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This is one of these cool things about how the cream loci works (where the pearl mutation is also found).

Cream is an incomplete dominant meaning 1 copy of the gene has different actions on the 3 base colors versus 2 copies. 1 copy of cream does not have a visible effect on black pigment/eumelanin (but there are various schools of thought on this and I acknowledge there may be disagreements) but does effect red pigment (pheomelanin). This is why buckskins have black points/manes/tails but have lightened bodies. When 2 copies of cream are present, there is more dilution present, hence the overall lightened appearance of the perlino (bay base)

Because pearl is also located in the same gene (SLC45A2- i actually had to look that up haha) as cream, it can interact with cream and create "pseduo double creams". They work hand in hand to lighten/dilute the overall body tone which is why your poppy white has such a lightened coat/mane/tail.

Pearl on its own does not have visible effects on the horse's coat unless 2 copies of pearl OR another cream gene is present. It is a sneaky gene and easily hides in single format but can pop up on a foal when mated to another pearl/cream carrier.

Because they share the same spot, it is impossible for a horse to have 2 copies of cream and a copy of pearl or vice versa- only cream/cream, pearl/pearl, cream/pearl, cream/_, or pearl/_.

Pearl is a fun gene and really creates some beautiful shades of color on the 3 different color bases!

Pearl is considered separately from cream when naming the horse's color. When you hear the color name, that is the hint as to what the horse carries.

A red-based horse carrying a copy of cream and pearl would be a palomino pearl
A bay-based horse carrying cream and pearl is a buckskin pearl
a black-based horse carrying cream and pearl is a smoky black pearl

Horses carrying 2 copies of cream:
red based: cremello
bay based: perlino
black based: smoky cream

horses carrying 2 copies of pearl
red based: red pearl (or chestnut pearl here on HaJ)
bay based: bay pearl
black based: black pearl

A horse that is carrying 1 copy of pearl but no cream would be referred to as its appropriate color plus "carrying pearl". Remember 1 copy of pearl and nothing else does not have a visible effect on the coat thus is "hidden".

Sno and sun are.. interesting. They were discovered by a horse genetics lab called Etalon which has had... umm.. mixed results in terms of accuracy and scientific rigor (even more so than other animal genetics testing labs). As far as I am aware Sno (which was identified in a traditional gypsy cob line) and Sun (which was identified in a tennessee walking horse cross), while they may be actual variants of the cream gene, have not had any rigorous peer-reviewed studies behind them and the only reference I can find about them are from authors directly affiliated with Etalon.

They seem to act on the same principles as pearl- that is 1 copy does not create a visible effect on the coat but 2 copies of either gene or in conjunction with cream/pearl create/mimic a "double dilute" coat. Horses with 2 copies of sno or sun are labelled under pearl on the game. I am not sure about real life however.

Gosh, I do love it when Blue gets to share their knowledge with us. RAM, thanks for the pictures. They were very helpful. I have tons of buckskin pearls, because of my love of the Strawberry Moon HH. I'm not sure why it did not click about the pearl. Thanks everyone!

I believe this is allllll p+

Summer, you also have Sty/Sty and DP/DP at play here. So the Sty and DP is making him extra dark overall. The double helping of Pangare + (+/+) is lightening his underside. So the lightening effect looks extra dramatic on the dark coat because of the contrast.

Oh, it is FULL of patterns. In embryonic development, they are called gradients. White markings don't start at the extremities. Color stars at the spine and moves outward. The farther away from the spine the more likely the color does not reach. (Remember white markings are not an add-on, they are a failure of color.) That's the crazy simplified version. If you want more info you can google "embryonic gradients" but ready to be tossed straight into the ocean.

They are also the reason appy starts at the hips and moves outward. Different gradients flow different directions.