Now, meet nature's subtle paintbrush: the dilution genes. Dilution genes tone down bold base colors, much like an artist who adds water to their paint to achieve the perfect tint. The result? A spectrum of unique equine colors, from the golden hues of palominos and the understated elegance of smoky blacks to the glow of champagne horses.
Whether you are looking to understand your horse's unique combination of color genes or are just curious to about the basics of equine coat colors, join us for this first installment of our "How to Read Your Horse's DNA Results" series. Learn about horse coat color genetics: explore the science behind equine pigmentation, inheritance patterns, and breed variations. In the case of horse color, dilution means less concentrated color, which means lighter color.
Genes always come in pairs, in animals that need two parents to produce an offspring one from each parent. Information on the different dilutions that can affect horse coat colours. Horse Coat Color Dilution Genes There are a wide variety of dilution genes which affect base and modified colors.
Dun Dun dilutes the body hair of all base colors and is also responsible for a variety of primitive markings on the legs and body. Cream Dilution Description: The cream dilution gene affects both red and black pigment and is responsible for 'diluting' the carrying horse to lighter coat shades and colors. In many breeds this is often considered a highly desirable trait.
Cream dilution is the gene responsible for palominos, buckskins, cremellos and many more (see below chart). Chestnut versus sorrel? Paint or pinto? And how do you breed for color? Use our guidelines to about coat color and equine color genetics. Paint or pinto? Chestnut or sorrel? How can you breed for a specific color? Use our essential guide as a refresher course on the rainbow of equine coat colors and to about the fascinating genetics behind color.
diagram showing effect of horse color dilutions on base colors.