Strawberry roan

Strawberry roan, also known as chestnut roan, is a horse coat color characterized by a stable mix of reddish-brown and white hairs, typically with a darker head and lower limbs. Due to its wide range of shades and seasonal variations, the coat has inspired rich poetic terminology, often drawn from botanical language in both English and French.

Before genetic testing was possible, strawberry roan was identified solely by phenotype. As early as the 1910s, researchers hypothesized a genetic basis, referring to a “Roan factor.” Genetically, this color results from epistasis: the presence of at least one copy of the Roan allele (Rn) acting on a chestnut base coat. The mutation responsible, discovered in 1999, is located on the KIT gene.

Historically, this coat color was noted in two horses brought to the Americas by Hernán Cortés and appears in literature and traditional songs. It can be found in various horse breeds capable of expressing roan on a chestnut base, including the Dartmoor, Breton, Belgian, Quarter Horse, and Criollo.