I have a black colt that was born this year whose sire is a buckskin and his dam is a chocolate silver. I guess what I would like to know is: What percentage of black horses born from a creme dilute parent are actually smokey black? And how can you tell if the black is actually carrying the creme gene without having it tested or by the offspring it produces? Are there certain characteristics present in a smokey black that aren't present in a true black?
Anonymous Posted From: 130.36.62.126
Posted on Monday, November 29, 2004 - 04:36 pm:
Usually smokey black horses will look brown. However, I do believe the UC Davis has a test for the cream gene, so you could get him tested to know for sure.
Anonymous Posted From: 67.129.136.122
Posted on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - 12:06 am:
These excerpts are from 2 different color sites. Hope they help.
Smoky Black is caused by a single dose of the Cream gene on Black. Because the Cream gene is an incomplete dominant it does not affect black pigment physically unless it is present in homozygous form.
Smoky Black horses look like regular Black horses although some may be faded so much they appear Brown or even Bay.
Now we have always heard that there is an exception to every rule and we are about to give you that exception in reference to the cream gene. Black is the ONLY color that can partially hide or even cover up the cream gene. A chestnut with the cream gene is a palomino, a bay with the cream gene is a buckskin, but a black with the cream gene can appear to be black although it is actually a smoky black. However the cream gene is still present and can produce palominos from a smoky black to chestnut mating. This is the one sure way to determine if the horse is a smoky; since the chestnut can only contribute a red gene, the dominant cream gene showing the palomino color has to come from the smoky.
Smoky foals usually are born with blue or grey eyes that later darken or go amber gold. They often have light tan or gold appearing tufts of hair in the ears (or even the whole inside). The foal coat color usually appears the same as a black foal, although some may look like dark buckskins until the foal coat sheds and the black color becomes evident. Some may even develop gold dapples on the body as they mature. One of the great things about smoky black is that even though they appear black, most times they will breed as though they are palomino.
Sandy Posted From: 4.227.133.79
Posted on Tuesday, November 30, 2004 - 11:57 am:
Thanks for the help. My colt was actually born looking almost a slate grayish brownish color. I thought he was a bay at first. But when he shed his foal coat, he turned jet black. His eyes were gray when born, but now have turned to the normal brown color. Although I swear sometimes it seems as though they still have a hint of gray to them. He also has the golden tufts of hair in his ears. So, I guess there is the good possibility that he is a smoky, which would be totally awesome! Thanks.
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