Blue Roan Horse Color Genetics with Photos and Descriptions

Roan horses are undeniably gorgeous. Having coats on their bodies comprised of equal parts colored fur and white fur, the effect created is stunning.

What Exactly Is a Blue Roan Horse?

A blue roan has a coat that is a 50/50 mix of white and black hairs in their coat. That’s right – a blue roan is not actually an indigo coated horse, but rather one with a dark, black base. This mix of black hairs and white hairs gives the horse a blue-hued appearance, hence the name.

Blue Roan vs. Red Roan

“True” Blue Roans

A true blue roan is a true roan on a black coat. True roans are described as classic and they do not include the patrials or patterns, such as varnish, rabicano or sabino.

Roan Coat Color Genetics

A roan coat is determined by coat color genetics. The roan gene itself is a dominant trait (Rn) and the foal of two non-roan parents, even if they have a bloodline of roans behind them, cannot have the roan trait present in them.

For more post like this, visit