# Dun or Bay Roan?



## Secarey91 (Sep 4, 2021)

Hi everyone! My husband and I bought a registered quarter horse yearling. Seller tried to register as a buckskin but aqha kicked it back saying she is a “dun” because of dorsal stripe. However, since we have had her. Her stripe is fading. Her dad I believe is a red roan and mom just a bay qh. She looks to me like a bay roan? Thoughts?


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## Friesians45 (May 18, 2021)

Looks like a Dun Roan to me.


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## Friesians45 (May 18, 2021)

Here is a picture of one to help you figure out what the color dun roan is.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Yes to bay roan. Unless one of her parents was registered with the wrong color she can't be dun. A good picture of her back including the top of her tail would help.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

I would call her a dun. I do not see a lot of roan in her. You could have a panel run through AQHA. Then you would know for sure. You can also have the 5 panel test run , if you plan on competing her or ever breed her.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Inverted V's, darker face says bay roan. The cream in the ears says nd1 is present. That can put a really striking set of primitives on a foal coat that may not be visible with the roan as they mature. Some foals just have heavy foal camo including primitives. Horses with nd1 keep it. This is a pic of my palomino with nd1 and tested no roan but has white interspersed in his entire coat - some areas heavier than others- except the legs. Nd1 will not have dilution of coat that a dun will have but they can tend to fade quite a bit causing confusion.


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## Finalcanter (Apr 15, 2013)

She's dun (to me). Even if he stripe is fading, it was still there in the first place.
This is definitely one of those colorations where you might need a genetic test to know for sure.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

The dorsal does not make a horse dun. (Edited to add) The dorsal would also have to be through the tail. There are no rear shots of this horse to show where it stops. My guess is tail head. Dun also does not skip generations or hide (though there are exceptions like gray that will eventually hide it). No testing necessary for this horse unless you want to know if nd1 is homozygous or heterozygous. There would have to be a dun parent. Red roan crossed with bay does not produce dun. It can produce a bay roan. It also won't produce a buckskin.

There are three possibilities with dun. Dun which puts primitives including a dorsal AND coat dilution. ND1 (nondun 1) which puts primitives on a horse including a dorsal but NO coat dilution. There can be differences between degree of primitives depending on zygosity. Their coats may fade but they are not diluted. New coats in spring and fall show best what the color is. Last is ND2 (nondun 2) which puts no primitives though there may be shadowing or primitives on foal camo it is not nd1 or dun. There are genetic combinations that can cause confusion but there are shade differences that can be useful for determination. For those with dun or nd1 parents testing may be the best option to determine what is what if a person is unsure.

The palomino above is homozygous for nd1 and shows a very distinct dorsal. He has a palomino sire and palomino dam. Neither is dun or roan. Sire though is sooty to such a degree he is the color of a Hersey bar with a flaxen mane and tail.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Not sure where you are seeing dun roan for this photo. Could be the light but dilution is wrong for dun. Does look roan and I suspect is also nd1.


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## haviris (Sep 16, 2009)

I know this is an older one, but I'm going to agree dun roan, and the example baby posted is also a dun roan as stated. I can't see the dorsal on the subject of this post, I'm basing it on the horse's color and obvious roaning. My dun roan's dorsal is also roaned so harder to see then on a 'normal' dun. My guess is either dad is a red dun roan (could be harder to tell) or mom is actually a dun. Definitely not buckskin, but very common mistake people seem to make. I know a breeder who always puts #dunskinroan on one of her horses pics when she posts pics of her, but it is actually a dun roan.


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