The Colors of Carpe Diem
"What
color horse is it?"
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Rival d'Amor and Rosa as weanlings
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Double
dilute Odin daughter Unique with mom QueReina.
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Carpe Diem foals have hit the ground
sporting Creme, Dun, Double dilute and even Champagne
dilutions. Similar appearance or phenotype can be
realized through different genotypes which makes the
breeding of these horses very interesting indeed. The
three dilution factors we've observed are all dominant
but may be masked by interaction with other genes.
These include Creme (producing palominos, buckskins and
pseudo albinos), Dun (producing duns and grulla), and
Champagne (producing amber, classic and gold champagne).
It is especially difficult to determine
genetic color in a herd capable of so many surprising
combinations. Gray stallions carrying creme genes,
dilute horses carrying dun and creme or any other
combination. It is possible to produce a horse that
looks palomino with other genetic combinations other then
the more common creme gene.
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Umbrace (S/P)
Umbrace changes colors and is currently what the
Spanish call an Isabella buckskin. Odin is her
father.
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Sonhador
(lusitano) son of Nostradomus
Sonhador's father was a buckskin and he looks a lot
like dad he also has a dorsal stripe and the
primitive markings of a dun. He was born with a
face mask but it faded out. He may carry both dun
and creme genes.
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1. The Creme gene
- Modifies red pigment and produces pseudo albinos when
homozygous.
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The cremello dilution
primarily impacts red pigment which is how the lusitano
stallion Odin can sport a shiny black coat and still sire
palomino, buckskin, cremello/perlino and smokey black
foals. In the homozygous form cremello genes produce
double dilutes. Unique (photo at top of page) has
a dilute gene from each of her lusitano parents.
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Renee d'Ora
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2. The Dun Gene
- Primarily modifies Red pigment and carries at
least two of the 5 primitive markings (face mask, dorsal
stripe, zebra striping)
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The dun
dilution can mimic creme dilution in appearance but
along with the color dilution the gene causes primitive
markings such as face mask, dorsal stripe and zebra
striping. In addition to impacting red pigment, dun
also changes black horses to grulla. Unlike
the creme gene, in its homozygous form it does not
produce a pseudo albino.
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Rival d'Amor (Lusitano)
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3. The Champagne Gene
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Champagne
gene lightens both black and red pigment and may be
characterized by iridescence, freckling on face and under
tail, light/amber eye color and orange skin.
Chestnut horses with this gene are often confused with
standard palomino coloring. They may have
light/pumpkin colored skin and amber, light blue or green
eyes. This dilution is not believed to produce a pseudo
albino in its homozygous form but does produce a pseudo
albino, called ivory champagne, when combined with a
creme gene.
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Rubranova (Lusitano)
This photo does not capture the light color
of her eyes.
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