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 What is a
Champagne Horse?
It's a horse with one or two
champagne GENES.
   
Champagne is the name of a dilution gene, which causes
lightening of the hair, skin
and eye color. It also "allows some of the color to return",
as the skin develops abundant, dark freckles, and the eyes turn from
blue to light brown, as the horse matures.
The phrase "a champagne" is often
used as a generic term to refer to any horse with the champagne gene. Although at first glance
it may appear similar to a
palomino, buckskin, or grulla, the colors are completely separate and different
from those cream or dun colors, and may even combine with
them to produce different effects.
Champagne is a dominant gene, and is thus expressed if present. As with
all dominant genes, at least one parent must be champagne in order to get a
champagne foal. It cannot "skip generations" or "hide" (except
in combinations such as an all-white pinto or a mature gray). A true palomino
cannot produce a champagne foal (from a non-champagne mate), because it does not
have a champagne gene.
The gene is now well researched and understood. It is still a
relatively recent discovery, and only some registries have added "champagne" as a
color choice. Many champagne colored horses are still being registered as
palomino, buckskin, dun, grulla, or whatever fits next best.
What does a Champagne colored horse look like?
The foals are often born darker than their adult color will be -- but
with pink skin and blue eyes. Then, as they mature, they lighten to their
adult color. This is
the opposite of most other foal colors, which start out lighter than the
adult color will be.
Gradually, during the first year or so, the eyes will darken to light brown, and the
skin will develop dark freckles, especially where it's exposed. This pink, freckled skin is different from the
"mottling" seen on Appaloosas, or the pink skin with dark "specks" seen on double-creams.
Sometimes the freckling is so dense on the face that the skin may look evenly dark
-- especially in photos,
as opposed to seeing the horse in person. This is usually due to sun
exposure, so a look at the skin
"where the sun don't shine" will tell its true color.
Champagne dilutes both red pigment and black pigment on the body: the
red changes to a golden color, and the black changes to shade of brown.
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