Gold champagne

Appearance

Foals		Champagne foals are often born darker than their adult color will be. They have blue-green eyes and pink skin.

Foals

Champagne foals are often born darker

than their adult color will be. They have

blue-green eyes and pink skin.

Chestnut base diluted to a yellow or gold color. Mane and tail have a lighter creamy to nearly white shade. The eyes darken to a hazel/amber color as the horse ages. The skin has a slightly darker, pink to lavender "pumpkin colored" tone with freckling around the eyes, muzzle, udder, sheath and under the tail.		Adults

Chestnut base diluted to a yellow or gold color.

Mane and tail have a lighter creamy to nearly

white shade. The eyes darken to a hazel/amber

color as the horse ages. The skin has a slightly

darker, pink to lavender "pumpkin colored" tone

with freckling around the eyes, muzzle, udder,

sheath and under the tail.

Adults

Mimics

Gold champagne shades can look very similar to palomino. Champagne and pearl can, in some cases, look almost identical: both have freckles/mottled skin, amber eyes, pinkish skin, and their coat colors can look very similar.

Champagne horses can be recognised by their typical freckled, pink skin, often with a purple hue.

Genetics

Gold champagne is the result of a chestnut base diluted by one or two copies of champagne. The champagne (CH) dilution is an allele of the SLC36A1 gene.

Gold champagne:
Chestnut (e/e) + CH/_

Read more:
Chestnut | Classic champagne | Amber champagne

Back to Champagne

Articles

Cook D, Brooks S, Bellone R, Bailey E.; Missense Mutation in Exon 2 of SLC36A1 Responsible for Champagne Dilution in Horses; PLOS Genetics (2008); Doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000195