A true roan has a way of making people stop and look.
Whether it’s the smoky appearance of a blue roan, the rich colouring of a bay roan or the warm, almost coppery tones of a strawberry roan, there’s something about these ponies that catches the eye. Many Connemara enthusiasts spend years hoping to own one, and when a quality roan comes onto the market it often attracts enormous interest.
Yet despite their popularity, few coat colours create more confusion.
Can two roans be bred together? Why don’t all roan parents produce roan foals? Are strawberry roan and red roan the same colour? And why are roans so uncommon in the first place?
The good news is that the roan gene in Connemara ponies is far simpler than many people imagine.
What Is a True Roan?
A true roan is not a base coat colour. Instead, it is a coat pattern that sits on top of another colour.
The body is evenly mixed with white and coloured hairs, while the head, mane, tail and lower legs usually remain noticeably darker. This creates the beautiful frosted appearance that makes roans so distinctive.
Unlike grey horses, true roans do not gradually become whiter every year.
Once the roan pattern has developed, usually during the foal’s first coat changes, it remains remarkably consistent throughout life. The coat may appear lighter during winter and darker in summer as the coat changes, but the pony does not progressively lose pigment in the way a grey horse does.
Why Are Roan Connemaras So Popular?
Part of the appeal is simply that no two roans ever look exactly alike.
Some have only a light sprinkling of white hairs, while others appear almost silver from a distance. Sunlight, rain and even the season can make the same pony look surprisingly different from one month to the next.
Roan also has an unusual depth to it. Unlike solid colours, the mixture of white and coloured hairs creates movement and texture across the coat, making the pony seem to change depending on the light.
For photographers, judges and breeders alike, it is one of the most striking coat patterns found in the breed.
Its rarity only adds to its appeal.
Are Roan Connemaras Rare?
Yes, although exactly how rare is difficult to measure.
The Connemara Pony Breeders’ Society recognises roan as an accepted coat colour, but it is seen far less often than grey, bay, black or dun.
There are two main reasons for this.
The first is genetics.
Classic roan is inherited as a dominant trait, so every true roan must inherit the roan-associated genetic variant from one of its parents. If neither parent carries the variant, the foal cannot be a true roan.
The second reason is population size.
There are relatively few breeding animals carrying the classic roan pattern within the Connemara population. Because the gene isn’t widespread, relatively few roan foals are born each year.
That rarity has helped make roans particularly desirable among many buyers.
Blue Roan, Bay Roan or Strawberry Roan?
All three are true roans.
The difference lies in the pony’s underlying base coat colour.
Blue roan
A blue roan is genetically a black horse carrying the classic roan pattern. The mixture of black and white hairs creates the familiar steel-blue appearance.
Bay roan
A bay roan has a bay base coat with white hairs distributed throughout the body, while the black mane, tail and lower legs remain dark.
Red roan (Strawberry roan)
A red roan is a chestnut horse carrying the roan pattern.
In Britain and Ireland, you’ll often hear the colour described as strawberry roan because of its warm pinkish-red appearance.
The two names describe exactly the same colour.
What Causes the Roan Pattern?
Classic roan is strongly associated with genetic variants in the KIT region of the horse’s genome.
The pattern is inherited as a dominant trait, meaning a pony only needs to inherit one copy of the roan-associated variant to display the classic roan coat.
For breeders, the practical message is simple.
If a pony does not inherit the roan-associated variant, it will not be a true roan and cannot pass classic roan to its own offspring.
Can Two Roan Connemaras Be Bred Together?
Yes.
This is probably the biggest myth surrounding the roan pattern.
For many years, breeders believed mating two roan horses together would result in a lethal genetic combination.
Modern research has shown that this simply isn’t true.
Healthy horses carrying two copies of the classic roan-associated variant have been identified through DNA testing, confirming that classic roan is not homozygous lethal.
