Color Genetics

THE SUREFIRE WAY TO STRIKE GOLD: Sorrel or chestnut mares will produce 100% gold champagne foals when bred to a gold homozygous champagne stallion, no exceptions. So don't bring your sorrel mare and hope for a classic or amber champagne, because it's never going to happen.

BAY: Bay is the best color to breed if you want an amber champagne foal. Your odds are 50% gold champagne and 50% amber champagne or classic champagne.

BLACK: Black is the best color to breed if you want a classic champagne foal. Your odds are 50% gold champagne and 50% classic or amber champagne.

TOBIANO (SPOTTED) MARES: With a heterozygous tobiano mare, you will get 50% champagne tobiano foals and 50% champagne solid foals. With a homozygous tobiano mare, the foal will be champagne tobiano 100% of the time.

GRAY MARES: It depends on the basecoat of your mare, but the foal will be champagne 100% of the time, and it will gray out 50% of the time. CHAMPAGNE MARES: You will get a heterozygous champagne foal 50% of the time and a homozygous champagne foal 50% of the time.

GOLD IVORY CHAMPAGNE MARES: 25% chance for gold champagne, 25% chance for gold homozygous champagne, 25% chance for gold ivory homozygous champagne (2 champagne genes and 1 creme gene), and a 25% chance for ivory champagne.

PALOMINO MARES: You will get a gold champagne 50% of the time and an ivory champagne (palomino + champagne) 50% of the time.

BUCKSKIN OR DILUTED BLACK MARES: You will get a classic, amber, or gold champagne 50% of the time and a golden ivory, amber ivory, or classic ivory 50% of the time.

CREMELLO MARES: You will get golden ivory champagne 100% of the time.

PERLINO MARES: You will get golden ivory champagne 50% of the time and amber or classic ivory champagne 50% of the time. (Unless the mare is homozygous for the black pigment and could not produce a golden ivory champagne foal.)

BLUE OR BAY ROAN MARES: You will get gold champagne 50% of the time and amber or classic champagne 50% of the time. On top of that, 50% of the time the foal will get the roan gene, which could make for a pretty interesting color combined with champagne. 

RED ROAN MARES: You will get gold champagne 100% of the time and 50% of the time the foal will be gold champagne roan.

SABINO MARES: You will get champagne 100% of the time and the foal will also be sabino 50% of the time. See the basic base coat colors above to determine what shade of champagne you might get.

SOLID WHITE MARES: Solid white horses are believed to be homozygous for the sabino gene, which means that every foal from a solid white horse will be sabino, but the extent of white can vary from horse to horse. A solid white mare will produce a champagne sabino 100% of the time when bred to Wind Dancer. Because Wind Dancer does not carry the sabino gene, the foal has no chance of being solid white like the dam.