Skip N Wess - AQHA Courtesy of Ward Quarter Horses

The Cream gene is the cause of the beautiful golden colors of Palomino and Buckskin, the mysterious Smoky Black and also the wonderful Double Dilute colors of Cremello, Perlino and Smoky Cream.

Cream also does not noticeably affect black pigment when it is in a single dose, this would explain why a Buckskin keeps the black legs, mane and tail. The Cream gene only makes the horse's base color lighter, it never totally removes it. Think of it like adding creamer to coffee, the more you add, the lighter it gets. This also proves that horses with two doses of Cream (double dilutes) are not Albinos. Albinos lack pigment of any type in hair, skin and eyes.

Brilliant Intuiten - Thoroughbred Courtesy of Frazer's Stable

The Cream dilution gene is present at the Albino locus. It being called the "Albino" locus is only a name, it has nothing to do with the horse being an Albino.

This gene is incompletely dominant and causes the base coat color to be lightened or diluted. Red colors are lightened to tan or yellow which causes Bay to become Buckskin and Chestnut to become Palomino. All horse colors can be affected physically by color modifiers and Cream is no exception. Horses with one Cream gene or heterozygotes can have sooty areas and can also be different shades ranging from light to dark. The Cream gene only affects Black colored horses when it is in homozygous form.

Horses that are Buckskin, Palomino or Smoky Black have one copy of the Cream gene and are capable of producing offspring with the Cream gene, but do not always pass it on, there is a 50% chance that the foal will carry the gene. These horses are called "single dilutes"

Marystown Golden Echo Miniature Horse Courtesy of Tibbs Family Miniatures

Palomino

The shades of Palomino range from very light to very dark. At the lightest shades the horse can appear almost white. At the darkest shades the horse may be mistaken for a Chestnut.

At birth Palominos are generally very light in color, even to the point of being almost white. Their skin is commonly pink but it will begin to darken as the foal gets older. Sometimes the tint of the hair will even be pink. A Palominos eyes will usually be a normal brown color but some may be a light amber. It may take several years for a Palomino to get it's full golden color.

Click here to see photos of the horse to the left from birth to maturity.

Palomino is caused by the one dose of the Cream gene diluting a Chestnut base color. Palominos with primitive markings do occur, this is caused by the Dun gene combined with the Cream gene on a Chestnut base coat and is called "Dunalino".
(Photo of Dunalino needed)

Miniature Horse ©Equine Color

The shade of a Palomino can be so light the horse appears white, this shade is sometimes called Isabella. Palominos can be mistaken for a very light Chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail. Palominos with the sooty modifier can be mistaken for Silver Dapple.

Dash of Royal Gold - AQHA Courtesy of Candice Eng

Star Van's NickofTime - AQHA Courtesy of Susan Baca

Buckskin is very often confused or interchanged with the color Dun. This is incorrect. Genetically and physically they are two different colors.

Buckskin is what happens to the color Bay when there is a single dose of the Cream gene present.

As with Palominos it is possible for the Cream gene and the Dun gene to occur on the same horse, this is called "Dunskin".
(Photo of Dunskin needed)

Blacksaddle Starbuck - Morgan Courtesy of Colorful Morgans

Buckskins range in shade from the very lightest tan to very dark, almost black in some cases. In it's purest form Buckskin will have black points. It is not uncommon though to see a Buckskin with points faded to the point of being a chocolaty color. You may also see white "guard hairs" at the top of the tail and along the mane. The skin is dark and the eyes usually range in color from very dark brown to amber.

Bronzed To Beat - AQHA Courtesy of Diana Schumaker

Courtesy of Judy Struempf

Smoky Black is caused by a single dose of the Cream gene on Black. Because the Cream gene is an incomplete dominant it does not affect black pigment physically unless it is present in homozygous form.

Smoky Black horses look like regular Black horses although some may be faded so much they appear Brown or even Bay.

Prince Moon Beam - MFT Courtesy of Lazy K Bar Ranch

Cremello is what happens when you get a double dose of the cream gene on a Chestnut base. A Cremello will always have pink skin and blue eyes. If the horse had dark eyes or skin, then it is not a Cremello. Cremellos vary in shade from very light to a darker cream. It may be very difficult to tell the difference between a horse that is a Cremello and a horse that is a maximum white Pinto. UC Davis now offers testing for the Cream gene. For a test for click here.

Cremellos have long been thought to be Albinos. The fact that they still have pigment in their skin, eyes and hair proves that they are not. There is also the fact that the gene that causes Albinoism has yet to be found in the equine species.

Skips Vanilla Scoop - AQHA Courtesy of Cargile Arabians

Just as Chestnuts vary in shade so do Cremellos. Some are so light that any white markings may not be readily visible. Others may be a darker cream color that clearly shows white markings.

Invest In Rodeo - AQHA* Courtesy of YL Arabians

Perlino is what happens when you get a double dose of the Cream gene on a Bay base. A Perlino will usually have points a shade darker than it's body coat along with blue eyes and pink skin.

DJ S Blue Casper - Miniature Horse Courtesy of Fynbos Miniatures

Smoky Cream
Smoky Cream is a double dose of the cream gene on a black base coat. This is the only time the Cream gene will physically affect a horse that is Black as this gene is an incomplete dominant it cannot affect black pigment unless it is in a homozygous state.

The horse to the left is by a smoky black pinto sire and a smoky black dam and has been tested by UC Davis for red factor, agouti and cream. The results of his test showed that he has a Black base coat, he does not carry the agouti gene and does carry two genes for cream, making him a smoky cream.