Cream (CR)
Cream is an incomplete dominant dilution, meaning one copy and two copies produce different effects on the horse's coat.
A single copy of Cream typically lightens red pigment. On a black-based horse, one copy of Cream may produce little visible difference, while two copies significantly dilute both red and black pigment.
Single Cream Dilution (CR/n)
One copy of Cream (CR/n) produces:
- Chestnut + CR/n - Palomino
- Bay + CR/n - Buckskin
- Black + CR/n - Smoky Black
Double Cream Dilution (CR/CR)
Two copies of Cream (CR/CR) produce:
- Chestnut + CR/CR - Cremello
- Bay + CR/CR - Perlino
- Black + CR/CR - Smoky Cream
Horses with two copies of Cream may also be known as "double dilutes."
Double dilutes typically have pale coats, pink skin, and blue eyes, though this may not always be the case.
Cream Inheritance
Cream is an incomplete dominant dilution, meaning the number of copies inherited determines how strongly the dilution is expressed.
- CR/CR - The horse has two copies of Cream and will always pass Cream to its offspring.
- CR/n - The horse has one copy of Cream and has a 50% chance of passing Cream to its offspring.
- n/n - The horse does not have the Cream gene and will not visibly display it or be able to pass it to its offspring.