Roan (color)
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- Different meaning: Roan, Norway.
Roan is a type of coat color in horses (and, occasionally, in other animals, such as dogs) that is a mixture of white hairs with a base coat of another color. It gives the horse a lightened appearance, while the mane, tail and head remain the original color. Roan horses also tend to have dark lower limbs, and the top of the dark area will have a pointed or triangular appearance. It is a dominant gene, meaning that at least one parent must be a roan in order to pass the gene on (it does not "pop out" from two non-roan parents with roan lineage).
The true roan gene appears in some breeds more than others. Roans are found in these breeds: Quarter Horses, Saddlebreds, Tennessee Walking Horses, Connemara Ponies, Miniature horses, American Paint Horses, Welsh Ponies (though rarely, if ever, in Welsh Cobs), Shetland Ponies. There are only two roan Morgan horses known to be alive today, a gelding and an aged mare, so the color is probably at a dead end in that breed. The true roan gene does not appear in Arabians and Thoroughbreds; colored individuals in those breeds are carrying Rabicano or Sabino rather than the "true" roan gene.
- Red base (chestnut) + Roan= Strawberry Roan
- Black base + Roan= Blue Roan
- Bay (black base + Agouti gene) + Roan= red roan
Strawberry Roans usually have a pinkish tint. Red Roans are like strawberry roans except darker at the points (mane, tail, and lower legs). Blue Roans have a bluish tint. Roan can appear on any base color or mixture of colors, so there are also buckskin roans, silver dapple roans, etc.
Lethal Roan Question
The idea of "Lethal Roan Syndrome came from a 1979 study (Hintz, H.F. and VanVleck, L.D., published 1979. Lethal Dominant Roan in Horses. Journal of Heredity 70:145-146.) This study, based on percentages of roan foals thrown by roan parents, popularized the idea of Lethal Roan Syndrome. The study did not include direct genetic analysis and assumed fetus absorption preventing birth.
A recent genetic study of roans by Dr. Bowling (See http://www.hancockhorses.com/article-roanQHNews.pdf) refuted Hintz and VanVleck’s inferences. Using genetic analysis, Dr. Bowling found several homozygous roans and no evidence of a Lethal Roan Syndrome
See also
External links
- Photo of blue roan (http://www.blueroans.com/catalog/images/AZULS%20JOE%20HANCOCK.jpg)
- Photo of grulla roan (http://www.grullablue.com/images/cutter/cutterface03may.jpg)
- Photo of chestnut roan (http://www.weaverhorses.com/pics/stud4.jpg)
- Photo of smoky black roan (black + 1 creme gene + roan) (http://www.tidecreek.com/jacksunny%20003.jpg)
- Photo of palomino roan (http://www.horseytack.com/R-2.gif)
- Photo of silver dapple roan (http://www.bluechipminis.com/horses/bella_03.jpg)
