Horse breeding is an interesting and profitable type of business. Strong and intelligent animals, horses have been domesticated for thousands of years. People used them as labor and transport, meat, skin, horsehair were also used. A businesslike approach to fattening horses or raising a foal can bring in good returns.

Horse breeding can become a profitable business if business calculations are added to worldly ingenuity

Horse breeding is a complex and costly process. The correct calculation is not complete without a business plan for breeding horses. A business plan answers the question of whether it is worth investing in a project. It determines how much the initial capital should be, analyzes possible problems and ways to solve them.

Creating your own farm involves the following costs:

• lease or purchase of land;
• construction of a stable;
• livestock purchase;
• providing food;
• staff salaries.

Documentation costs are low. No special permits are required for this type of activity. By registering as a legal entity, you can acquire ownership of a piece of land. If funds are limited, it is possible to fully or partially lease the land.

Take Special attention selection of personnel. Both skilled grooms and auxiliary workers will be required. Arrange with the veterinarian about preventive examinations, vaccinations and treatment of the livestock.

Investments at the start can reach tens of millions of rubles. But with the right choice of business concept and efficient spending of funds, the profitability indicator is very high. It is capable of up to 300%. The payback period with favorable developments will be at least 5-7 years.

Ways to make a profit

Breeding horses as a business involves various ways of implementation. Fixed assets are recommended to be invested in areas that bring the greatest profit. What is often chosen as the leading concept?

• Breeding horses for meat. The minimum cost of maintaining horses and the availability of pasture make this type of horse breeding very attractive. The cost of fattening, as a rule, is noticeably lower than the income from the sale of horse meat.
• Livestock breeding. The high cost of stallions and mares of elite breeds provides a good profit from breeding and selling.
• Riding school and hippotherapy. City dwellers are often willing to pay for horseback riding lessons as well as participation in developmental and rehabilitation classes.

Such a business requires considerable investments, but profitability can be high.

Most owners try to combine different kinds activities. Many ways to generate income can be both primary and secondary, depending on the situation.

• Rent of premises. Private owners are happy to place their horses in the nearby stables.
• Animal rental. The temporary owner gets the right to take care of the horse and ride it. Some tenants get used to the animal and subsequently buy it back.
• Sale of accessories. The sale of riding and grooming supplies will help attract new customers.

When choosing a direction, you need to consider the location of the farm. Therapeutic and developmental activities are mainly carried out by residents of large cities. Group horse trips and walks are in demand in resort areas. Beef cattle breeding will be profitable in areas where there are areas for grazing.

Thoroughbred horses - valuable meat

Purchasing horses

Horse business for the purpose of meat production includes breeding and fattening horses of meat breeds. It is recommended to immediately purchase thoroughbred horses with a good pedigree. They have more meat yield with improved palatability. With such initial data, the investment will pay off faster.

Horses of specially bred breeds are best suited for rearing for meat.

Breed selection

These horses have a massive build, short legs and a wide back. In our country, various breeds have been bred for growing for meat, for example:

• Kazakh;
• Yakut;
• Novoaltayskaya and others.

For breeding, breeds adapted to local conditions are best suited. These horses are unpretentious, resistant to diseases and quickly gain weight.

horse meat properties

Horse meat is dark red dense meat with streaks. In terms of nutritional value, it is comparable to beef, contains about 70% water, 5% fat and 23% protein. The most delicious is the back. Pieces of high fat content are taken from the neck or peritoneum. There are no strict standards for the classification of horse meat; it is conventionally divided into two categories.

• The meat of foals of one and a half to two years is considered dietary.
• Marble meat with a higher fat content is obtained from adult horses 3-5 years old.

Features of use

Horse meat is traditionally popular among peoples with a nomadic lifestyle: in Tatarstan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan. In Europe, horse meat is rarely used in its pure form, but it is added to sausages. It gives meat products elasticity and pleasant taste. Among Muslims, eating horse meat is not welcome, but there is no strict ban on it, unlike India or Israel.

Profitability: pasture and stable

In the herd

Keeping a herd on pasture is more profitable in terms of feed costs. Horses are herbivores, and pasture vegetation is best suited for their diet. To improve the properties of green mass, nutritious perennials are sown to the grass. Not far from pastures, it is recommended to equip pens or stalls where the herd waits out cold nights and frosts. In such temporary shelters there is food, water and salt in stock.

