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Pearl
The most recently documented dilution gene is now officially named "Pearl"
It occurs in horses descended from My Tontime (granddam of
Barlink Macho Man), Andalusians, Lusitanos, Pasos AND GYPSY HORSES.
Here is the link to the U.C. Davis
laboratory which located it and developed a test for it:
http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/service/horse/coatcolor.html#pearldilution
Congratulations to all of us color researchers
and horse breeders,
Carolyn Shepard, Cecilia at UCDavis, and everyone else who helped identify, name & rename this amazing, elusive, recessive
and cream-activated gene.
For newcomers to this subject, this is a
NEW dilution
(not cream, or dun, or silver, or champagne, or...)
The Pearl gene is a RECESSIVE, cream-activated, dilution gene.
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Recessive means that one copy of the gene in a horse
has no expression (is "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
a cream gene
present. In this case it manifests as a "double dilution": pearl AND cream.
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The Discovery of the Iberian Pearl gene
Originally referred to as the Barlink dilution gene by Carolyn Shepard,
President of the International Champagne Horse Registry, it was discovered by
her first in American Paint Horses. It looked so much like champagne that the
Registry still has her first-discovered example, Barlink Peaches & Cream,
registered as their only non-champagne!
http://www.ichregistry.com/studbook_p1_0001-0050.htm
(Scroll down to see #0044T)
Later the gene showed up "in disguise" as a "different",
cream-activated, recessive dilution gene in Andalusian, Lusitano, and Peruvian
Paso horses. These owners decided to call the gene "Pearl".
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
working test for it.
The following week, after Carolyn Shepard sent hairs from
Suzan Sommer's "Pearl cream" Andalusian filly, Guindeleza, to UCDavis, it was found that the gene
"we" had been calling "Pearl"
IS THE SAME GENE!!!
A few days 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", abbreviated Prl.
Later, in 2007, it was also documented in the Gypsy Horse.
If you think your horse is a NEW dilution, before you apply to
join the newdilutions Yahoo Group, please first 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.
There is a test for gray in England but it is not available
to the public.
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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The Pearl dilution gene as found in Gypsy Horses (this page
is not started yet, sorry.)
   
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