If both parents carry one copy of the roan-associated variant—which is the most common situation—each foal has, on average:
- a 25% chance of not inheriting the roan pattern
- a 50% chance of inheriting one copy and being a true roan
- a 25% chance of inheriting two copies and also being a true roan
If one parent carries two copies of the roan-associated variant, every foal is expected to inherit the roan pattern.
As with all genetics, these are probabilities rather than guarantees. A breeder may produce several roan foals in succession—or none at all.
Can Two Non-Roan Parents Produce a Roan Foal?
Not if the foal is a true classic roan.
Every classic roan must inherit the roan-associated variant from at least one parent.
Occasionally, owners believe a roan has appeared unexpectedly, but the horse is often displaying a different white hair pattern, such as rabicano or certain sabino patterns, which can sometimes resemble roan without being genetically the same.
Why Does a Roan’s Coat Look Different in Winter?
Many owners notice that their roan appears much lighter during the winter months.
This isn’t because the pony is becoming greyer (read about grey in Connemara Ponies)
The longer winter coat simply makes the white hairs more noticeable. When the shorter summer coat arrives, the underlying base colour becomes more obvious again.
This seasonal change is completely normal and is one of the reasons roans seem to change appearance throughout the year.
What Are Corn Marks?
One fascinating feature of true roans is something called a corn mark.
If a roan pony injures its skin, the hair growing back over that area may return as solid-coloured hair rather than roan.
The result is a small darker patch within the coat.
These markings are perfectly normal and are considered a characteristic feature of classic roan horses.
Can You DNA Test for Roan?
Yes.
DNA testing is available and can confirm whether a horse carries the classic roan-associated variant.
For most owners there is little practical reason to test, but it can be useful for breeders planning future matings or confirming the genetics of valuable breeding stock.
Common Myths About Roan
“Breeding two roans is dangerous.”
False. Modern genetic research has shown that classic roan is not homozygous lethal in horses.
“Every foal from a roan parent will also be roan.”
False. Most roan horses carry one copy of the roan-associated variant, so each foal has only a probability of inheriting it.
“Roan and grey are the same colour.”
No. Grey horses progressively lose pigment throughout life. True roans keep their distinctive pattern.
“Strawberry roan is different from red roan.”
No. Strawberry roan is simply the traditional name for a red roan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is blue roan rarer than strawberry roan?
There are no published figures showing which is rarer within the Connemara breed. Their frequency depends largely on how common the underlying base coat colours are within the breeding population. Both are considered uncommon compared with grey or bay Connemaras.
Can a grey horse carry the roan pattern?
Yes. A horse can inherit both the grey gene and the classic roan-associated variant. As the horse ages, the greying process may gradually hide the roan pattern.
Does the roan pattern affect health?
Current evidence indicates that classic roan is simply a coat colour pattern. Unlike inherited diseases such as HWSD, it is not associated with health problems.
Can you tell if a young foal will stay roan?
Not always immediately. The roan pattern often becomes more obvious during the first coat changes, although the timing varies between foals.
What should breeders know about the roan gene in Connemara ponies?
The roan gene in Connemara ponies is inherited as a dominant trait, which means a pony only needs one copy of the gene to show true roan colouring. Breeders should still distinguish true roan from grey, sabino and other patterns that can look similar, especially when assessing colour in young ponies.
Final Thoughts
The classic roan pattern has fascinated horse lovers for generations, and it’s easy to see why. Its ever-changing appearance, relative rarity and distinctive colouring make it one of the most admired coat patterns in the Connemara breed.
Fortunately, modern genetics has also helped dispel many of the myths that once surrounded it. We now know that breeding two true roans is not inherently dangerous, that a roan must inherit the pattern from a parent, and that a strawberry roan is simply another name for a red roan.
For breeders, understanding these principles makes planning future matings much clearer. For owners, it simply adds another layer of appreciation for one of the most beautiful and unusual colours seen in Connemara ponies.