The cream gene is behind some of the most eye-catching colours seen in Connemaras, but it is also one of the easiest colour genes to misunderstand.
You may see a DNA result written as N/Cr or Cr/Cr and wonder what it actually means. Does one copy always make a pony palomino? Can a buckskin produce a cremello? Can a grey Connemara still carry cream? And what exactly is the difference between a buckskin and the traditional Connemara “dun”?
The simplest way to understand it is this:
The cream gene changes a pony’s base colour. It does not create one single colour on its own.
That base colour is what decides whether a pony becomes palomino, buckskin, smoky black, cremello, perlino or smoky cream.
What does N/Cr mean in a Connemara pony?
N/Cr means the pony has one copy of the cream allele.
Cream shows incomplete dominance, so one copy changes the coat, while two copies usually produce a much stronger dilution.
With one copy of cream:
Chestnut becomes palomino.
Bay becomes buckskin.
Black becomes smoky black.
An N/Cr pony has a 50% chance of passing the cream allele to each foal.
That does not mean 50% of its foals will all be the same colour. The colour still depends on the base colour the foal inherits.
What does Cr/Cr mean?
Cr/Cr means the pony has two copies of the cream allele.
These ponies are known as double dilutes.
With two copies of cream:
Chestnut becomes cremello.
Bay becomes perlino.
Black becomes smoky cream.
A Cr/Cr pony passes a cream allele to every foal.
So every foal from a double-cream parent will inherit at least one copy of cream.
What exactly is a palomino Connemara?
A palomino is a chestnut-based pony with one copy of cream.
That is the important bit.
The cream gene is not simply a “palomino gene”. It only produces palomino when it acts on a chestnut base.
A palomino cannot secretly have a bay or black base underneath. Its base is chestnut.
What can be hidden is its agouti genotype.
Because chestnut ponies do not show black pigment in the coat, a palomino can be A/A, A/a or a/a at agouti without that changing the fact that it is chestnut-based.
Those hidden agouti alleles can still matter when they are passed to future foals that inherit the ability to produce black pigment.
What exactly is a buckskin Connemara?
A buckskin is a bay-based pony with one copy of cream.
The red pigment in the body is diluted, while the black points remain much darker, so you usually see a golden or tan body with a dark mane, tail and lower legs.
This is especially relevant in Connemaras because golden ponies with dark points have traditionally often been described as dun.
Modern colour genetics separates buckskin from true dun.
Buckskin is caused by cream.
True dun is caused by a different genetic system altogether.
The British Connemara Pony Society currently lists “dun (may also be known as buckskin)” among recognised breed colours, which reflects the traditional terminology still used in the breed.
So when you see a Connemara described as “dun”, it will often mean what modern genetics calls buckskin.
What is smoky black?
Smoky black is:
black base + one copy of cream
It is genuinely a cream-dilute colour, although the effect can be surprisingly subtle.
One copy of cream has much less visible effect on black pigment than it does on red pigment. That means some smoky black ponies may look almost like ordinary blacks.
This is one of the times when DNA testing can be much more useful than judging by eye.
A pony can carry cream even when the coat does not make it obvious.
What is a cremello Connemara?
Cremello is:
chestnut base + two copies of cream
Cremellos are very pale cream, with pink skin and blue eyes.
They are not albinos.
They are ponies with a specific double-cream dilution. Their pale coat, pink skin and blue eyes are part of that colour genetics.
Because a cremello is Cr/Cr, it passes cream to every foal.
What is perlino?
Perlino is:
bay base + two copies of cream
Like cremello, it is a double dilute, but its underlying base colour is bay rather than chestnut.
Perlinos and cremellos can sometimes look similar, especially if you are relying only on photographs or coat shade.
DNA testing can tell you which base colour is underneath.
What is smoky cream?
Smoky cream is:
black base + two copies of cream
It is the double-cream version of a black base.
It is less commonly talked about than cremello or perlino, but genetically it belongs to the same group.
Why does one copy of cream look so different from two?
One copy of cream dilutes red pigment much more strongly than black pigment.
That is why chestnut can turn into an obvious golden palomino, while a black pony with one copy of cream may become only subtly different as smoky black.
With two copies of cream, both red and black pigment are diluted much more strongly, producing the very pale double-dilute colours.
Can two palominos produce a cremello?
Yes.
Two palominos are both N/Cr.
Each parent has a 50% chance of passing cream.
For each foal, there is:
a 25% chance of inheriting no cream,
a 50% chance of inheriting one copy,
and a 25% chance of inheriting two copies.
If that double-cream foal is also chestnut-based, it will be cremello.
The important distinction is that 25% is the chance of Cr/Cr, not automatically the chance of cremello in every possible cream-to-cream mating.
The base colour still matters.
Can two buckskins produce a cremello?
They can produce a double-cream foal, but that foal will not automatically be cremello.
Two buckskins are both N/Cr, so there is again a 25% chance of Cr/Cr.
The final colour depends on the base colour the foal inherits.
A chestnut-based Cr/Cr foal will be cremello.
A bay-based Cr/Cr foal will be perlino.
A black-based Cr/Cr foal will be smoky cream.
