, but distinguished by mottling around nose Champagne is a
dominant trait, based on a mutation in the
SLC36A1 gene. The authors of this study noted that The following are considered the most "basic" champagne coat colors:
Classic champagne is, as its name suggests, the coat color most associated with the champagne gene. It is produced by the action of champagne on a
black coat. The body coat is chocolate, the mane and tail a darker shade. The legs may also be slightly darker. The overall effect has also been described as lilac, dark taupe, and even green. This color is most often misclassified as
grullo, and in the past was sometimes called "lilac dun."
Sable champagne is produced by the action of champagne on a
seal brown coat. It is visually difficult to distinguish from classic champagne, and can be confirmed by a
DNA test negative for the recessive black (
a) allele at
Agouti. The legs are often lighter than the mane and tail, and the colored points may be difficult to see. The mane and tail may also have "frosting" or light edges, a trait that also occurs in
bay duns and some
buckskins. Amber champagne can be confused with buckskin or bay dun.
Gold champagne is produced by the action of champagne on a
chestnut coat. The coat is gold, and the mane and tail are typically ivory. In some cases, the mane and tail may be self-colored, matching the body coat. These gold champagnes are sometimes called "dark gold" and may be an all-over apricot shade. Dark gold champagnes can be confused with
red dun, while those with paler manes and tails were historically called "pumpkin-skinned
palominos." Apart from the unique shades, there are several qualities of the champagne coat that may be used to help identify them. Champagne coats often have an unusual sheen. This sheen makes champagnes difficult to photograph accurately, as the appearance of the coat depends on the lighting. The freckles - not mottles, splotches, specks, or blotches - are dark and may have a purple cast, and are small and numerous. By comparison, mottling associated with the
Leopard complex is large and blocky alternations between true black or charcoal-colored skin and pigmentless-pink skin. The skin of
cremellos and perlinos is pigmented-pink, and exhibit a scant few tiny black specks. Homozygous
pearls and pearl-cream combinations also exhibit some freckling of the skin, however this is muted in comparison to the freckles of champagne skin. The color qualities of the skin are most evident around the eyes and muzzle, under the tail, and on the udder or sheath. In the newborn or very young
foal, the eyes are bright blue to blue-green and the skin is bright pink. The champagne blue foal eye is creamier than other types of blue eye such as the bright, unpigmented blue seen on some
pinto horses. In the past, some breeders and horse owners had concerns that horses with light-colored skin and eyes were not healthy. However, the lightening of these parts of the horse due to the champagne gene is not known to be linked to any health or genetic defects. While horses with
white markings may sunburn on exposed unpigmented skin, the freckled-pink skin of a champagne horse is said to tan instead. In addition, the color of the hoof has no bearing on its strength.
Interaction with other coat color factors The presence of other coat color modifying alleles has no effect on whether or not a horse has the champagne trait. However, different traits may interact; they may suppress, enhance, obscure or cancel out various tell-tale clues to the genetic identity of a coat color. Coat colors involving multiple genes often have an unexpected appearance and unique terminology. This type of genetic interaction is called
epistasis. Horses with both the champagne gene and the
cream gene are the most common combination. The cream gene is responsible for the
palomino,
buckskin and cremello coat colors, and is a dose-dependent or
incomplete dominant, meaning that a horse with only one copy is visibly different from a horse with two copies of the gene. A single copy of the cream gene dilutes red pigment in the coat to gold or yellow, and has a slight effect on the skin and
eye color. The black pigment is lightened little, if at all. Two copies of the cream gene dilute both red and black pigments in the hair to cream or ivory, dilute the skin to a rosy-pink and the eyes to pale blue. The cream gene and champagne gene have an additive or enhancing interaction. Horses with the champagne gene and a single cream gene typically have lighter yellowish or blue eyes and paler, more faintly freckled skin. •
Gold cream or
Ivory champagne refers to an otherwise-
chestnut coat affected by the champagne gene and a single copy of the
cream gene. The mane, tail, and coat of gold creams are typically ivory and difficult to distinguish from cremello, other than by the skin and eyes. •
Amber cream, similarly, is an otherwise-
bay coat affected by the champagne gene and a single copy of the cream gene. The terms "cremello champagne", "perlino champagne" and so forth are also acceptable. Horses with both the champagne gene and the
dun gene are also well-recorded. The dun gene is responsible for flat, diluted coat colors and vivid
primitive markings. Bay dun is thought to be the
wildtype horse coat color. Dun does not affect skin or eye color, but dilutes red pigment to yellow and black pigment to slate gray. Champagne horses with the dun gene will have slightly further-diluted coats compared to non-dun champagnes, and will always exhibit striking primitive markings, such as a dorsal stripe and zebra-like stripes on the legs. Naming schemes are much the same as with champagne-cream combinations. Champagne-dun combinations retain their champagne eye and skin traits. The coats are distinguishable from non-champagne duns in that they are several shades lighter, black pigment is chocolate rather than slate, and they may exhibit a sheen. The coats are distinguishable from non-dun champagnes in the presence of primitive markings and a flatter tone. •
Gold dun refers to an otherwise-chestnut coat affected by both the champagne gene and
dun gene. The mane and tail may be ivory or self-colored; the body coat ranges from a warm cream to apricot color with primitive markings a shade darker. The coat is substantially paler and more "yellow" than that of a chestnut dun, and flatter than that of a gold champagne. •
Amber dun refers to an otherwise-bay coat affected by both the champagne gene and dun gene. Silvers vary tremendously in shade and so defining a "typical" example is difficult. •
Amber silver refers to an otherwise-bay coat affected by both the champagne gene and silver gene. The darkest examples resemble classic champagnes with a silvery mane and tail. The palest are a very pale
pewter. Some have warm chocolate tones, others do not. The champagne gene, in combination with some white patterning genes, can also produce unexpected phenotypes. Horses with the
leopard gene or
Appaloosas exhibit starkly mottled skin around the muzzle, eyes, anus and sheath or udder. Most commonly, the mottling is blocky patches of normal, black skin and unpigmented pink. When a horse has both the leopard gene and the champagne gene, the champagne-associated skin is present only where the skin would be otherwise black. In combination with
gray, champagne produces very unusual coat behavior. Typically, gray horses are born a dark shade of their natural color, and begin to develop gray hairs around the eyes and muzzle. With each shed, the coat becomes lighter and lighter. Many older grays develop the "fleabitten" trait, in which small, interspersed flecks of red occur and often increase in density with age, even as the rest of the coat loses pigment. A few grays will also develop
vitiligo in which the skin also progressively loses pigment. When a horse carries both gray and champagne, additional traits occur: Gray-champagnes are born with darker coats than the usual champagne foal, but still exhibiting the expected bright blue eyes and pink skin. The freckling that develops on the skin is also exceptionally dark and dense. Gray-champagnes appear more likely to experience vitiligo.
