Strawberry Roan vs Red Roan: The Stunning Truth

Many horse lovers get confused by the terms strawberry roan and red roan. Imagine you are hiking a mountain, and you spot two horses under a soft blue sky.

One has a reddish-brown coat with white hairs that glows like a sunset over a snow ridge, and the other looks like chocolate drizzled with marshmallows. This beautiful moment is a perfect example to understand the difference between the strawberry roan and red roan.

It is important to understand the genetics, color, base coat, and phenotype of roan horses. The roan gene is a mutation discovered in 1999 on the KIT gene. It is a result of epistasis, where the allele affects the appearance of the chestnut base or bay base.

In this article, we’ll explore how the roaning pattern appears in various breeds like the Criollo, Quarter Horse, Belgian, Dartmoor, and Breton. You will learn how the modifying pattern shapes a horse’s identity and how coat variation appears in bays, chestnuts, blacks, grays, and even palominos.

What Does the Term Strawberry Roan Actually Mean?

Many new owners get confused by the term strawberry roan. In simple words, roans are a horse coat color pattern made up of three main types: bay, blue, or red. The strawberry roan falls under the red category and has a unique blend of pinkish, creamy, or apricot-colored hairs that cover the body.

Strawberry roans come with a pigment variant in the KIT gene, which plays a key role in showing the color across the coat. But strawberry roan is not a standardized color, as many breed registries do not recognize it as a specific color.

Many experts use the term chestnut roan instead of strawberry roan for red roan horses. However, some people mistakenly refer to strawberry roan as a bay roan, which can lead to ambiguity.

Depending on the shade, these horses are also called lilac roan or honey roan. Whether it’s a nickname, a color variation, or a regional preference, it shows that the strawberry roan has truly earned its place in the horse world.

Understanding the Genetics of Roan Horses

The roan gene (Rn) is a dominant trait that causes a mix of white hairs on the horse’s base coat without affecting its mane, tail, or legs. This effect creates appearances like strawberry roans, blue roans, and bay roans.

Rn is a mutation on the KIT gene, which is located on equine chromosome 3 (ECA3). It controls pigmentation cells and causes roaning over chestnut, black, or bay coats. When the roan gene reacts with a chestnut base coat, it results in the lovely strawberry roan color. Reacting with black gives blue roan, and with a bay base coat, it produces red or bay roan.

Without this autosomal dominant pattern, horses cannot produce a true roan foal. Most of the time, their coat will be masked by gray, or they will show rabicano or sabino patterns—which are not true roans.

The KIT gene also plays a role in other patterns like tobiano, sabino, and dominant white. That’s why understanding genetics is very important when dealing with both roan and certain pinto patterns.

Strawberry Roan Horse: Coat, Features, and Colors

What Is Their Base Coat?

The strawberry roan horse usually comes from a chestnut or sorrel base coat. When a roan gene (Rn) interacts with a chestnut base, it results in a strawberry roan coat pattern. The roan gene is a mutation of the KIT gene, which is located on equine chromosome 3 (ECA3).

This gene does not affect the mane, tail, and legs but can give a flaxen chestnut or creamy chestnut look based on the shade and hair texture.

What Color Do You See on a Strawberry Roan?

Strawberry roans are known for their amazing coat color patterns. Their color is a soft blend of pinkish, reddish, or apricot-colored hair, resembling strawberry-like skin that glows—like red apples hanging under the sun.

This lovely color appears even more vibrant during spring and summer. The tone and appearance of strawberry roan horses also depend on the density of white hairs. Lighter coats reflect more light, giving them an elegant and glowing texture.

How About Their Mane and Tail?

Roaning mostly affects the body. The mane and tail of strawberry roan horses usually remain flaxen, reddish, or light chestnut in color because the roan gene does not impact these areas. You might notice some white hairs, but they don’t change the original color.

Sometimes, the mane can look slightly darker, which adds a touch of contrast and a beautiful lighting effect. Many riders describe this charming feature as flaxen with roan or flaxen chestnut.

What Does Their Body Look Like Overall?

A strawberry roan can have a lovely blend of white and red hairs across its body, giving it a soft and glowing appearance. However, the pattern is less uniform and not always found in the same way on every horse.

The legs and head often appear darker or less roaned than the rest of the body, as they retain more of the chestnut base pigment. These striking features make strawberry roans stand out from other roan types like blue roan or bay roan.

Red Roan Horse: Appearance, Traits & Coat Breakdown

What Is Red Roan’s Base Coat?

Stunning red roan horses come from a bay or chestnut base coat. The roan gene, a pigment variant of the KIT gene found on equine chromosome 3 (ECA3), interacts with this base color to produce the iconic red roan pattern.

So, the body of red roan horses shows a mix of white and darker reddish hairs. What makes their base coat rich and unique is the presence of black points—appearing on the mane, tail, and lower legs of bay-based horses. For chestnut horses, a darker brown tone shows up on the mane and tail.

The term red roan covers a range of rich chestnut and bay roan variations. Understanding the genetics behind red roans and strawberry roans helps in clearly recognizing the difference.

