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Pearl
The Pearl gene is an INCOMPLETE RECESSIVE, cream-activated, dilution gene.
It is, in fact, most likely, an allele (mutation) of cream.
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Incompletely Recessive means that one copy of the gene in a horse
has minimal expression (is almost invisible), and two copies (homozygosity) results in
full expression (dilutes the base color once).
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Cream-activated means that it also reacts with cream: it shows up,
adding another instance of dilution, if there is
also a cream gene
present. In this case it manifests as a "double dilution": pearl AND cream.
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It has been identified so far in American Paint and Quarter
Horses, Andalusians, Lusitanos, Pasos and Gypsy Horses.
Congratulations to all of the color researchers
and horse breeders who helped identify, name & rename this amazing, elusive,
"incompletely recessive"
and "cream-activated" gene.
For newcomers to this subject, this is a
NEW dilution
(not cream, or dun, or silver, or champagne, or...)
A Winding Road
It now appears that Barlnk Peachs N Cream was discovered in
October 2001, and Majodero R was discovered in November of 2001.
What synchronicity!
Discovery of the gene in the "Barlink" Paint
Horses
The gene was first discovered by Carolyn Shepard, President
of the International Champagne Horse
Registry, in the American Bred horses (click
here to see a copy of her article from the Champagne Horse Journal). She
originally referred to it as "the Barlink dilution gene", since she discovered
it in those American Paint Horse bloodlines. It looked so much like
Champagne that the ICHR still has the first one she found, Barlnk Peachs N
Cream, registered as their only non-champagne! See "Peaches" here:
http://www.ichregistry.com/studbook_p1_0001-0050.htm She is #0044
The Discovery of the Iberian "Pearl" gene
The gene also showed up as what most believed was a "different",
cream-activated, recessive, dilution gene. Barbara Kostelnik, co-founder of
the International Champagne Horse Registry, was looking for Champagne in the
Iberian breeds. Concentrating on the lightest colors, she found that the
stallion "Q" had a foal, "Majodero", that looked very much like Champagne.
The president, Carolyn Shepard, insisted on DNA color tests, the breeder
obliged, and it was found that he was something "new".
Soon, others were reporting more cases of "champagne looking"
Iberian horses: Andalusian, Lusitano, and Peruvian
Pasos.
Barbara gathered everyone connected to these horses (who was
interested) into an internet list named "NewDilutions" and created THIS WEB
SITE. She gathered all of the then-current names for the colors, and
suggested that the actual owners pick one. They decided they liked "Pearl",
so that is what the list and this web site called it from then on.
Then, the first week of October, 2006, the "Barlink" gene was located and
named "apricot" by U C Davis, who at that time also developed a
test for it.
The following week, after Carolyn Shepard sent hairs from
Suzan Sommer's "Pearl cream" Andalusian filly, Guindaleza, to UCDavis,
it was found that the gene we had been calling "Pearl" is the same gene.
Shortly after that, the dilution in the Peruvian Pasos was
also identified as that same gene; and now, U.C. Davis has officially named the
gene "Pearl".
It was also documented in the Gypsy Horse and the American
Quarter Horse.
If you think your horse is a completely NEW dilution, before you apply to
join the newdilutions Yahoo Group, please first try to eliminate, by DNA testing or
consultation with online horse color sites/experts, all of the currently KNOWN
and IDENTIFIABLE dilutions.
People who understand horse color genetics can identify most
dilutions even without the DNA tests;
that's how it's been done for years, and how these new colors were first
discovered.
If you wish to have complete documentation/proof of your horse's
color (breeding potential), you should have your horse tested for red/black, agouti, cream,
silver (formerly known as "silver dapple", in
some breeds as "chocolate", and in some countries as "taffy"), and pearl
... also the pinto genes as indicated.
Simply click on your particular area of interest, below or
left,
to access the photos and information about it on this site.
    
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This web site created, maintained, and
© 2009 by Barbara A. Kostelnik
A Hippo-Logistics web.
To contact webmaster:
click
here
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