Roan coat colour (KIT marker) - Horse

Roan coat colour in horses

This DNA test examines classic roan in horses. It uses KIT-linked markers for the Rn allele. Roan is also described as roan, classic roan or a mixture of white hairs through the base coat.

Roan horses have white hairs mixed through the coloured coat, often especially on the body and neck, while the head and legs usually remain darker. The base colour, such as black, chestnut or bay, helps determine whether the visible result appears blue roan, red roan, bay roan or another roan shade.

Inheritance and result

• N/N means the classic Roan marker was not detected.
• N/Rn means the horse carries one Rn allele.
• Rn/Rn means the horse carries two Rn alleles.

Practical value of this test

The result helps breeders plan roan inheritance, confirm roan status when the coat is difficult to judge and predict foal colours more accurately. This is valuable for colour selection, registration, sales information and combining roan with other coat-colour genes.