What Is the Body Appearance of a Red Roan?

Red roans display a rich contrast on their coat. The white hairs blend with the chestnut or bay base to create a marbled effect. While red roans have a beautiful red tone, strawberry roans carry a softer, pinkish tone.

The bodies of red roans are roaned with white, while their lower legs and heads retain darker pigment. This contrast effect gives them a truly striking appearance.

During spring or summer, the red roan coat looks even more vibrant as light reflects off the lighter hairs.

What Happens to Their Mane and Tail?

The mane and tail color of red roans depends on their base coat. Bay-based red roans usually have black manes and tails, while chestnut-based red roans feature deep reddish or dark brown manes and tails.

The manes and tails of red roans often appear darker than the body because the roan gene does not affect these areas. However, you may notice a few white hairs blending under the base pigment.

So, the contrasting features of red roans make them stand out from other roan types, especially the strawberry roans.

Red Roan vs Bay Roan vs Chestnut Roan

Strawberry Roan vs Red Roan: Key Differences

Similarities Between Strawberry Roan & Red Roan

To know about red roans and strawberry roans, it’s important to understand the science behind their coats. Because even though both share some genetic similarities, they also have some key biological differences.

Both strawberry roan and red roan come from the roan gene, which is a pigment variant of the KIT gene found on equine chromosome 3 (ECA3). So, due to the same roaning trait, both have a unique intermixing of white hairs throughout the coat.

The difference lies in their base coat color. Strawberry roans come from a chestnut base coat, while red roans come from a bay base coat.

Are They Technically the Same?

But since bay and chestnut horses look similar, it often confuses most horse lovers. The key difference in red roans is that they have black points on their mane, tail, and lower legs.

Some breed registries consider strawberry roan and red roan the same due to their shared genetics. But they’re not exactly the same, because they are visually distinct and have a different base pigment.

Differences and Similarities:

• ✅ Both have same genetics
• ✅ Both are roan coat patterns
• ✅ Both show white hairs intermixed with the base coat
• ❌ But are visually distinct
• ❌ Have different base pigments

Do Coat Colors Affect Temperament or Health?

It is a myth that coat color has an impact on a horse’s behavior or health, because the roan gene found in strawberry roan and red roan horses is dominant. This means that both have a dominant genetic trait. This genetic trait only changes the hair coat color and does not affect the temperament or behavior of the horse.

The base color is determined by the extension gene (E), which is passed down by both parents. If the gene is enabled to show black pigment, the hair coat appears black. So, coat color does not affect temperament—it is largely due to genetics and handling.

Does Color Determine Behavior?

Color does not have any impact on behavior. It does not influence temperament. Both strawberry roans and red roans behave according to how they are raised, trained, and handled. So, color has nothing to do with their health, behavior, or temperament.

Health Considerations

The roan gene is not linked to any negative health traits. It simply affects the distribution of white hairs on the body. This is in contrast to the frame overo gene, which is responsible for lethal white syndrome—a serious and fatal genetic disorder in some foals. Roans do not carry this risk.

How Roan Horses Change Over Time

The coat color of roan horses changes over time, but this is completely normal. Foals are born with a solid color, and as they mature, they develop a roaned coat. Factors like sun bleaching, seasonal coat fading, and age-related changes can also affect the coat appearance of horses.

Quick Tips for Identifying Roan Types

Telling the difference between red roan, strawberry roan, bay, and chestnut horses can be confusing—especially when they look pretty similar at first glance. But with a little observation and the right cues, you can spot the differences like a pro.

1. Mane and Tail Color Cues

One of the quickest ways to identify a roan horse is by looking at the mane and tail:

• Strawberry roan horses (which are technically chestnut roans) usually have reddish or flaxen-colored manes and tails that match their chestnut base coat.
• Red roans have a bay base coat, which means they often sport a black mane and tail, inherited from their bay genetics.
• Bay horses (not roan) will also have a black mane and tail but won’t have the white hairs intermixed across the body.
• Chestnut horses have a solid red or copper mane and tail, with no roaning effect.

2. Head and Leg Shading

The head and lower legs of roan horses often stay darker than the body:

• Red roans usually have dark shading on the head, knees, and hocks, making the roaning more obvious.
• Strawberry roans may look more uniform but can have slightly lighter legs or face shading depending on the individual.
• Bay horses often show black points (legs, muzzle, ears), which helps distinguish them from chestnut and roan variations.
• Chestnut horses tend to have even coloration from head to hoof without noticeable shading or contrast.

Conclusion

Visual cues and genetics make it easy to understand the difference between strawberry roan and red roan. Both share the roan gene, but the base coat color of strawberry roan comes from chestnut, and red roan comes from bay.

Genetic testing and checking the breed registries are the best ways to confirm your horse’s coat.

References:

• The University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Roan Zygosity DNA Test
• Research Journal about Allelic Heterogeneity at the Equine KIT Locus
• National Institutes of Health about Coat Color Roan Shows