Champagne dilution

DNA test The DNA test verifies the presence of the champagne mutation. Champagne is a coat dilution modifier. Sample 30 to...

€43.05

Sample Requirements

30 to 40 - hair roots - envelope or 5 mL - blood - K3 EDTA tube

Send your sample by regular mail or express delivery to:

Equigerminal Lab HIESE
Rua da Quinta do Sobreiro Nº25
3230-343 Penela, Portugal

Turnaround Time

2 to 5 working days

About the test

The DNA test verifies the presence of the Champagne mutation.

Champagne is a coat dilution modifier.

Why test?

Equigerminal offers testing for the dominant champagne gene-mutation.

DNA testing may be useful in cases whereby a horse has previously tested negative for cream or silver dilutions, but appears to have a lightened-coat.

Testing is also used to determine Homozygosity of the champagne gene.

Results

The DNA test verifies the presence of the champagne mutation and presents results as one of the following:

N/ – Non-champagne horse.
N/Ch – Positive for dominant champagne gene, possessing one inherited copy. Coat will be diluted accordingly. Will pass champagne gene to approximately 50% of the offspring.
Ch/ – Positive for dominant champagne gene, possessing two inherited copies. Coat will be diluted accordingly.

Additional information

Champagne dilution is caused by a dominant gene, meaning that a horse with a single copy of the Champagne gene will have Champagne characteristics.

The Champagne dilution gene lightens a horse's coat colour by diluting the pigment.

The specific colour produced will depend on the horse's base colour:

Bay coats become golden brown.
Black coats can lighten to dark brown.
Chestnut coats become apricot or gold.

A horse can carry more than one dilution gene, which can further affect coat colour.

Unlike cream dilution, there are no visual differences between a horse with one copy or two copies of the Champagne mutation.

Although similar to the Cream, Pearl and Dun dilutions, the Champagne gene has certain characteristics that distinguish it from other dilutions.

Common characteristics of a Champagne horse include:

Pinkish freckled or mottled skin.
A shiny coat that is often slightly darker in winter.
Hazel eye colour.

Champagne horses are typically born with blue eyes that gradually change to hazel or amber, and pink skin that becomes darker and more freckled over time, especially around the eyes and muzzle.

A homozygous Champagne horse will always pass one copy of the Champagne gene to its foal. Heterozygous horses have a 50% chance of passing the gene to their foals.