This is the final installment in our mini-series looking at the high demand for blue roan Brabant foals and the challenges involved in breeding them. We started by taking a big picture look at color genetics in Brabant horses (here) and then explored the probabilities of getting a blue roan foal when crossing a variety of different colored horses (here). In the end, we found that the odds of getting a blue roan foal sired by our stallion Ash and out of anything other than a blue roan mare do not go above 50% and are often significantly lower based on the mare's genetics. With that in mind, what's a Brabant lover to do to get the horse of their dreams???
The first step is to take time and evaluate the priority of color in the horse search. For some people, their purchase of a blue roan Brabant is a long time dream and nothing else will do. That's totally fine, but also needs to be met with the realistic expectations that it could take longer to locate this perfect horse than it would to buy another color. Other people will decide that their dream of being a Brabant owner simply can't wait and that they are open to other colors as well. In the end, there truly is no bad color for a good horse and the power, majesty, and grace of these creatures is evident regardless of their coat color. Simply being aware of the realities that blue roans are in high demand and are one of the more challenging colors to produce is a good starting point when evaluating what are 'must-haves' and what are 'wishes' in searching for the perfect horse.
For those who are set on getting a blue roan another option is to pursue importing a horse from overseas, where the number of Brabant horses are higher and therefore the number of blue roans available are also higher. This is an option that I always lay out with a lot of cautions because importing is an expensive and time consuming process and can have unfortunate results if not done carefully. The truth is, with blue roans in such high demand many breeders choose to keep their high quality blue roan foals to produce more in the future. This means that often the blue roans for sale are not the best horses, but ones that the breeder did not feel met their standards. While this is not the case with every horse and it is certainly possible to find quality blue roans it does mean that if you're shopping based on color you must pay particular attention to all the other aspects of the horse (genetics/inbreeding, temperament, health conditions, conformation, etc) in order to select the best foal. A good blue roan foal is also going to command a premium purchase price in addition to the substantial costs of importing.
Another way to go about finding a blue roan is to consider American Brabant horses with a lower percentage of European blood. By crossing a blue roan stud such as Ash to black horses, such as Percherons, the odds of getting blue roans increase as there are no dominant Agouti alleles coming into play and turning a black based horse into a bay. We've written in the past about how the percentage of European blood affects the look of a horse (here) but for those who are looking for a colorful horse with the Brabant mind and are less concerned about the European style/build this can be a great option. One other quick note about the percentage of European blood... We find in our herd that once the horse's percentage of European blood reaches the high 80s or 90% level they look and act very much like a full, 100% Brabant. We often get folks that are adamant that they want nothing less than a 100% percent foal. Again, if this is your preference we are happy to help with that but I often encourage these people to be openminded about high percentage Brabants rather than holding out for the true 100% horses, simply because there are so many more options to choose from. Once again, it comes down to knowing what you are truly looking for and how to sort through the various color, gender, percentage goals to find a horse that will make you smile every time you see them in the field :)
Our blue roan mare Beech- we love her for much more than just her color but she's got the look to go with the mind and the build of the perfect Brabant horse
Photo credit goes to Foxglove Photography
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