I have always been intrigued by horses that don’t fit neatly into the category of roan as described by the American Quarter Horse Association, The Jockey Club, or the Arabian Horse Registry of America. Often these horses are not related to roan horses, yet their coats are mixed with white hairs typically around the barrel, at the flanks, and/or at the base of the tail. Sometimes, as in the case of the legendary running champion Go Man Go (photo), they are registered as roans. Most often, as in the case of all-time leading cutting sire High Brow Cat, they are registered as a solid color horse.

“Roaning” is a common term for this coat pattern, although The Lyons Press Horseman’s Dictionary refers to it as “rabicano,” and defines it as “a coat color in which a few, scattered white hairs appear amid a darker-colored background, usually on the hindquarters and dock.”

Roan, as defined by AQHA, is a “more or less uniform mixture of white with (red, black or bay base color) hairs over a large portion of the body, but usually darker on the head and lower legs…”

The difference between rabicano and true roan is that in the true roan the color is evenly distributed over the entire body, often with the exception of the head and lower legs, while rabicano roaning varies in intensity, sometimes spreads with age, and is usually limited to barrel and hindquarters. Rabicanos also often have “skunk or coon” tails, while true roans do not.

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Here’s the draw for today’s $25,000-added Open finals in the Mercuria NCHA World Series of Cutting at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.

1	THOMAS E HUGHES, 2003 (HIGH BROW CAT x SMART LETHA)
	Horse’s LTE: $334,468 Rider: AUSTIN SHEPARD Owner: KATHY BOONE
2	BOON TOO SUEN, 2005 (PEPTOBOONSMAL x MERADAS LITTLE SUE)
	Horse’s LTE: $126,506 Rider: KOBIE WOOD Owner: GARY ROSENBACH
3	FRECKLED LEO LENA, 2004 (SMART LITTLE LENA x FRECKLED LEO GIRL)
	Horse’s LTE: $73,825 Rider: JAMES DAVISON Owner: FRECKLED LEO LENA
4	JUST PLAYIN SMART, 2000 (FRECKLES PLAYBOY x SMART LITTLE PET)
	Horse’s LTE: $240,450 Rider: MATT GAINES Owner: RALPH GRAY
5	MOCHA CAPPUCCINO, 2003 (ZACK T WOOD x CAPPUCCINO AND PASTA)
	Horse’s LTE: $212,418 Rider: MIKE COLEMAN Owner: LAZY M CATTLE COMPANY
6	I BEN THINKING, 2003 (SOULA JULE STAR x FANCY HANDLE)
	Horse’s LTE: $96,233 Rider: NEIL ROGER Owner: JIMMY KEMP JR
7	CETAS AHOY MATE, 2003 (SMART MATE x CETAS LADY)
	Horse’s LTE: $76,350 Rider: EDDIE BRAXTON Owner: KIRKLAND GRUBER
8	CD APRIL FOOL, 2000 (CD OLENA x ATTRACTIONS FIRST)
	Horse’s LTE: $81,114 Rider: JEREMY BARWICK Owner: FLYING A RANCH
9	GABREYELLA, 2004 (DUAL REY x A PLAYBOYS DESIRE)
	Horse’s LTE: $46,608 Rider: GARY FIELDS Owner: LK CAPITAL ENTERPRISES
10	WOOD YA WANNA, 2000 (ZACK T WOOD x CURLY GRAY HAIR)
	Horse’s LTE: $285,511 Rider: R L CHARTIER Owner: WRIGLEY RANCHES
11	DUAL REY ME, 1999 (DUAL PEP x MISS SMART REY JAY)
	Horse’s LTE: $786,514 Rider: RUSS CARROLL Owner: JEREMY BARWICK
12	WILD HICKORY BOB, 2004 (BOBS HICKORY RIO x PLAYBOYS HONEYGIRL)
	Horse’s LTE: $125,453 Rider: JON WHITE Owner: JUSTIN WHITE
13	VELVETS BEST SHOT, 2003 (PLAYGUN x ENTERPRISE VELVET)
	Horse’s LTE: $24,908 Rider: JAMES PAYNE Owner: MIKE HANCOCK
14	MS PEPPY CAT, 2002 (HIGH BROW CAT x MS PEPPY DOC)
	Horse’s LTE: $183,321 Rider: PETE BRANCH Owner: EL CID LAND & CATTLE
15	SCOOTIN BOON, 2003 (SMART LIL SCOOT x SUSIES BLUE BOON)
	Horse’s LTE: $83,939 Rider: ROY CARTER Owner: S&S FARMS
16	FAITH IN MY CAT, 2003 (HIGH BROW CAT x FAITH IN YOUR MATE)
	Horse’s LTE: $239,804 Rider: TOM LYONS Owner: TOM LYONS

A favorite and well-established ranch in Valley View, Texas.

Phone: (940) 665-7961

By JOE DRAPE

Published: February 10, 2010

Rachel Alexandra, the Horse of the Year, will not be ready to face her rival, the undefeated mare Zenyatta, in the Apple Blossom Handicap in April at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. Her trainer, Steve Asmussen, said his filly needed more time to return to racing shape after a six-month layoff.

Oaklawn Park, one of the most successful racetracks in America, had proposed to raise the purse of the Apple Blossom to $5 million from $500,000 if both horses showed up. Now, the purse will revert back to $500,000.

“Out of respect for the level of competition and the importance of this race, I have told Mr. Jackson it was not in the best interest of the horse to race on April 3,” said Asmussen, referring to the owner Jess Jackson, in a news release. “Getting to this level of fitness after a six-month layoff takes time.

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