- 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 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). Roan is a lethal gene, meaning that two copies (one from each parent) will kill a foal, often in utero. For that reason, it is best not to breed two roan horses together.
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.
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