> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://equinecolors.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Varnish roan - URL: https://equinecolors.com/varnish-roan/ - Published: 2026-06-30T08:51:42.000Z - Updated: 2026-07-30T11:07:31.000Z - Description: Varnish Roan is a spotted coat pattern that causes white hairs in the coat, as well as mottled skin, striped hooves and white sclera. - Author: Hannelore Roodhooft - Tags: Colors, Patterns & Markings, #Import 2026-08-12 09:42 ## Appearance | Foals | ![Varnish foal](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2026/06/varnishfoal.png) | Foals are usually born **solid** and startgetting more **white hairs** in their coatover time. When they start and thespeed at which they "varnish out"can vary a lot.Foals can already show **mottled skin**, **striped hooves** and **white sclera**. They may **lack foal camo** and show **goggles**similar to grey horses. | | ----- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Varnish roan horses have **white hairs**mixed into their coat. The amount ofwhite tends to **increase over time**and may also change seasonally. It**avoids** the **bony areas** of the horse(nose bridge and cheek, often resultingin a typical V-shape; points of the hip,shoulder, knees and hocks), which staycolored. Horses have **mottled skin**,**striped hooves** and **white sclera**. | ![Varnish roan horse](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2026/06/varnish-1.png) | Adults | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------ | #### Mimics Varnish roan could be confused with roan. Even though they both have "roan" in the name, they are completely different patterns on two different genes (roan is located on KIT). They can look similar, however! Varnish roan also shares a lot of characteristics with grey, as they can both gradually lighten the coat with age. ![CTA Image](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/12/Equinecolors_Icon_MagnifyingGlass.png) ****Roan** causes white ticking all over the body, but (generally) ****doesn't** cover the ****head** and ****lower legs**, causing an ****inverted V-shape** where the solid legs meet the roaned body. The pattern may change seasonally, but it ****doesn't increase** over time. ****Grey gradually lightens** the entire coat to white. ****Varnish roan** ****avoids** the ****bony areas** of the horse and also features ****striped hooves, white sclera** etc. The amount of white tends to ****increase** with age. ## Genetics Varnish roan is the result of one or two copies of the LP-allele, without any PATN1 or other modifying alleles. LP is a dominant allele of the gene. > Some horses only test positive for LP, without any PATN1, yet they have patterns like spotted blankets or snowcaps. There are likely (many) other alleles that affect how spotted patterns are expressed we haven't identified yet. > > Therefore, in *our game,* [***Horse Reality***](https://www.horsereality.com/?ref=equinecolors.com)*,* we use PATN2 as an extra (untestable) modifier that can cause small blankets etc. The existance of PATN2 was once theorised, but was never proven. ![CTA Image](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/12/Equinecolors_Icon_DNA1-33.png) ****Varnish roan:** LP/lp or LP/LP [Back to Spotted Coat Patterns](https://equinecolors.com/spotted-coat-patterns) ## Articles 1. Bellone RR, Holl H, Setaluri V, Devi S, Maddodi N, Archer S, Sandmeyer L, Ludwig A, Foerster D, Pruvost M, Reissmann M, Bortfeldt R, Adelson DL, Lim SL, Nelson J, Haase B, Engensteiner M, Leeb T, Forsyth G, Mienaltowski MJ, Mahadevan P, Hofreiter M, Paijmans JL, Gonzalez-Fortes G, Grahn B, Brooks SA; ***Evidence for a retroviral insertion in TRPM1 as the cause of congenital stationary night blindness and leopard complex spotting in the horse***; PLoS One (2013); Doi: [10.1371/journal.pone.0078280](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0078280?ref=equinecolors.com) 2. McFadden A, Vierra M, Martin K, Brooks SA, Everts RE, Lafayette C; ***Spotting the Pattern: A Review on White Coat Color in the Domestic Horse*** ; Animals (2024); Doi: [10.3390/ani14030451](https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14030451?ref=equinecolors.com) 3. Terry RB, Archer S, Brooks S, Bernoco D, Bailey E; ***Assignment of the appaloosa coat colour gene (LP) to equine chromosome 1***; Animal Genetics (2004); Doi: [10.1111/j.1365-2052.2004.01113.x](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2052.2004.01113.x?ref=equinecolors.com) --- [![CTA Image](https://equinecolors.com/content/images/2025/10/Image-5.png)](https://www.horsereality.com/?ref=equinecolors.com) Learn while playing! Discover how genes shape colors and patterns in our realistic horse breeding game, Horse Reality [Play now ](https://www.horsereality.com/?ref=equinecolors.com)