APHA Paint Horse Journal released a 6 page article on 10/08 about Chanpagne Horses.

To read the article please visit

http://photobucket.com/champagnehorses

to read the article

Dilutions are a form of color variation. There are 4 base cost colors (sorrel/chestnut, bay , brown and black) which can be affected by them.

There are several dilutions Recognized (dun, cream, silver, pearl and champagne),  some have had definitive genetic tests developed for them.

The Cream gene dilutes red pigment producing palomino on chestnut base coat, buckskin on bay, smoky brown on brown and smoky black on black base coat.

Homozygosity (two of the same genes) for cream results in extreme dilution and the colors are cremello, perlino, smoky brown cream and smoky black cream.

Homozygosity in champagne is not as drastic as in cream.

The coat color produced by the champagne gene is similar to that of cream.

However champagne differs from cream.

Champagne foals are born with blue eyes; the eyes will change a color to amber, green or light brown

And pink “pumpkin” skin which acquires a darker freckles completion around the eyes, muzzle and genitalia as the animal matures.

Champagne foals are sometimes born looking like their base coat color (chestnut, bay, brown or black). Their champagne coat color can be seen once they shed their foal coats.

The champagne coat often has a distinct sheen to it. This is believed to be because of the unique structure of the hair shaft. The sheen can make capturing the champagne color on film difficult

The color produced by the Champagne gene on chestnut is known as gold champagne, on bay as amber champagne , on brown as sable champagne and on black as classic champagne.

Gold champagne horses have a body color from copper to light gold with copper to white mane and tail.

Amber champagne horses can have gold, beige to almost buckskin body color, with the points, legs, mane and tail are lightened from black to chocolate but can be the same color as the body but the main and tail will be sill dark.

Sable champagne horse tend to look like a Classic but may have lighter flanks and nuzzles.

A classic champagne horse the body, points, legs mane and tail are the same chocolate.grulla/gray to lilac color but classic horses can have darker points

Champagne dilution is caused by a completely different gene on a different chromosome from the other dilution genes.

A test for the champagne gene has been developed and is available in several commercial labs