Blue roan is one of my favorite coat colors that horses can carry. This unique coat color contains a combination of white, grey, and black hairs that mix together in just the right way to cause the beautiful blue coloration. These beautiful horses are a rarity in the horse world because there aren’t many of their color out there. Though you may know a little bit about the blue roan coat color, do you know these 5 facts on blue roans?
1. Blue Roan is the Rarest Color in the Roan Family
There are several different shades of roan in the roan horse family. The types of roan that you can see include:
- Red Roan
- Strawberry Roan
- Bay Roan
- Blue Roan
- Palomino Roan
- Buckskin Roan
Out of all of these colors, blue roan is by far the rarest. The reason for this is because of the fact that black is just so much rarer than chestnut and bay which are the two base colors for all the other roans listed above.
With this being said, it is not a surprise that blue roan is the least common of all the different types of roan out there.
2. Blue Roan Horses are Born Black
Did you know that blue roan horses are born black? It’s true!
Blue roans have a black base color which is why they are born this color. In most cases, it is actually nearly impossible to tell a black foal and a blue roan foal apart because both just look completely black.
After a little while though, white and grey hairs will start to appear in the horse’s coat and the once black coat will fade into a grey blue color.
3. Black is the Base Coat Color for Blue Roans
Nearly every color outside of grey, black, chestnut, and bay will have a base coat color of one of those 4 base colors.
This means that because blue roan is not one of the 4 base colors, it has a base color of its own. The blue roan has black as its base color and this can be seen in many traits that these horses carry.
Proof that the blue roan’s base coat color is black can be seen in:
- The black mane and tail of these horses
- The black heads and faces
- The black legs
- The black ear tips
- The dark skin
- The dark hooves
- The black hairs mixed into their coats
- The color that these horses are born
These are all ways that you can tell that a blue roan is a true blue roan and it carries the base coat color of black.
4. Blue Roans are Mainly Seen Ridden in the Western Style
The American Quarter Horse Breed is quite possibly the breed that carries the most blue roans in its entire population. Because of this, many blue roans are related to Quarter Horses if they are not already Quarter Horses.
Quarter Horses are used as work horses on farms and ranches. If they are not used for cattle work, they are used in other western disciplines like:
- Roping
- Cutting
- Barrel Racing
- Pole Bending
- Goat Tying
- Reining
- Western Pleasure
- Ranch Riding
- Trail Riding
These incredibly beautiful horses are mainly used in western riding because most of them are built for that job.
5. The Blue Roan Coat Color Originates in North America
Many of the blue roans seen today are able to be traced back to the American Quarter Horse and the breed’s Spanish descent. The reason these horses are said to be originated in North America is because horses of this color are descended from those first horses introduced to North American soil by the Spanish.