Free life in the pasture is good for the taste of meat

in the stall

To increase the profit from breeding horses, they are kept and fattened in the stable. The building is designed at the rate of 6-10 sq. m per animal. Heating is not required, but good thermal insulation and absence of drafts are important. At the initial stage, it is not necessary to purchase expensive automatic equipment: feeders, drinkers. Subsequently, the stable can be retrofitted at the expense of the profits. It is much more important to keep horses clean and well fed.

Horses intended for meat cannot be used for household work. This negatively affects weight gain and quality of horsemeat.

What is more profitable

The payback period for grazing is 1-3 years. After slaughter, the meat is dense and tasty, although somewhat harsh. It has dietary properties due to its low fat content. With stable breeding, the horse gains weight faster and builds fatter and more tender meat. Despite the high costs of harvesting and purchasing feed, the profitability of this method of breeding is much higher.

Basic principles of fattening

Feed quality

Meat horse breeding as a business on an industrial scale is not easy to implement. The horse is a finicky animal demanding food. Feed for breeding requires high-quality, without large solid inclusions, thorns, mold. The same, however, applies to breeding horses at home.

Feed composition

The main part of the diet is grass and hay, which are enriched with various components.

• Oats, barley, clover. They give a large amount of energy, which stimulates weight gain.
• Bran. Added to the diet to improve digestion.
• Vitamins. They come in the form of ready-made vitamin supplements, as well as in the composition of green fodder.
• Rock salt. A horse needs about 1 kg per month. Salt can be replaced with mineral supplements.

Grass and hay in the diet of ungulates raised for slaughter are supplemented with grain, bran, vitamins and salt.

meat yield

Broiler Benefits

Prebiotics

When growing in the stable, modern technologies of accelerated fattening are used. Without giving up hay, prebiotic feeds are included in the diet. They digest 30-40% better than standard formulas so build up quickly muscle mass. Prebiotic feeds help realize internal resources body:

• stimulate the vital activity of the organism and microflora;
• accelerate the fermentation processes;
• neutralize toxic substances.

meat yield

By the age of six months, foals weigh 200 kg, and after another six months, the mass of animals reaches more than 400 kg. Particularly heavy specimens can gain up to 600-800 kg. After the horse is slaughtered, the meat yield is approximately 54-62%. Due speed dial horse breeding becomes no less profitable than cattle breeding.

Making a diet

It is necessary to regularly consult with specialists on how to feed horses properly. Particular attention should be paid to the period before slaughter, when the horses are heavily gaining weight. The balanced nutrition scheme is based on the conditions of keeping, breed, and health status of animals. Choose reliable feed suppliers who guarantee its quality.

Procurement and sale of horse meat

Preparation for the winter

Traditionally, the slaughter of horses, which is called “sogym” among nomadic peoples, is started before the onset of winter. Before slaughtering horses intended for meat, grazing on pastures is combined with intensive fattening for 3-4 months. In addition to daily nutrition, they give corn, carrots, and turnips.

• With the approach of cold weather, horses gain weight faster, and the percentage of meat yield increases.
• Due to the decrease in the number of winter period require less food.
• In the cold season, it is easier to provide meat storage conditions.

Carcass cutting is a real art. Some parts will go for sausage, others for steaks

slaughter

The ability to kill a horse was passed down in nomadic tribes from fathers to sons. The horse was tied up and its neck was cut. Carcasses were often butchered right on the ground, dirt got on the meat. In a modern slaughterhouse, a horse is immobilized with a strong blow on the head or by a discharge of electricity and butchered, observing the rules of hygiene. It is more profitable to slaughter horses of meat breeds, but sometimes owners rent out used draft or sports horses for meat.

Sales

Growing horses involves a clear organization of the marketing of meat obtained as a result of slaughter. Frozen and chilled horse meat is delivered to meat processing plants and sold through retail trade. Dietary meat of young animals is used in medical institutions and sanatoriums. A promising way to invest is to buy your own workshop for the production of sausages.

Summary

A horse is a difficult animal to care for, but the work of a livestock breeder is lively and interesting. Even with experience in how to breed horses efficiently and profitably, it is necessary to keep abreast of current trends in animal husbandry. Within a few years, a flexible business approach and local sensitivity will pay off the initial capital investment. Horse breeding will bring you not only material benefits, but also the joy of communicating with these smart and beautiful animals.

Breeding horses is a process that requires a lot of attention to appearance pets and their key qualities that must meet the requirements of a particular breed. The main breeding tool for many years has been the process of selection and selection, which ensures the success of the selection and the production of healthy and visually attractive offspring. Thanks to this approach, it is possible to preserve the pedigree and match the color and breed when breeding horses is meant.

