Black Pigment

Black (horse) - Genetic Identification
... In the study and discussion of equine coat color genetics, black is considered a "base" color, as is red ... Coat colors that are designated "black-based" include grullo (also called blue dun), smoky black, smoky cream, silver black, classic champagne, and blue roan ... Horses with a black-based coat may also have added spotting patterns including leopard patterns seen on Appaloosas and the pinto coloring known as piebald ...

Bay (horse) - Bay-family Colors
... The two others in this category are chestnut and black ... other shades or patterns Buckskin horses have a black mane and tail, but instead of a red or brown coat, they have a cream or gold coat ... The black pigment remains largely unchanged, but any red pigment in the coat is diluted to gold ...

Champagne Gene - Coat Colors - Interaction With Other Coat Color Factors
... 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 ...