to Know about Champagne Colored Horses|author=Shepard, Carolyn|access-date=2010-10-24|date=June 2010|publisher=International Champagne Horse Registry| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101029071132/http://ichregistry.com/articles/Just_About_Everything-rev6-10.pdf| archive-date= 29 October 2010 <!--DASHBot-->|url-status = live}}</ref>

Dark-skinned American Cream Draft horses are actually [[chestnut (coat)|chestnuts]], as the breed is not homozygous for the champagne gene; only one [[allele]] is needed to produce the proper color. Champagne dilutes any base coat color, and in the American Cream Draft, the underlying genetic base color is chestnut. As of 2003, scientists have not found the breed to carry the cream gene, even though breeders refer to the desired color as "cream".<ref>{{cite book| author = Sponenberg, Dan Phillip| title = Equine Color Genetics| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ihTMGxdBXb8C| date = 2003-04-14| publisher = Wiley-Blackwell| isbn = 0-8138-0759-X| page = 47 }}</ref> The American Cream Draft is never [[cremello]] or [[white (horse)|white]], and though the gold coat color with a white mane and tail resembles [[palomino]], the breed's defining characteristics are the result of the champagne gene.<ref name="Official">{{cite book| author = Lynghaug, Fran| title = The Official Horse Breeds Standards Guide: The Complete Guide to the Standards of All North American Equine Breed Associations| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=myQBSVVEhagC| year = 2009| publisher = Voyageur Press| isbn = 978-0-7603-3499-7| pages = 342–345 }}</ref>
{{Clear}}

=== Junctional epidermolysis bullosa ===

The [[Dominance (genetics)|autosomal recessive]] genetic disease [[Junctional epidermolysis bullosa (veterinary medicine)|junctional epidermolysis bullosa]] (JEB) has been found in some American Cream Drafts.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=The Horse|url-access=registration |url=http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=6169|title=Equine Genetic Disease: Who's At Risk?|author=King, Marcia|date=October 1, 2005|access-date=2010-10-24}}</ref> This is a lethal genetic disorder that causes newborn foals to lose large areas of skin and have other abnormalities, normally leading to [[animal euthanasia|euthanasia]] of the animal.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=4994  |title=Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa (JEB) in Belgian Draft Horses: AAEP 2003|access-date=2010-10-24|author=Church, Stephanie L.|date=February 17, 2004|journal=The Horse|url-access=registration }}</ref> It is most commonly associated with [[American Belgian Draft|Belgian]] horses, but is also found in other draft breeds. A [[DNA]] test was developed in 2002, and JEB can be avoided as long as two carriers are not bred to one another.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=5049|title=JEB in Belgian Draft Horses|access-date=2010-10-24|author=Church, Stephanie L.|date=March 1, 2004|journal=The Horse|url-access=registration }}</ref> The American Cream registry states that it has "been pro-active in testing its registered animals since JEB was discovered".<ref name="History">{{cite web|url=http://www.acdha.net/history.html|title=Our History|publisher=American Cream Draft Horse Association|access-date=2010-10-24|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110214141257/http://www.acdha.net/history.html|archive-date=2011-02-14}}</ref>

== Breed history ==

[[File:American Cream Draft Horse1.jpg|thumb|right|Head and shoulders of an American Cream]]
The American Cream Draft descends from a [[foundation bloodstock|foundation mare]] named Old Granny. She was probably foaled between 1900 and 1905, and was first noticed at an auction in [[Story County, Iowa]], in 1911 and purchased by Harry Lakin, a well-known stock dealer.<ref name=IMH/> She was eventually sold to Nelson Brothers Farm in [[Jewell, Iowa]]. Her breeding is not known, but she was cream-colored and many of her foals were as well; they sold for above-average prices because of their color.<ref name=Dutson/> Her cream-colored coat, pink skin and amber eyes are defining standards for the breed,<ref name=History/> and the color is now known as gold champagne.<ref name=ACDHA/> In 1946, two years after the [[breed registry]] was formed, 98 percent of the horses registered could be traced back to Old Granny.<ref name=Dutson/>

In 1920, a  [[colt (horse)|colt]] of Old Granny's named Nelson's Buck No. 2 impressed [[veterinarian]] Eric Christian to the point that Christian asked the Nelsons not to [[gelding|geld]] him.<ref name=Dutson/> They agreed to let him remain a stallion, and he sired several cream-colored foals, though only one was registered:<ref name=IMH/> a colt named Yancy No. 3, whose [[dam]] was a [[black (horse)|black]] mare of [[Percheron]] breeding.<ref name=Dutson/> Yancy sired Knox 1st, born in 1926 to an unregistered [[bay (horse)|bay]] mare of mixed [[Shire horse|Shire]] ancestry.<ref name=IMH/> From this sire line, in 1931, a great-great-grandson of Nelson's Buck was born, named Silver Lace No. 9. Silver Lace was to become one of the most influential stallions of the American Cream breed. His dam was a Belgian mare with light chestnut coloring, and she is credited with Silver Lace's size&nbsp;– at {{convert|2230|lbs|kg}} he weighed considerably more than most of his bloodline. 

