Champagne on Chestnut
Zippos Millenium Bug
Gold is the result of one or two champagne genes acting upon an otherwise
red (chestnut/sorrel) horse. This can have several different results,
depending upon which other genes are present. Usually, when adults, they
have a flaxen (white) mane and tail, like the horse shown here.
Click HERE to see a larger version of this same photo.
The
usual way the Champagne gene affects a red (chestnut/sorrel) based horse is
to create a golden body color with a flaxen, or near-white, mane &
tail. This horse is usually registered as a Palomino, even though the skin
is some shade of pink with freckles, not the normal dark skin of the
Palomino. The term "mottled", under skin color, may allow for
this in the PHBA registry (Palomino Horse Breeders of America.)
Most Gold Champagne foals are born with darker coats, manes and tails, that
gradually lighten as they shed out in subsequent months or years. However, Gold sometimes manifests as more of an apricot color with darker apricot
points. This is referred to as "Dark Gold" (see second example below).
Factoid: Nearly the entire American Cream Draft Horse breed is
gold Champagne, which they call "medium cream".
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 Gold filly Zips SiouxzQ Outlaw had a
mane and tail that matched her "red" body color (see inset at
right) until she matured, when
her body color lightened, and her mane and tail grew in flaxen.
This is very typical for Golds.
See "Cita", just below, for the "other
kind of Gold". |
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Here is a "Dark Gold" champagne mare. Some Golds, like this one,
have manes & tails that are (and remain) darker than their body
color. JIL
Doccita Gold ("Cita")
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Clar
Ann Cap's Judy, a Gold American
Cream Draft Horse mare, owned by Chris
Ertl in WI. Nearly this entire breed is Gold Champagne, with
some being Gold creams and a very few palominos, though those have very a
limited status in the registry.
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Zippo's
Millenium Bug, a Gold mare owned by Ereidi
Farms
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The
Gold TWH stud colt, Primed For Cash.
Note the pink, freckled skin under his tail, right. The younger the horse,
usually, the fewer freckles. (Click the thumbnails to see the pictures.)
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Ellie Mae, a Gold MFT sired by Danny's
Pride of Princess S. (aka Lobo) out of a dark red chestnut mare, Sal's
Good Sugar Baby (FAR right). At left, her color as a 10 month
old filly; NEAR right, her color as she matured.
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 This
is Ellie Mae again, also at 10 mos., in winter coat, in CA. Her
close-up pictures of eye, muzzle and under-tail show clearly that she is a
champagne. Add to this her famous Gold champagne sire,
Lobo, and she
gets registered as Gold champagne.
Lobo's proud owner is Linda Vishino,
Zorro Farms
, St. Louis, MO
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