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Introduction How to Use "Basic Equine Color Genetics Simplified!" Basics of Equine Color Genetics Black, Brown, Bay & Chestnut Modifiers:
Contributor's Index
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Basic Equine Color Genetics Simplified! Single Cream Dilute The cream gene, in its heterozygous form (one copy of the gene), acts to dilute red pigment on the body of the horse to some shade of gold. It also has an exaggerated effect on red mane and tail hair, turning them white. In it's heterozygous form it has no apparent effect on black pigment. Resulting colors of a single cream
gene on the four base coat colors are:
SMOKY BLACK Smoky blacks are black horses with one copy of the cream gene. Generally, they show very few signs that they have the cream gene. However, at birth, many smoky blacks are born with dusky pink skin and bright blue eyes. The eyes and skin do generally darken fairly quickly. They may or may not show any other sign of their cream gene than these birth clues. Some smoky blacks may show golden shading in their soft areas, such as at the flanks and elbows. These are the same areas of some black horses that may show subtle hints of red. They sometimes will show golden under tones if they fade in the sun, too. But the two most accurate methods of verifying a smoky black are either to have a cream gene test performed by UC Davis, or wait for the horse to produce an obvious cream dilute offspring (buckskin or palomino) when bred to a non-cream dilute mate. They can also produce double cream dilute offspring when bred to a cream dilute mate. Basic genetic codes for smoky black are: black/black + cream
BROWN BUCKSKIN Brown buckskins are brown horses with one cream gene. They are generally called "very smutty buckskins". For the purpose of this cd, we will call then brown buckskins when it's fairly obvious the horse's base coat color is brown. Brown buckskins appear to be dark or black over the majority of their body, with the golden areas located mostly in the soft areas; belly, flanks, elbows, poll, throatlatch and muzzle. These soft areas are the same areas of the brown base coat that are generally red. The cream gene dilutes these red areas to gold and leaves the rest of the horse basically black. Basic genetic codes for brown buckskin are: black/black + br agouti + cream
BUCKSKIN Buckskins are bay horses with one cream gene. Buckskins have bodies of some shade of gold, and retain their dark/black points, because the cream gene does not dilute black when in its heterozygous form. The body of a Buckskin is the same area of the bay base coat that is generally red. The cream gene dilutes this red area to gold and leaves the points of the horse basically black. If the horse has any guard hairs along the sides of its mane and the head of the tail that would have otherwise been red (in the absence of the cream gene), these guard hairs are diluted to white. The cream gene has an exaggerated effect on red mane and tail hairs, which is why these guard hairs are diluted to white. This is called "frosting". Basic genetic codes for buckskin are: black/black + bay agouti + cream
PALOMINO Palominos are chestnut horses with one cream gene. Palominos have bodies of some shade of gold. The mane and tail are diluted to some shade of white since the cream gene has an exaggerated effect on red mane and tail hairs. Basic genetic codes for palomino are: red/red + cream
~~~~~~~~~ Double Cream Dilute When in it's homozygous form (two copies of the gene), it dilutes red pigment to some shade of light cream (nearly white), the skin to pink, and the eyes to a pale, icy blue shade; though sometimes the eyes may be very pale green. In it's homozygous form, it also dilutes black pigment on the body to a light cream, and black points to a pale red or rust shade. The shade of cream can vary from nearly white, to a very pale creamy yellow sometimes. Double cream dilute horses are homozygous for the cream gene. They will pass on one cream gene to 100% of their offspring. Resulting colors of two cream genes
on the four base coat colors are: *Brown and Bay with two cream genes probably look exactly the same. There currently is no separate name for a Brown with two cream genes and a Bay with two cream genes. The cream gene is the only dilution gene that has a true double dilution affect. And it may not always be easy to tell the difference between the four double cream dilute colors. It is important to note that the pink skin of a double cream dilute is not the same as the pink skin caused by a true white marking. The skin of the double cream dilute is fully pigmented and should be no more prone to sun burning that normal dark skin. The skin only appears to be pink due to the double dilution effect of the cream gene.
SMOKY CREAM Smoky Creams are black horses with two cream genes. Smoky creams are generally some shade of cream and should show some evidence of darker or reddish points. Skin is diluted to pink, and eyes to an icy blue or very pale green. Basic genetic codes for smoky cream are: black/black + cream/cream
PERLINO Perlinos are brown or bay horses with two cream genes. Like smoky creams, they will be some shade of cream with darker or light reddish points. It is probably difficult to tell the difference between smoky cream, brown based perlino and bay based perlino. Agouti testing by UC Davis would tell the difference between black based double dilutes (smoky creams), and brown/bay based double dilutes (perlinos). But it cannot tell if the horse is a brown based or a bay based double dilute. Skin is diluted to pink, and eyes to an icy blue or very pale green. Basic genetic codes for a brown based perlino are: black/black + br agouti + cream/cream Basic genetic codes for a bay based perlino are: black/black + bay agouti + cream/cream
CREMELLO Cremellos are chestnut horses with two cream genes. They are generally some shade of cream, with the skin diluted to pink, and eyes to an icy blue or very pale green. Basic genetic codes for cremello are: red/red + cream/cream
~Nancy Castle, TDM Equine Design~ NOTE: All photographs used on this CD-ROM are the copyright of the owners/photographers of the horses pictured. All photographs are used with the express permission of the copyright owner and cannot be copied or duplicated in any way without the written permission of the copyright owner. |