So it is more accurate to say:
Two buckskins can produce a double-cream foal.
Can a palomino produce a buckskin foal?
Yes.
A palomino is chestnut-based, but it can still carry different agouti alleles.
If the foal inherits the genetics needed for a bay base from its parents and also inherits cream, it can be buckskin.
This is why the cream test only tells part of the story.
To predict colours properly, breeders also need to consider Extension and Agouti.
Can a buckskin produce a palomino foal?
Yes.
For that to happen, the mating must be capable of producing a chestnut-based foal, and that foal must also inherit cream.
Again, the visible colour of the parent does not tell you everything about what it can pass.
Can a grey Connemara carry cream?
Yes.
Grey sits over another base colour. It does not replace the pony’s underlying colour genetics.
So a grey Connemara can still carry cream and pass it to its foals.
A pony may have started life as palomino, buckskin, smoky black or another cream-based colour and then gradually greyed out with age.
That is why older grey ponies can be difficult to assess by appearance alone if you are trying to predict foal colours.
Find out more about grey in Connemaras
What about cream and roan?
Cream and roan are separate genetic traits, so a pony can inherit both.
That means a cream-dilute pony can also carry a roan pattern.
In local Connemara terminology, you may hear combinations such as smoky blue roan.
The important thing is that cream is changing the base colour, while roan is adding its own pattern over that base.
That is another reason coat colour can become difficult to work out by eye alone.
Are dun and buckskin the same in Connemaras?
Not genetically.
A buckskin is a bay base with one cream allele.
True dun comes from a separate dilution gene.
But the word “dun” has been used traditionally in Connemaras for many golden ponies that modern colour genetics would call buckskin.
The British Connemara Pony Society still reflects that traditional use with the wording “dun (may also be known as buckskin)” in its breed standard.
So in a pedigree, sales advert or older breeding record, “dun” does not automatically mean the pony carries the true dun gene.
Read more about buckskin Connemara ponies
Does the cream gene cause health problems?
The cream mutation is a coat-colour dilution. Having one or two copies is not, in itself, considered a genetic disease.
Double-dilute ponies such as cremellos and perlinos have much less pigment, which is why they have pale coats, pink skin and blue eyes.
Pink skin is naturally more vulnerable to sunlight than heavily pigmented skin, so sensible sun protection may be useful for exposed areas, just as it can be for other pink-skinned horses.
But being cremello, perlino or smoky cream does not mean that a pony is unhealthy simply because it has two copies of cream.
Should Connemara breeders test for cream?
Not every breeder needs to.
If colour is irrelevant to your breeding plans, testing for cream may not change anything.
It becomes much more useful when you are trying to work out whether:
a black-looking pony may actually be smoky black,
a grey pony carries cream underneath,
a breeding animal is N/Cr or Cr/Cr,
a particular mating could produce palomino, buckskin or a double dilute,
or an unexpected foal colour needs explaining.
For breeding stock, especially stallions or mares likely to produce several foals, knowing the result can save a lot of guessing.
The cream gene in simple terms
The easiest way to remember it is:
N/N means no cream.
N/Cr means one copy of cream.
Cr/Cr means two copies of cream.
With one copy:
Chestnut becomes palomino.
Bay becomes buckskin.
Black becomes smoky black.
With two copies:
Chestnut becomes cremello.
Bay becomes perlino.
Black becomes smoky cream.
Once you know the pony’s base colour, the cream gene becomes much easier to understand.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Cream Gene in Connemara Ponies
What does N/Cr mean in a Connemara?
N/Cr means the pony has one copy of the cream allele. It has a 50% chance of passing cream to each foal.
What does Cr/Cr mean?
Cr/Cr means the pony has two copies of cream. It is a double dilute and will pass cream to every foal.
Is palomino a base colour?
No. Palomino is a chestnut base with one copy of cream.
Is buckskin a base colour?
No. Buckskin is a bay base with one copy of cream.
Can a black Connemara carry cream?
Yes. A black-based pony with one copy of cream is genetically smoky black. The dilution may be subtle enough that DNA testing is needed to confirm it.
Can two palominos have a cremello foal?
Yes. Two N/Cr parents have a 25% chance of producing a Cr/Cr foal. If that foal is chestnut-based, it will be cremello.
Can two buckskins have a double-cream foal?
Yes. Two N/Cr buckskins have a 25% chance of producing a Cr/Cr foal. Depending on its base colour, that foal may be cremello, perlino or smoky cream.
Can a grey Connemara carry cream?
Yes. Grey can hide the pony’s earlier colour, but the cream allele remains part of its genetics and can still be inherited by its foals.
Is a cremello an albino?
No. Cremello is a double-cream dilution on a chestnut base.
Are dun and buckskin the same thing?
Not genetically. Buckskin is caused by cream acting on a bay base. True dun is caused by a different gene. In Connemaras, however, “dun” has traditionally also been used for ponies now genetically described as buckskin.
Are cremello and perlino Connemaras healthy?
Having two copies of the cream allele is not itself a genetic disease. Double dilutes have reduced pigmentation, giving them pale coats, pink skin and blue eyes. Their pink skin may need sensible protection from strong sunlight.