Roan Allen (1904–1930) was one of the founding sires of the

Tennessee Walking Horse The Tennessee Walking Horse or Tennessee Walker is a horse breed, breed of gaited horse known for its unique four-beat running-walk and flashy movement. It was originally Horse breeding, developed as a riding horse on farms and plantations in t ...

. It is believed that all Tennessee Walking Horses alive today trace back to him.

Life

Roan Allen was born May 23, 1904, on the farm of James Brantley in

Coffee County, Tennessee Coffee County is a county located in the central part of the state of Tennessee, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 57,889. Its county seat is Manchester. Coffee County is part of the Tullahoma-Mancheste ...

. He was sired by Black Allan, the

stallion A stallion is an adult male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cre ...

who would later be given the designation Allan F-1, and out of the mare Gertrude. Roan Allen was a red roan stallion with a blaze, front socks, and high hind stockings. When he matured, he stood and had a long flaxen mane and tail. He was noted for his good conformation. Brantley observed him performing a true running walk within a few hours of his birth. When Roan Allen was three years old, he was put in training with Charlie Ashley of

Manchester, Tennessee Manchester is a city and the county seat of Coffee County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 12,213 at the 2020 census. Manchester is part of the Tullahoma micropolitan area. Since 2002, Manchester has been the host city for the a ...

. Ashley trained Roan Allen to perform seven distinct gaits on command, including the running walk, flat walk,

fox trot The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a time ...

, true

trot The trot is a two-beat diagonal horse gait where the diagonal pairs of legs move forward at the same time with a moment of suspension between each beat. It has a wide variation in possible speeds, but averages about . A very slow trot is som ...

and rack. When Roan Allen was fully trained, he was competed successfully in Walking Horse,

five-gaited Five-gaited horses are notable for their ability to perform five distinct horse gaits instead of simply the three gaits, walk, trot and canter, canter or gallop common to most horses. Individual animals with this ability are often seen in the Ame ...

, and harness classes in

county fair An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which breeding stock is exhib ...

s. Roan Allen died in 1930, under rather unusual circumstances. Brantley had loaned him to a farmer named Wallace in McMinnville for breeding purposes. While at the Wallace farm, Roan Allen was kicked by a

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equidae, equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more th ...

and suffered a broken leg. The injury did not respond to treatment, and the stallion had to be

euthanized Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from ; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to con ...

. James Brantley insisted on putting Roan Allen down himself, even though several others offered to perform the duty.

Influence

Roan Allen was given the designation F-38 when the

Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association (abbreviated TWHBEA) is the oldest breed association for the Tennessee Walking Horse. It was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in Lewisburg, Tennessee. The association also runs ...

was formed in 1935, five years after his death. It is estimated that 100% of living Tennessee Walking Horses trace their lineage back to Roan Allen. Roan Allen sired 470 registered foals, including the foundation horses Mitch F-5, Sallie F-45, and Hiles Allen F-72. One of his sons, Wilson's Allen, sired five of the early World Grand Champions, including

Strolling Jim Strolling Jim (1936–1954) was the first Tennessee Walking Horse to become World Grand Champion of his breed. Since Strolling Jim's death, a restaurant, street, and an annual ultramarathon in his hometown of Wartrace, Tennessee have been named af ...

and

Midnight Sun Midnight sun, also known as polar day, is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When midnight sun is see ...

. *Roan Allen ** Wilson's Allen ***Roy Wilson ***Wilson Allen Repeat ***The Last Wilson Allen *** Haynes Peacock ***Slippery Allen ****Fulton's Wilson Allen ***Victor Allen ***Wartrace ***Miller's Wilson Allen ***

***The G Man ***Wilson's Allen's Replica ***Hill's Wilson's Allen ***Sir Maugray ***Wilson Allen Again ***Wilson's Allen Jr ***Wilson's Allen's Sunset Gold ***Wilson Allen's Dictator ***Frank Wilson ***Gold Bond ***King's Wilson's Allen ***Red Warrior ***Top Wilson ***Wilson's Allen's Boss Man ***Wilson's Allen's II ***Wilson's Allen's Order ***Billy Wilson ***Fisher's Wilson's Allen ***Governor Wilson ***Hi-Boy ***King of Haven ***King of the Alamo ***Limestone Wilson ***

****Skipper Son Midnight *****

Ebony Masterpiece Ebony Masterpiece was a Tennessee Walking Horse stallion who won a World Grand Championship in 1962. After his show career he retired to stud, where he sired over 3,500 foals, six of which also became World Grand Champions. Life Ebony Masterpiec ...

**** Talk of the Town ****Midnight's Major *****B Major Wilson ****Midnight Mack *****Rodgers Perfection *****Mack K's Handshaker ****Sun's Quarterback *****Triple Threat ****Sun's Jet Parade **** Setting Sun ****Sun's Gunsmoke *****Drug Dealer ****Sun's Delight *****Delight Bummin Around ****Black Go Boy Sun *****Go Boys Black Fury **** Pride of Midnight *****Pride's Design *****Pride's Gold Coin *****Pride's Royal Master ***** Pride's Generator *****Pride's Jubilee Star *****Pride's Secret Threat *****A Command Performance *****Pride's Genius *****Pride's John Grey *****Pride's Dark Spirit *****Delight of Pride *****Pride's Final Edition ***Wilson Dean ***Wilson's Ace ***Wilson's Allen Winchester ***Wilson's Allen's Echo ***Wilson's Flight Allen ***Society Man **Merry Boy ***Old Glory ****Old Glory's Big Man ***Little Merry Boy ****Scat Man *****The Super Stock *** Merry Go BoyIn Memory of Merry Go Boy
/ref> **** Go Boy's Shadow *****Shadows Shadow ****Go Boy's Royal Heir ****Go Boy's Sundust **Hall Allen ***Aristocratic Allen ***Red Ace ***Rhoda Allen ***Hall Allen's Playboy

Pedigree

References

{{reflist Individual Tennessee Walking Horses 1904 animal births