# Can my grey stallion carry a roan gene too?



## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

What colour was the stallion before he greyed? That is more important than if he is grey or not. As for if he can pass it on - if he is a roan himself under the grey, then yes, he can. If he isn't, then no, he cannot.

Grey is like a blanket - it doesn't take the original colour away, it just covers it.


Also, the picture links are not working


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## WSArabians (Apr 14, 2008)

Get him colour tested with UC Davis. It is, I believe, about $45US, and takes all the guess work out.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Can't see the pictures, but most gray foals go through a roany looking stage. Like so:










That guy will turn white or fleabitten eventually.

That said, yes, it is possible that your stud is also a roan beneath the gray, and he can pass both genes on, even to the same foal.


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## alfjupiter82 (Nov 30, 2011)

I'm not sure what color he was before he went grey. Only says grey on his papers. He does have a roan in his lineage and his father and grandfather were grey so maybe it is masked. Not sure why the photos are not working. Really wanted you all to be able to see them I'm going to get him tested but in the mean time just educating myself


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## alfjupiter82 (Nov 30, 2011)

Links to photos should work now Changed my sharing to the web.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

Only the last of those pictures looks like a classic roan to me. The others look like they are graying out because of the amount of white on the face. Roan wouldn't do that. 

The one with the single roaned patched is probably caused by tobiano or sabino, not roan.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Agree with Po. First two are definitely grey IMO. The chestnut and white is just the tobiano or sabino like Po said. The last looks classic roan. If the last foal's dam is not at all roan, then your stud is probably a roan.


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## alfjupiter82 (Nov 30, 2011)

Thanks for all of the information!! The mare of the roan foal does not appear to be roan herself. She does have very few white hairs throughout her coat though but nothing that looks roan unless roan can be very subtle. She is a bay. Im glad I found this forum and will continue to use!! I have another colt that was born palomino. He is out of the same grey stallion and his mother is a tobiano buckskin. He has been really light since birth but recently has been starting to change. From his recent pics do you think he will darken or turn grey?

https://picasaweb.google.com/alajupiter82/November292011#5680943662008571666

https://picasaweb.google.com/alajupiter82/November292011#5680943604106789202

https://picasaweb.google.com/alajupiter82/November292011#5680943559212482866

https://picasaweb.google.com/alajupiter82/November292011#5680943771665072802


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## paintedpastures (Jun 21, 2011)

When breeding a grey horse you have to consider what his underlying color was at birth that is color that you are basing your color possiblities on.It is after that you will see if that color will be modified by the grey gene.If the horse was born a roan then they most definitely can pass it on.Grey is just a modifys the original color. Grey horses will pass on that grey 50% of the time to their offspring.{unless they are Homozygous for grey then grey will be a given}.
I have bred to grey stallions & yes they did grey out. The one stallion was Palomino based grey,so he carried a dilute gene as well,so he also did sire quite a few pally offspring that didn't grey out.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

The palomino appears to be going gray, as well. And I wouldn't *totally* discount gray just yet on the bottom roany colt. It's not the best photo to go from, and even if he is a true roan, he might still gray. Not saying he will, just that he might.


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## Appyt (Oct 14, 2007)

True roans have solid colored heads. They can have white markings like blazes too, but their faces do not roan. A Sabino can have a fully roaned body like a "roan" and also have a roaned head. Most of the time they will have high whites maybe a bald face and a belly spot too, splashy. Greying(roaning) on the face as they age is a big sign they are going to go grey. 

My Heidi (in my sig) is a bay roan Hancock mare. Those are some pretty babies there.


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## soenjer55 (Dec 4, 2011)

My colt was born a bay, and now he's completely grey at four- my (uneducated, so I'm very likely wrong) guess is that I don't think it's actually a roan gene, but just the grey gene- I'll bet all his babies will turn out to be grey when they're done changing their coat colors. Then again, I know little about the roan gene.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, I'd love to know the answer to this too, though!


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## Surayya (Dec 7, 2011)

Classic (true) Roans have solid coloured legs with upside-down "V" shape where roaning meets the non-roaned leg colour, along with solid coloured head, mane & tail (unless another modifier is present) that are NOT gray on the ends. With-in 2 mths Roaning becomes evident as foals start to shed into their adult full Roan colouration- which covers the body from ears to base of tial & extends down to just above the knees & hocks(so the horse is left with solid points)...








&









Tobiano wont change that unless there are higher white markings covering the entire Roaned area, so there will be solid coloured knees, hocks & head if the white markings finish below these areas....

























I would think your foals are likely to be Sabino, which is often confused with roan - the 1st 2 foals almost certianly as they have jagged leg markings & lots of wite flecking on their faces....
















I also think as others do that at least the 1st 2 foals (1st 3 photos) also will gray out due to the high content of gray around their eyes (gray rings)- thats always a dead give away of gray.

Oh & since your stallion is throwing chestnut based foals he'll either be chestnut or at carry chestnut & is also heterozygous for gray as not every foal looks to be going gray- unless the last 2 foals in your photos also go gray


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