This is the 6th in our series of articles on how to identify colors within the Missouri Fox Trotter breed. This article will cover the Champagne gene, one of the four known dilution genes (champagne, cream, silver dapple and dun). Previous articles have focused on cream and silver dapple. These articles are based upon current genetic principles and although most of the information has been researched extensively, it is subject to change.

The Champagne gene produces a lightened coat color, pinkish-grey skin with mottling, especially on the muzzle and genitals, and amber eye color. Champagne is a dominant gene, meaning that any horse that carries the gene displays the effects of the gene.

Champagne is a dilution which is often confused with the cream gene. (The gene that causes palomino and buckskin.) Yet champagne is distinctly different.

Champagne is a complete dominant. Cream is an incomplete dominant. This means that a champagne colored horse will look the same with one champagne gene, or two champagne genes. A horse with one cream gene is generally called a single dilute, and these are palominos, buckskins and smoky blacks. A horse with two cream genes is further diluted to cremello, perlino or smoky cream. This double dilution does not occur when champagne genes double up. As with any other dominant gene, it can not skip generations. For a horse to be champagne, it must have one champagne parent.

There are four basic shades of champagne; Gold Champagne, Amber Champagne, Classic Champagne, and Ivory Champagne. The International Champagne Horse Registry has chosen to use genetically technical terms that identify the base color, to replace the "Ivory" designation. In the future, these terms may replace the term Ivory, but since Ivory is still recognized within the MFTHBA, we will use that terminology here.

The champagne dilution on a chestnut base coat is called gold champagne. This horse will typically be born in a reddish coat, with clear pink skin, and bright blue eyes. Here’s where we get into a lot of trouble, however. Some palominos are also born with clear pink skin, bright blue eyes and reddish coats. In fact, most red based foals (chestnut, palomino, red dun) are born with pink skin and this is NOT to be confused with champagne. Pinto blue eyes are not to be confused with champagne either. Generally, non-champagne foal skin will start to darken in a matter of days. Non-champagne blue eyes will rapidly change color in as little as a few weeks. A baby palomino eye may go from blue to grey/blue to muddy brown quite rapidly. Baby gold champagne eyes usually stay blue for several months, and sometimes up to a year. The blue baby champagne eyes often start to yellow, usually around the outside edges first, when the foal is about two months old. This often imparts a greenish tint to the eye. The eye will gradually darken to amber. (Palominos born with blue or grey eyes can have amber eyes at maturity, also.) The reddish champagne foal coat will shed to gold, and the adult shade may range from cream, to dark gold, and rarely, near chestnut. The red mane and tail at birth will begin to give way to white hairs, creating the white mane and tail of the adult champagne. Some gold champagnes have manes and tails which remain the same shade as the body, but these are rather unusual, and tend to be of the darker shades.

So. How do you tell a palomino from a gold champagne? Sometimes it’s not easy. The skin is an important diagnostic tool when identifying champagne. Adult champagnes will always have light colored skin. The freckling generally starts to appear at about two to three months of age. The skin sometimes stays pink, but often darkens to a light mauve by the time the freckles start to appear. The freckles may start light, then darken to brown or grey. In intense sun, the skin on champagnes will "tan" to a somewhat darker shade, especially on the parts exposed to the sun. In order to be certain of the diagnosis, the best place to look for skin color is under the tail. This area is free from hair, and coverage by the tail protects the area from the sun. When the tail is lifted, a gold champagne will have light colored skin with darker freckles, not the ruddy purple look of palominos. When you wet the horse down, you can see the champagne freckles all over the skin. A palomino will have black, grey, or sometimes purple appearing skin, frequently with small pink speckles. These pink speckles on dark skin are not to be confused with champagne freckles, which are dark spots on light skin.

Every now and then, we find a palomino with deceptively light skin. These horses can usually be identified by pedigree analysis. Champagne runs in definite pedigree lines, and so does the cream gene. Champagne is a dominant gene which is always expressed. Horses do not "carry" champagne undetected. A champagne horse must have a champagne parent. By studying the pedigree, and noting where the dilute lines go, we can often determine if the horse is a palomino or a gold champagne. Without the benefit of pedigree, we can tell the difference between palomino and gold champagne by progeny testing. Breeding a palomino to a homozygous bay or black horse will produce buckskin, smoky black, bay and black. Breeding a gold champagne to a homozygous bay or black horse will produce amber, classic, bay or black offspring. Fortunately, buckskins are much easier to tell from amber champagnes than palominos are from gold champagnes. There are many palominos that are easily confused with champagne. The proof, however, is in the progeny. If a light skinned horse does not create all shades of champagne (classic, amber, gold, and ivory), it is not a champagne.

