The Horse Colors Site

What is Champagne?

Champagne is the name of a dilution gene, and the term champagne is often used as a sort of generic term to refer to any horse with the Champagne gene regardless of shade.  Although at first glance they may appear similar to a palomino, buckskin, or grulla, the gene is completely separate and different from the Cream or Dun genes that cause those colors.

Champagne is a dominant gene, and is expressed on any base color.  Like all dominant genes, at least one parent must be champagne in order to get a champagne foal.  It cannot skip generations or "hide" (except for rare occasions such as an all-white pinto or a grey-gone-white).  A palomino cannot produce a champagne foal (from a non-champagne mate), because the two colors are caused by different genes.  

This gene has only been known for about ten years now, and was not very well understood at first, but is quite well researched and understood by now.  It's important to remember, though, that it is a fairly recent discovery, and only a very few registries have added "champagne" as a color choice.  The vast majority of them are still, as they have been all along, registered as palomino, buckskin, dun, grulla, or whatever fits most closely.

What makes Champagne different from the other dilution genes?

Each of the different dilution genes have something that makes them unique.  The Cream gene affects only red pigment, not black, when heterozygous, and is an incomplete dominant (has a different appearance depending on whether it is heterozygous or homozygous).  The Dun gene affects all colors, but dilutes only the body, leaving the points dark, and also adds the "dun-factor" markings.  The Silver gene affects only black pigment, not red, and has an exaggerated effect on the mane and tail.  The Champagne gene, too, is unique -- it dilutes the skin pigment as well as the hair.  The other diluted colors (except homozygous Cream) have dark skin like any other color, but a champagne has pink skin, and often, lighter-than-normal eyes.  Their adult eye color is often described as "hazel" or "amber".  

What does a Champagne look like?

The Champagne gene has a very unusual trait.  The foals usually, but not always, are born looking the same color as a bay, black, or chestnut foal -- but with bright pink skin and bright blue eyes.  Then, when they shed their foalcoats at about 2-4 months, they change to the diluted color.  This is the opposite of most other foal colors, which generally start out much lighter than the adult color will be.

Gradually during the first year or so, the eyes will darken to hazel, and the skin will develop dark freckles.  The pink freckled skin is unique to this color, and is different from the sort of mottling seen on Appaloosas.  Sometimes the freckling is so dense in areas that are exposed to the sun (i.e., the muzzle) that the skin may look dark, especially from a distance, or in photos as opposed to seeing the horse in person.  But a quick look at the skin "where the sun don't shine", so to speak, will tell the skin's true color.  

Champagne dilutes both red pigment and black pigment -- the red changes to a golden color, and the black changes to a sort of taupe color.  

Amber Champagne

A bay horse with the Champagne gene is called an Amber Champagne.  It will look somewhat like a buckskin, with a golden body and dark points, but the points will be brownish instead of jet-black, and often the legs are not particularly dark.  

Gold Champagne

A chestnut horse with the Champagne gene is called a Gold Champagne.  It will look very much like a palomino, with a golden body and white mane and tail (some have a golden mane and tail; it's unknown why at this time), but can be distinguished from a palomino by the pink skin.  Before the Champagne gene was known, these were commonly called "pink-skinned palominos" or "pumpkin-skinned palominos".  

Classic Champagne

A black horse with the Champagne gene is called a Classic Champagne.  The color is difficult to describe in words, a sort of light brownish greyish, almost purplish at times.  It can appear very similar to a grulla sometimes, but without the contrast between the dark head and black points, and the lighter body.  It's also usually more brownish in tone than a grulla.  There is usually some difference in shade between the body and points, but the points are merely darker, not black.  The pink skin gives this color an odd look to those not accustomed to it, similar to a Weimaraner dog.

Seal Brown Champagne

A brown horse with the Champagne gene is called a Sable Champagne.  Generally speaking they tend to be born looking like an amber foal, and then when mature they look like a classic.  A sable champagne can be definitively told apart from a classic by the Agouti test -- the classic will test "aa" and the brown champagne will be "AA" or "Aa". Now with the newer test for the seal brown allele, it is possible to tell a sable apart from an amber.

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