Dilution Gene - Horses

Horses

• Equine coat color genetics discusses color genes in horses, including a brief description of dilution genes
• Equine coat color describes various colors in horses
• Cream gene, describes the process for horses by which the cremello, perlino, smoky cream double-dilute colors are created as well as the buckskin, palomino and smoky black single dilute colors.
• Dun gene describes another common dilution gene in horses
• Champagne gene, describes a different and rarer dilution gene in horses that also creates cream coloring, pale skin with mottling and light-colored eyes.
• Pearl gene, also called the "Barlink factor," is a recessive gene. One copy of the allele has no effect on the coat color of black, bay or chestnut horses. Two copies on a chestnut horse produce a pale, uniform apricot color of body hair, mane and tail as well as pale skin. It also interacts with Cream dilution to produce "pseudo-double" Cream dilutes with pale skin and blue or green eyes.
• Silver dapple gene, describes a dilution gene that works in a unique manner, lighting the mane and tail of a horse to a greater degree than the body color (opposite of most dilution genes, which act more strongly on the body color)
• White (horse) describes several unique genetic processes that create truly white, not diluted, color in horses.
• Gray (horse) explains the process of the gray gene, which lightens the coat over time, but is not a dilution gene.