The champagne gene on a bay base coat produces an amber champagne. This foal will be born with pink skin, bright blue eyes, and often a nearly bay looking coat with a darker mane and tail. Frequently, the foal coat is the same shade as the adult coat, which looks somewhat like a buckskin, except, the points are brown, rather than black. Most buckskin foals are born with black skin, so this is an easy way to distinguish a buckskin from an amber champagne foal.

Amber champagnes have medium to dark brown legs . This contrasts sharply to the black legs of a buckskin. Even those ambers with very darkr lower legs can be distinguished from buckskins by their pink skin and brown rather than black points.

The skin on an amber champagne usually has a bit more color than the skin of a gold champagne, being somewhat more mauve. But the skin will remain light, and develop darker freckles, just like the skin on gold champagnes. The baby blue eyes go through the same color changes as the golds.

Champagne on a black base coat creates what we call a classic champagne. This is a most unusual colored horse, and is hard to mistake for any other color. The foals are born with pink skin, and bright blue eyes. The coat often does not change shade into adulthood, or may lighten only slightly during shedding. The color has often been compared to that of a Weimaraner dog. The adult skin is similar to that of an amber champagne, and the hair coat can only be described as a diluted black. This shade, more than the others, occasionally has an almost green tint.

Champagne and cream genes enhance one another when they are combined. This creates an Ivory Champagne. Resulting foals appear double diluted, and their coat colors resemble cremellos, perlinos and smoky creams at birth. These champagne/cream combinations can occur on any base coat color. Sorrel based Ivories (palominos with a champagne gene) look very much like cremellos. There is very little change in the foal coat at shedding. The eyes usually turn to shades of green or amber as an adult, but may occasionally remain blue. The eye color change on a sorrel based ivory may not be complete for several years. The skin develops freckles just like a normal champagne, and the eyes normally darken, distinguishing them from cremellos in adulthood. Even though the coat color resembles a cremello, the freckling of an Ivory provides a distinguishing feature from double cream dilutes. The freckling on an Ivory can be quite intense, with the pink skin showing from underneath.

Champagne added to a buckskin coat creates a bay based ivory champagne. Bay based ivories are born with pink skin, blue eyes, a cream colored coat, and a darker mane and tail. Their blue eyes usually change to amber. The chocolate colored mane and tail remain in adulthood, making this a very uniquely colored horse.

Smoky blacks with an added champagne gene are black based ivory champagnes. These foals are darker in foal coat. It seems to take a while for the cream gene to dilute the black. At shedding, the coat may go to a cream color, but black based ivories often retain quite a bit of pigment. The lower legs may be a shade darker than the body, or may be the same color as the body, and the mane and tail often have a reddish appearance.

Other distinguishing features of champagne colored horses are reverse dapples (dapples darker in the center), and a shiny hair coat. These are not specific to champagne, however. Some palominos do have modest reverse dappling, and many coat colors other than champagne have metallic shines Another feature is the evenness of the body color. Champagnes do not demonstrate appear to demonstrate"smuttiness" or Bend Or spots. The body hair tends to be the same shade from belly to side to top line, and this lack of shading is often easy to spot.

Champagne and grey have an interesting effect on one another. The freckles on a grey champagne tend to be darker - often a dark purple, or deep navy blue. Some freckles may look nearly black, and the coats do not seem to grey completely to "white" as other horses do. The coat color appears to stabilize at a certain point, but maintains enough pigment for horses of any shade to be mistaken for a non-grey.

Champagnes have a very unique appearance that becomes immediately obvious once you have seen one. We hope that these descriptions and pictures will help you recognize a champagne.

The International Champagne Horse Registry will evaluate a horse for registration in their organization. However, the Color Panel will be happy to assist you in evaluation, without regard to registration in another organization.

And, in some of the tougher cases, the cream gene test is now available from the University of California-Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory. This test will help determine if your horse is a light skinned palomino, or (in the absence of the cream gene) maybe a champagne!