Dilute colours

[Tigerlillie]

I am wanting to breed mainly dilute coloured horses but how do I know if a horse is carrying single and double dilute genes?

[BlackOak2]

I am wanting to breed mainly dilute coloured horses but how do I know if a horse is carrying single and double dilute genes?

To start off, our color forum explains this in detail.

It depends on what dilute you're looking for.
Dilute is generally defined as any color that is 'diluted', which can include genes such as: Gray, Dun, Roan, Pangare, Cream, Pearl, Champagne, and potentially others that I won't name because they aren't a part of HWO (at least not yet).
Generally speaking for us on the game, I think most of us understand that when we speak about dilution, we include only cream, pearl and champagne.

So even these three genes are described differently from one another. So it's important for you to understand what dilution gene you want, how it reacts and indeed, what it looks like.
For instance, if you get a triple dilute (defined as a cream & pearl with champagne, or a double cream with champagne), you will get a pseudo-white horse.

So here's the breakdown of the three dilution genes without getting into what happens with combinations. If you want further information, being able to first identify these genes alone is necessary before figuring out the combinations. There are not too many of us that are adept at aiding in identifying combination dilution genes, so if you will be breeding these yourself, it is important that you learn what you're looking at.

Pearl.
Pearl is a recessive gene, meaning that it hides when there is only one copy of the gene. Pearl is also a co-dependant gene, which means that when it's paired with the gene 'cream' that shares the same locus (or spot) on the gene strand, it will express itself, offering a false double cream.
A double dilute pearl is identified as pale skin and dark eyes.
Pearl offers a 'bland' lightening to the base color, it appears as what could be described as a 'darker cream' color.

Cream.
Cream is a dominant gene, meaning that it only takes one to express itself.
A single cream is responsible for buckskin, palomino and smoky brown. Single cream is also responsible for smoky black, but the only way to see the difference between a smoky black and a straight black is to look closely at the foal coats, one will be a red-black (straight black) and the other will be a blue-black or gray-black (smoky black.
A double dilute cream expresses itself with light skin and blue eyes.

Champagne.
Champagne is also a dominant gene.
This one is arguably the easiest to define. Any horse carrying this gene will always have freckles on it's nose. They may be hard to see, but they will always be there. You can also look around the eyes, freckles appear there as well.
Champagne offers very similar even false palomino and buckskin coloration. The clue, if there's any question about cream or champagne is to find the freckles.

[Tigerlillie]

Thank you so much for all this information its great!! I did have a look for a colour forum specifically with information on dilutes I couldn't find it, I'll have another look now!

[BlackOak2]

Thank you so much for all this information its great!! I did have a look for a colour forum specifically with information on dilutes I couldn't find it, I'll have another look now!

Such information can be found in Totina's main guide in the color forum. It may take a little time to fully load up, but the information is right there on the first page.

I recommend once you're getting used to your color identification, visit the drop-box she has attached to see some of the differences there. The drop-box isn't complete yet though, so if you do have questions on dilution combinations, feel free to ask for advice at that time.

We do have dilution breeders around, however I think that many of our dilution breeders may be pseudo-white breeders and not strictly dilution breeders. That said, I can think of at least one strictly champagne breeder... although I cannot recall who that is.