CHAMPAGNE – another dilution gene
Champagne is a dilution gene, so it dilutes coat colour to a paler than original colour, and it also dilutes the mane, tail, skin and eye colour.  It is similar to the Cream gene that causes Palominos and Buckskins but there are some important differences. 

The Cream gene, in single form (heterozygous), cannot dilute skin or eye colour, so Palominos and Buckskins have black skin and eyes in shades of brown, unless they also have a pinto gene which may turn eyes blue.  The Champagne gene, in single form, does dilute skin colour to a freckled pink (though the freckles on the face of most join up so they look black skinned there) and it dilutes eye colour to a remarkable amber shade.  The Cream gene, in single form, dilutes chestnut coats to palomino, bay coats to golden buckskins, brown coats to brown/burnt buckskin but can’t dilute black coats (so you get ‘black buckskins’ or ‘smoky blacks’).  The Champagne gene in single form, dilutes chestnut coats to Gold Champagne (they look similar to a pink skinned Palomino), bay coats to Amber Champagne (similar to a pale, gold buckskin), brown coats to Sable Champagne and, unlike Cream, it can dilute black coats and you get Classic Champagnes which are an unusual metallic bronze shade. 

The Cream gene in double form (homozygous) produces Cremellos and Perlinos by diluting the coats even more and diluting skin colour to pink and eye colour to blue.  This is because Cream is an ‘incomplete dominant’ gene – it is dominant, so you always see it, but with just one copy of Cream, you don’t see the ‘complete dilution’, you see an ‘incomplete dilution’:  you need two copies to see the ‘complete dilution’.  The Champagne gene in double form (homozygous) looks no different from the heterozygous Champagnes – there is no equivalent to Cremello and Perlino with the Champagne gene.  It is a ‘simple dominant’ and only needs one Champagne gene to express its full dilution, if the horse has two Champagne genes, it looks no different (but, of course, it means all its foals will have the Champagne gene).

If a horse carries both Champagne plus a single copy of Cream, you get the Cream Champagnes which are paler and may have green eyes. 

There are approximately a dozen known Champagnes in Australia, we have five of them all of QH and/or Stock Horse breeding: an Amber Champagne stallion, two Q registered Amber Champagne mares, an Amber Champagne filly and an Amber Cream filly.

Our Champagne Stallion:

Driftwood Traveller is a 2005 Amber Champagne stallion registered with AQHA, ASHA and DA (see stallions page for details).

Our Champagne Mares:

PH Tailor Made (Q-29775), purebred Quarter Horse, also registered as Cardinlee Tailor Made C1-154020 (first cross) with Australian Stock Horse Association. By Burrfoot WT (68 AQHA points, 3 ROMs) out of Koolmundula Miss Pepe, (dam of Calivil Bill, 10 awards and 395 points; Walla On Top, 6 awards, 175 points, etc.)  PH Tailor Made is the dam of our stallion Driftwood Traveller.  15.1 hand mare, Amber Champagne, lovely conformation and temperament.  Currently in foal to Nights of Gold for a 2010 foal that will either be an Amber Cream or a Palomino/Buckskin.  The foal will be Q registrable and will be for sale.

Whilla Be Dun (Q-28034), purebred Quarter Horse. By Wilga Chex Terrara  (14 AQHA Awards, 427 points;  also sire of Amah WT 470 points, Sheza Step Ahead, 623 points, etc.) out of Koolmundula Miss Pepe, (dam of Calivil Bill, 10 awards and 395 points; Walla On Top, 6 awards, 175 points, etc.). A 15.1h mare currently in foal to Driftwood Traveller – if the foal is homozygous Champagne, we will be keeping it, otherwise it will be for sale.

Effevescence (pend.) Amber Champagne filly born 2009 out of Whilla Be Dun by Trincada Gambling Man.  She is a very elegant and tall filly with wonderful conformation.  She would suit anyone wanting an exceptional performance horse and would be a great horse for promoting of the colour.  We intend to keep her but if anyone is keen to promote and breed Champagnes, we would consider selling her to the right home at the right price.

A Lil Bit Tipsy (pend) Amber Cream Champagne filly born 2009, by Driftwood Traveller out of Glenne Gold Melody (11 national titles with Dilutes Australia, many champions and supremes).  This lovely filly is for sale.  She will be a good halter horse and should excel under saddle – on our ‘for sale’ page for $8,000.