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Champagne Colors
Depending upon which base colors and other color modifiers are present in a
horse with a Champagne gene, the appearance of the horse varies.
Effects of the Champagne gene on the four basic horse colors:
Base Color |
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One or Two Champagne Genes added |
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These horses will have dark or black skin in all
pigmented areas. |
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These horses will have pink skin with darker freckles
in all pigmented areas. |
Starting with a red based horse (a chestnut / sorrel) : |
Chestnut |
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If the red horse has one or two champagne genes from one or both parents, it's a
Gold. (Occasionally a gold may have a reddish mane and/or tail.) |
Gold |
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Starting with a black based horse with a bay (agouti) gene: |
Bay |
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If the bay horse has one or two champagne genes from one or both parents, it's an
Amber. |
Amber |
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Starting with a black based horse with the (seal) brown (agouti-t)
gene: |
Seal Brown
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If the seal brown horse has one or two champagne genes from one or both parents, it's
a Sable. |
Sable
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Starting with a true black horse without a bay gene: |
Black |
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If the black horse has one or two champagne genes from one or both parents, it's a
Classic. |
Classic |
More on the four champagne colors:
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GOLD
... when the Champagne gene acts on the chestnut, or sorrel,
(red) color. The body is a golden color, usually with a white mane
& tail. To see photographic examples of this color, click on the
color name, button, or picture.
These horses are usually registered as Palominos. However,
most
Palominos are the result of one Cream gene on red, and do not carry Champagne genes.
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AMBER
... when the Champagne gene acts on the BAY
color.  The body will usually be a golden tan with dark brown points.
To see photographic examples of this color, click on the color name,
button, or picture.
These horses are sometimes mistaken for, and registered
as, buckskins or
duns. However, actual buckskins are bays with one cream
gene, and actual duns have dun striping from the dun gene.
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SABLE  ... when the Champagne gene acts on the
BROWN (SEAL BROWN) color. The body will be a color between amber and
classic, though closer to classic, perhaps with more "shading"
than either of those colors. To see photographic examples of this color,
click on the color name, button, or picture.
See notes on amber vs. buckskin or dun, above. This color is
usually verified by testing a horse that looks close to classic in color, but
tests "A" (carries agouti, or bay, gene.)
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CLASSIC 
... when the Champagne gene acts on the SOLID BLACK
color. The body is a nearly lilac tan, with darker points of the same
hue. This one is darker than most. To see photographic examples
of this color, click on the color name, button, or picture.
These horses are
sometimes mistaken for grulla, and
sometimes called "lilac dun". However, it is not any form of
dun (grulla is dun on black).
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You may have heard a horse called an "IVORY
CHAMPAGNE" by someone who doesn't understand horse color
genetics.
"Ivory" was the name used originally,
before it was completely understood, for the combination of
Chestnut, Champagne
and Cream; which would be a Gold Champagne with a Cream gene,
yielding an "ivory-colored" horse with a white mane & tail.
Then it was discovered that Ambers, Classics and Sables with
Cream genes existed, too, making "several kinds of ivory"; some
with dark points, some with darker body color than others.
Since "Ivory" is not the result of the Champagne gene on a
base color, but a combination, just as champagne with dun, or
tobiano, or
silver are combinations, the ICHR no longer considers it the name of a
distinct champagne color.
To be consistent and genetically correct, we use the name of the
base Champagne color, plus "Cream", as we do with other dilution genes.
For example, just as:
amber + dun = "amber dun"
or:
amber + tobiano = "amber tobiano"
so:
amber + cream = "amber cream"
(which might have formerly been called "bay-based ivory")
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