Silver Lace quickly became a popular stallion in Iowa. However, stallions standing for public [[stud service]] in Iowa were required to be registered with the Iowa Department of Agriculture, and this agency only allowed horses of recognized breeds. As Silver Lace was not registered with any [[breed registry]], his owners created a breeding [[syndicate]], and mare owners who bought shares in the "Silver Lace Horse Company" could breed their mares to him.  However, his main breeding career coincided with the economic struggles of the [[Great Depression]], and Silver Lace was at one point hidden in a neighbor's barn to prevent his sale at auction.<ref name=Dutson/> Another significant foundation stallion was Ead's Captain, whose bloodlines appear in about one-third of all American Cream Drafts.<ref name=History/>

Around 1935, despite the Depression, a few breeders started to [[linebreeding|linebreed]] and [[inbreeding|inbreed]] cream-colored horses to fix their color and type.<ref name=brochure/> In particular, C.T. Rierson began buying cream-colored mares sired by Silver Lace and developing the American Cream breed in earnest. In 1944, a breed association, the American Cream Association, was formed by 20 owners and breeders and granted a corporate charter in the state of Iowa.<ref name=Dutson/><ref name=History/> In 1950, the breed was finally recognized by the Iowa Department of Agriculture, based on a 1948 recommendation by the National Stallion Enrollment Board.<ref name=Dutson/>

The mechanization of farming in the mid-20th century led to a decrease in the overall draft horse population,<ref name=IMH/> and with Rierson's death in 1957, American Cream Draft numbers began to decline.<ref name=brochure/>  By the late 1950s there were only 200 living American Creams registered, owned by only 41 breeders.<ref name=IMH/>  The registry became inactive until 1982 when three families who had retained their herds reactivated and reorganized the registry.<ref name=brochure/><ref name=History/> In 1994, the organization officially changed its name to the American Cream Draft Horse Association (ACDHA).<ref name=brochure/>

=== 1990s to the present ===

In 1982, owners began blood-typing their horses,<ref name=Official/> and by 1990, [[genetic testing]] found that "compared with other draft breeds and based upon gene marker data, the Creams form a distinct group within the draft horses."<ref name=IMH/> The American Cream Draft was found to have a genetic relationship with the Belgian breed that was no closer than the ones it had with the Percheron, [[Suffolk Punch]] and [[Haflinger]] breeds.<ref name=IMH/> Registry records dating to the early 20th century show no bloodlines other than draft breeding.<ref name=brochure/>  

As of 2000, there were 222 registered horses, a number that increased to 350 as of 2004. Of these, 40 were "tracking horses"&nbsp;– either purebred American Creams that did not meet color requirements or [[crossbred]] horses that mix American Cream and other draft blood, but still meet the physical requirements for the registry. These tracking horses are allowed by certain regulations to be used as breeding stock, with the resulting foals able to be registered as purebred American Creams. Around 30 new horses are registered each year.<ref name=Dutson/> 

As of 2024, [[The Livestock Conservancy]] considers the breed to be at "critical" status, meaning that the estimated global population of the breed is less than 500, and there are less than 200 registrations annually in the US.{{r|cpl2024}} The [[Equus Survival Trust]] also considers the population to be "critical", meaning that there are between 100 and 300 active adult breeding mares in existence today.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.equus-survival-trust.org/documents/equineconservationlist.pdf|title=Equus Survival Trust Equine Conservation List|publisher=Equus Survival Trust|access-date=2010-10-23}}</ref>  To help replenish numbers, the ACDHA has developed regulations to permit foals to be registered when produced via methods such as [[artificial insemination]] and [[embryo transfer]]. Careful use of the appendix registry also allows numbers to increase.<ref name=brochure/>

The American Creams that live in [[Colonial Williamsburg]] have been called "the most famous of all American Cream Draft horses". Colonial Williamsburg acquired its first American Cream Draft horses in 1989<ref name="Crews">{{cite web |last1=Crews |first1=Ed |title=Equine Equanimity: It Takes a Special Sort of Horse |url=https://research.colonialwilliamsburg.org/Foundation/journal/Spring07/horses.cfm |website=Colonial Williamsburg |access-date=23 December 2024}}</ref> as part of its Rare Breeds program, which began in 1986.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rare Breeds and Randolph Stable Project |url=https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/give/funding-opportunities/rare-breeds/ |website=Colonial Williamsburg |access-date=23 December 2024}}</ref> In the village, American Creams are used for wagon and carriage rides, and as of 2006, there is a breeding program run by Colonial Williamsburg that is working to increase breed numbers.<ref name="Harris">{{cite book |first=Moira C. |last=Harris |title=America's Horses: A Celebration of the Horse Breeds Born in the U.S.A |year=2006 |publisher=[[The Lyons Press]] |isbn=1-59228-893-6 |page=7 |ol=8861622M}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="cpl2024">{{Cite web |url=https://livestockconservancy.org/heritage-breeds/conservation-priority-list/ |title=Conservation Priority List |access-date=August 19, 2024 |website=[[The Livestock Conservancy]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240815065748/https://livestockconservancy.org/heritage-breeds/conservation-priority-list/ |archive-date=August 15, 2024}}</ref>

}}

== External links ==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|En-American_Cream_Draft-article.ogg|date=2023-07-19}}
{{Commons category|American Cream Draft Horse}}
* [https://acdha.org/ American Cream Draft Horse Association]

{{Horse breeds of Canada and the United States|state=collapsed}}
{{featured article}}

[[Category:Conservation Priority Breeds of the Livestock Conservancy]]
[[Category:Horse breeds originating in the United States]]
[[Category:Draft horses]]