Champagne mimics Many coat color modifying genes affect the skin and eyes as well as the coat color. Several of these may be confused with champagne. Today, when the visible cues are insufficient, horses can be
DNA tested for the champagne gene,
Cream gene,
Pearl gene, and
Silver dapple gene.
Palomino or
Chestnut vs.
Gold champagne: The most common confusion, as both of these genetically distinct coat colors feature a gold or yellow coat and ivory or cream mane and tail. As adults, the pinkish freckled skin and hazel eyes indicate gold champagne, while gray or black skin and light or dark brown eyes indicate palomino. At birth, palominos may have pink skin and blue or grey eyes, however these darken within days or weeks. Occasionally,
chestnuts are also born with blue eyes and pink skin, and as gold champagnes often have chestnut-colored foal coats, the two can be difficult to distinguish. Again, the skin and eyes of the chestnut will darken quickly. In all cases, pedigrees can provide important information. Palominos will have a parent that is palomino,
buckskin,
smoky black, or
blue-eyed cream. Champagnes will have a champagne parent.
Buckskin and
Bay dun vs.
Amber champagne: All three of these genetically distinct coat colors feature a lighter bronze or tan coat with darker points. As adults, the pinkish freckled skin and hazel eyes indicate amber champagne, while gray or black skin and light or dark brown eyes indicate buckskin or bay dun. Duns do not exhibit unusually colored skin, though buckskins, like palominos, may be born with blue eyes that darken within days or weeks. Bay dun horses also exhibit
primitive markings, especially a dorsal stripe, though amber duns will also possess these marks. The eyes and skin remain the best identifying feature. Buckskins, like palominos, will a parent that is
palomino, buckskin, smoky black, or
blue-eyed cream. Bay duns will have a parent that is bay dun, red dun, or grullo. Champagnes will have a champagne parent. .
Grullo vs.
Classic champagne or
Sable champagne: Classic and sable champagnes are difficult to distinguish without a DNA test. Grullos and classic champagnes are both dilutions of the
black coat, and typically have black or dark points and dove-gray coats. However, Grullos, in absence of any other dilution factors, are not born with pink skin and blue eyes, while champagnes always have these traits. As adults, grullos will retain their dark brown eyes and black skin, while champagnes have pinkish freckled skin and hazel eyes. Grullos, like all duns, will possess
primitive markings, and their coats are typically a cooler, slate shade, while classic and sable champagnes are chocolate-toned. The points and primitive markings on the grullo are black, while the points on classic and sable champagnes are brown. Grullos will have
dun ancestry and champagnes will have champagne ancestry.
Red dun vs.
Dark gold champagne: Some gold champagnes have darker bodies and self-colored manes and tails. These horses may resemble red duns, however red duns have distinct
primitive markings and do not possess pinkish freckled skin or hazel eyes as adults, nor the bright pink skin and bright blue eyes of champagne foals.
Blue-eyed cream vs.
Champagne: Blue-eyed cream is a collective term for any horse homozygous for the
Cream gene (cremello, perlino, etc.). Blue-eyed creams, as their name suggests, have blue eyes from birth through adulthood and also have pink skin. Typically their blue eyes are quite pale, and are easy to distinguish from the sky blue eyes of champagne foals and the hazel eyes of adult champagnes. Their skin may have a scant few black flecks, but the abundant freckles of champagne skin are absent. The respective shades of pink skin and blue eyes are slightly different.
Leopard vs.
Champagne: The
Leopard complex is responsible for the spotted coat of the
Appaloosa and other breeds. Even when a spotted hair coat is absent, other traits produced include
mottled skin and a white
sclera around the eye but generally the eye itself is dark brown. These mottles are alternations between unpigmented pink skin and pigmented skin, which is usually black (thus the mottles are black on a pink background). The mottles are substantially larger than the freckles of champagne skin, and leopard complex horses do not necessarily have light eyes.
Pearl vs.
Champagne: In the homozygous state, or when combined with cream, the
Pearl gene produces a diluted apricot to buff color, pale eyes and pale skin. Heterozygous pearls (one copy of the gene) often exhibit dark skin with some pinkish freckles, while homozygous pearls (two copies of the gene) have champagne-like skin. The freckles on homozygous pearls and pearl-creams are pale and muted. ==Prevalence==