The Camarillo White Horse breed was founded by the landowner Adolfo Camarillo in California in the 1920s. It is a pure white horse with pink skin, a compact body and large expressive eyes.

This breed has become a symbol of the city Camarillo and is prominently featured on vehicle signs, street signs, shops, etc in the city. The Camarillo Chamber of Commerce even has a Camarillo White Horse on its insignia.

Are the foals white too?

Yes, the foals are white – just like the adults. This is not one of those breeds where the foals have a different colour than the adults.

Breed characteristics

This body is compact yet refined, with strong limbs, laid-back shoulders and well-defined withers.

The ideal neck is well-arched and the head should be clean-cut. The eyes are large and expressive.

As mentioned above, the coat is pure white and the skin is pink.

History of the Camarillo White Horse

The story of the Camarillo White Horse started in 1921 when the prominent California landowner Adolfo Camarillo purchased the mustang stallion Sultan (born 1912) at the California State Fair in Sacramento.

Sultan had offspring with several different mares at Camarillo’s ranch and this is how the Camarillo White Horse breed was created. Soon, these attention-drawing pure white horses began showing up at parades and other celebrations in the region, and they became a must-have for events such as the Tournament of Roses Parade and Santa Barbara Fiesta Parade.

After Adolfo Camarillo’s death in 1958, his daughter Carmen carried on his legacy of breeding white horses and bringing them to local events. When she died in 1987, the remaining horses were sold at public auction, in accordance with her wishes.

The Camarillo White Horse Association

In 1991, a few years after the death of Adolfo Camarillo’s daughter Carmen, only 11 Camarillo White horses remained. The Camarillo White Horse Association (CWHA) was founded in 1992 in an effort to save the breed.

Breeding Camarillo White Horses

Since only 11 individuals remained in 1991, the studbook is open to prevent interbreeding.

A horse doesn´t have to have two Camarillo White horse parents to be eligible for registry. Instead, one Camarillo White horse parent is enough, as long as the other parent belongs to one of the specific permitted horse breeds. This list of permitted horse breeds includes, among other things, certain Andalusian and Standardbred bloodlines.

Non-white foals are registered in a separate registry (also kept by the CWHA).