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Is the Old Grey Mare Really What By: Elsie Darrah Modified by white is it roan or is it grey Most registries, including TWHBEA, have historically treated grey or roan as a color, registering horses simply as “grey” or “roan” and even “grey roan.” In April 2006 TWHBEA updated their color guide and changed their registration process for both grey and roan horses. In both cases it is a requirement to register the birth color of the foal. The modifier “roan” is added for a roan horse. If a foal turns grey the modifier “grey” it is added to the birth color. In both cases the birth color, which is the base color of the horse, remains on the registration certificate. Grey: Grey is a dominant gene and will always be expressed although not necessarily at birth. A horse carrying a grey gene must have at least one parent that expresses that gene. The grey gene causes white hairs to be gradually mixed with colored hairs in a horse’s code as it ages. They grey hairs progressively increase each year until eventually most horses become entirely white. Some may retain some color, especially in their manes and tails. The greying process differs between horses, although most become dappled with a pattern of dark rings with lighter centers and will have red or black flecks in their grey coat, at some point in the greying process. Grey foals are generally born a solid color. White hairs caused by the grey gene may be present at birth or may appear shortly thereafter. There may not be enough white hairs to be readily apparent until the foal sheds or even later. White hairs caused by the grey gene often appear very early on the head and legs, especially around the eyes, and may form grey "goggles." However, the first white hairs can appear on any part of the body. One odd effect of the grey gene is that foals that are destined to be grey as adults are often born darker than non-grey foals and some have white eyelashes. There is an old saying that says that foals born black will go grey, and foals born grey (actually a mousy color) will be black, and it is generally true. Some foals that are not born dark will exhibit a darkening of the foal coat to become dark brown or even black, and they may be even darker their yearling year. This is especially striking on light colored foals. Palomino foals going grey typically turn a dark chocolate color as part of the greying process. Because the grey gene is dominant, there is a 50% chance that any foal with a grey parent will go grey. Foals with a grey parent should be watched carefully for signs that they will turn grey. A foal with two grey parents may be homozygous for grey, meaning that all of its offspring will be grey. A grey with a palomino, buckskin or smoky coat color can produce a cremello, perlino, or smoky cream if bred to another horse that carries the cream gene. However, the resulting double dilute (cremello, perlino or smoky cream) foal will still have a 50% chance of also carrying the grey gene and producing grey foals. Because the white hairs caused by the grey gene will not be visible on the already white coat of the double dilute foal, there is no way to know whether the foal carries the grey gene until it produces offspring. If it carries the grey gene, then each of its foals will have a 50% chance of being grey. For this reason, any double dilute foal that is born from a grey parent cannot be guaranteed to produce only palominos, buckskins and smoky blacks because its foals may turn grey. There are several TWH double dilute bloodlines that carry the grey gene. Ethical breeders should have their registration corrected to include grey and provide that information to buyers. There is no test for the grey gene available as yet. When a horse is part way through the greying process, it has a mixture of white and colored hairs that can be easily confused with roan. For that reason, some greys in our breed have been mis-registered as roans, especially blue roans and roans mis-registered as grey. The foal on the right is a black roan sabino, but could have easily been mis-registered as grey even though he has no grey parents. There are a few key differences that can be helpful in telling a grey from a roan. One is that roans do not have a lot of white hairs on their heads, but greys do. Another difference is that greys usually get lighter every year until they are completely white. Registering grey foals can be especially confusing. Some greying foals have hardly any white hairs and are mistakenly registered as their base color without the grey modifier. Others have a mixture of white and colored hairs and are mistakenly registered as roan. If an apparently solid foal has a grey parent, then it should be carefully examined for white hairs, especially around the eyes, on the ears or on the face. If an apparently roan foal has a grey parent, then it is probably a grey. Foal colors can be corrected before their first birthday at no cost.
Roan: The gene that causes the roan pattern is dominant, so roans must have at least one roan parent. The roan gene causes white hairs to be evenly mixed in with the base coat color on the body, neck and upper legs. The head, lower legs and mane and tail remain the base color. Most true roans have fairly minimal white markings other than their roaning. Their heads and legs are darker than their bodies, and their color goes through seasonal changes, with more white hairs during the spring, somewhat fewer in the summer, even fewer in the fall, and fewer still in the winter. This makes roans appear lightest in the spring and darkest in the winter, whereas greys are usually the opposite. Because the roan gene is dominant, there is a 50% chance that a foal with a roan parent will inherit the roan gene. Roan horses are generally either roan at birth or shed to roan after the foal coat. Once the roaning appears, there will be seasonal changes in the amount of white in the coat, but the horse will not get progressively whiter as happens with greys. In some breeds roan horses are being bred to grey horses because of the misconception that the grey gene will enhance the roaning. The opposite is true. If a roan horse has a grey parent you can expect it to turn grey 50% of the time.
Key characteristics to determine what horse is: Grey
Roan Roaning is present at birth or after foal shed. Amount of roaning varies seasonally, but roans do not get progressively whiter. They get dark in winter and shed back to roan in spring. Head, lower legs, mane and tail remain dark. Must have a roan parent.
Do you have a horse registered as a grey, roan or grey roan?
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