Cowgirl to the Core
I have been smitten with blue roan colored horses ever since I first laid eyes on one. The color is unlike any other horse markings. Black is the base color of a blue roan. The horse's face, legs, mane and tail are all black. The rest of the body is splattered with white hairs that results in a blue tint.
My favorite color is blue, so naturally my favorite horses are colored blue. The coat color is pretty rare, but seems to be more common in recent years. We had a blue roan stud on the ranch to breed our mares to for a few years. I was surprised to find that none of the babies came out with the unique hue. Almost every colt was a dun (light tan with black points).
At the ranch sale we go to in North Dakota nearly every horse is a roan or another unique color. It doesn't matter if you're out walking through the pasture of horses, or studying lots at the sale. Everywhere you look there's a roan. Over the years, they have curated and perfected their herd's genetics by selecting the best brood mares and stallions.
This phenomenon spiked my curiosity. Breeding horses is fun because you never really know what you will get. You can pick two of the best horses and hope for a perfect combination of the pair. When the foal turns out exactly how you wanted, or better, it's a great feeling. But you can't guarantee that you will get that every time. It's a gamble.
I learned a little about genetics in some of my college classes. It was fascinating to see how you can predict what the offspring will become by comparing the DNA of mates. It wasn't until after college that I learned more about horse genes and DNA testing. Although blue roans are rare, the roan gene is actually dominant. A dominant gene will always overrule a recessive gene. That means if a horse is homozygous roan (two roan genes), they will always produce a roan.
There are several different types of roans. Blue, red, bay, dun and almost any other color can be a roan. A horse that is also homozygous black (two black genes) will either produce a blue or bay roan. When I discovered that my young stud colt has the perfect genes to create blue and bay roans my wheel started turning. My original plan was to geld him, but how can I turn down an opportunity like this?
I still have a lot to consider if I do decide to keep him a stud. He is only 6 months old, so I have time. A stallion is a big responsibility, especially when we have other horses coming in for training. Yet, the idea is so tempting to pursue.
DNA testing a horse before breeding will give a better idea of the outcome. You can only see skin deep by looking at the horse, but DNA can tell so much more. I believe it is so important to breed responsibly, and I think understand a little bit about DNA plays into that. If you want a specific color and type of horse, do a little research to see what genes will produce the color you desire.
Genetics is a tricky topic and it can be hard to wrap the brain around. There are so many factors that play into the DNA of a horse to determine how they will look. It is an exciting time for the horse industry with new technologies and knowledge about breeding. I have only scraped the surface of genetics, but am determined to learn more.