Roan (RN)
Roan is a dominant white marking that can appear on all three base coat colors.
Roan horses typically have white hairs mixed throughout their existing coat color, while their head, mane, tail, and lower legs retain more of their original coat color. The amount of white can vary between horses, meaning some may appear lighter or darker than others. In game, we have a variety of roan overlays, some may be minimal, whereas some may be extreme.
Roan Patterns
The resulting appearance of Roan depends on the horse's base coat colour.
- Chestnut + Roan (RN) - Strawberry Roan, a mixture of red and white hairs throughout the body.
- Bay + Roan (RN) - Bay Roan, a mixture of brown and white hairs throughout the body while retaining darker points.
- Black + Roan (RN) - Blue Roan, a mixture of black and white hairs that can give the coat a blue or grey appearance.
Roan does not remove or change the horse's underlying base coat colour. Other dilutions, modifiers, and white markings may influence the resulting appearance - not all horses with roan will look the same.
Roan Inheritance
Roan (RN) is a dominant white marking, meaning only one copy is needed for the pattern to visually show on a horse.
- RN/RN - The horse has two copies of Roan and will always pass Roan to its offspring.
- RN/n - The horse has one copy of Roan and has a 50% chance of passing Roan to its offspring.
- n/n - The horse does not have Roan and cannot pass it to its offspring.
Roan vs Grey vs Varnish Roan
Although Roan, Grey, and Varnish Roan can sometimes appear similar, they are genetically different.
Unlike Grey, which causes a horse to progressively lose pigmentation as it ages, a roan horse in game will remain the same as the horse ages.
Varnish Roan is caused by Leopard Complex (LP) rather than Roan (RN). Varnish Roan horses typically have white hairs distributed unevenly throughout their coat, leaving darker patches around the knees, shoulders, face and hips - though this can vary from horse to horse.
Genetic Testing
In our genetics system, Roan is a dominant, testable white marking. Players can have their horses genetically tested at a veterinary office to determine whether they carry one or two copies of Roan.