The cream gene (CR) is responsible for a vast array of coat colors. Cream is known as an 'incomplete dominant'. This means that a single dominant allele will have a different dilution than two dominant alleles. For cream, this is called single dilute or double dilute. A single dilute creates beautiful gold colored horses, like palomino. A double dilute creates near-white or ivory colored horses.
Cream comes in a total of three variants; single dilute (CRcr), double dilute(CRCR), and pearl(prlprl).
Cream comes in a total of three variants; single dilute (CRcr), double dilute(CRCR), and pearl(prlprl).
A horse with a single dilute of cream will have a warm coat color with a white or silvery mane and tail. One of the best examples of a single diluted chestnut horse is the palomino.
A chestnut horse with a double dilute of cream is a cremello horse. A cremello horse has pink skin, blue eyes, and a white or light cream coat.
Pearl, also called the Barlink Factor, was a recently discovered allele of cream. A single allele of pearl will do nothing to a horse's coat, but if paired with a dominant cream allele, it can create a pseudo double dilute coat. Two pearl alleles will create a warm, honey colored coat. In chestnut horses, this is called 'apricot'.
Genes that are in bold are active on the coat. Genes that are underlined are genes that the horse may carry, but will have no visible effect on the coat.
Single Dilute
Gene Sequence
ee · aa · gg · CRcr · dd · chch · ff · zz · stysty · rbrb · rn+rn+ · sb1+sb1+ · w+w+ · to+to+ · oo · splspl · lplp · patn1patn1 · patn2patn2
ee · aa · gg · CRcr · dd · chch · ff · zz · stysty · rbrb · rn+rn+ · sb1+sb1+ · w+w+ · to+to+ · oo · splspl · lplp · patn1patn1 · patn2patn2
Double Dilute
Gene Sequence
ee · aa · gg · CRCR · dd · chch · ff · zz · stysty · rbrb · rn+rn+ · sb1+sb1+ · w+w+ · to+to+ · oo · splspl · lplp · patn1patn1 · patn2patn2
ee · aa · gg · CRCR · dd · chch · ff · zz · stysty · rbrb · rn+rn+ · sb1+sb1+ · w+w+ · to+to+ · oo · splspl · lplp · patn1patn1 · patn2patn2
Pearl
Gene Sequence
ee · aa · gg · prlprl · dd · chch · ff · zz · stysty · rbrb · rn+rn+ · sb1+sb1+ · w+w+ · to+to+ · oo · splspl · lplp · patn1patn1 · patn2patn2
ee · aa · gg · prlprl · dd · chch · ff · zz · stysty · rbrb · rn+rn+ · sb1+sb1+ · w+w+ · to+to+ · oo · splspl · lplp · patn1patn1 · patn2patn2