Horse breeding farms often keep records of pedigrees, as well as livestock, which allows them to breed truly thoroughbred horses during selection. The availability of the necessary data makes it possible to track the breeding and exterior characteristics, parents, making it possible to track the genotype. Based on this information, a pair is selected within the group of horses, which makes it possible to save the breed and experiment.

The main purpose of such selection is the selection of horses for the improvement of existing varieties or the development of a new breed. Breeding horses under these conditions with selection makes it possible to improve some of the characteristics of the horse, as well as develop the necessary indicators and make a number of changes in the body of the horse in the necessary direction. Such breeding is the most correct and successful, since it excludes the possibility of unwanted mixing of blood.

The most important stage, which marked the breeding of horses, can be considered selection. The following can influence the effectiveness of selection activities:

• quality indicators of breeding horses;
• inherited indicators;
• changes in genetic parameters.

Based on this, the first stage of selection should be the assessment of phenotypes: live weight, appearance, measurements, typicality, and also the ability to work. Thanks to the assessment of the phenotype, it becomes possible to determine the breeding destination. The right approach which involves the successful breeding of a horse, after selection, should be based on a careful selection of a partner ready for mating. The selection process consists in drawing up parent pairs that are able to produce offspring of the desired type. It also makes it possible to enrich nature and create lines and types with new qualities.

Depending on the suits on which the breeding of horses is based, specialists distinguish heterogeneous and homogeneous selections. Heterogeneous selections are applicable in cases where breeding of horses is carried out between individuals, one of which is without well-defined useful features. Their reproduction leads to the fact that the offspring receives bright signs of the second parent, which has the necessary potential.

Uniform rebounds can be used when both parents have the proper set of distinct traits.

Rebounds can be based on performance, and given the increase in heredity, the result of such a symbiosis is a high-class offspring that meets all the existing requirements. In this case, heterogeneous selections can be applied in the conditions of the need for growth selection. Both of the methods described above, subject to improvement in conformation, agility, types and measurement, can be very effective.

Breeding Animals Will Take Effort

People who professionally breed horses are widely aware of the two main ways of crossing breeds, as well as purebred breeding. To date, the method of purebred horse breeding is rightly considered the main one. It is mainly used when breeding Arabian horses, thoroughbred horses, Oryol trotters, Akhal-Teke and other representatives of the factory breed. This technique allows you to improve the performance of the most valuable breeds or save the entire list of their useful qualities.

At the same time, it is worth mentioning the difference between unrelated (outbreeding) and related breeding (inbreeding), which have their own characteristics.

The crossing procedure involves the process of mating between two individuals representing different breeds. This method is mainly applicable to stud farms, which, among other things, specialize in breeding new characteristics in breeds. Breeding horses using a similar technique allows you to breed horses that are suitable for use in various areas in a number of ways. Remarkably, individuals in this situation may have athletic, working or productive characteristics that can be passed on to offspring.

Horses born from crossbreeding can acquire a number of new traits or qualities as each of the parents passes on their part of the genetic material. As a result of further selection or selection, selection or zootechnical measures, the obtained qualities can be somewhat strengthened or consolidated, due to which further breeding of a horse can give excellent, in many ways unique results.

On professional grounds, insemination of a horse takes place by artificial means, since it is he who guarantees healthy and numerous offspring at a relatively low cost. The cost of breeding seed is such that even an average horse breeder can afford to purchase it, thanks to which, with the insemination of a mare, it becomes possible to obtain offspring with the most valuable characteristics and indicators. At the same time, you can avoid serious costs for the acquisition, as well as the maintenance of a horse, main task which lies in the fertilization of mares.

Horses usually reach sexual maturity at the age of 2 years, very rarely this can happen after reaching one year. It should be noted that the optimal age for mating horses, regardless of breed, is three years old. Compliance with these recommendations can guarantee high quality offspring.

Breeding technique

Modern horse breeding involves breeding and mating by three main methods:

• cooking;
• mowing;
• manual.

The manual method is applicable in a stall situation, while the other two are applicable in a herd situation. Manual mating involves the detection of heat by rectal examination or with the involvement of male probes. For the test stallions, using long reins, bring them closer to the front of the horse, holding the mare by the reins. In the case when the female's ears are pressed down, anxiety is manifested, and attempts to bite or hit are observed, it can be stated that the optimal period for mating has not yet come.

When the presence of hunting is determined, you can begin to organize the mating process.

1. Before organizing a mating, the genitals of the horses should be washed using warm water, and the tail of the mare should be bandaged, and a special harness should be put on the horses for mating.
2. The direct mating should take place in a specialized room in which the floor is as flat as possible, which will avoid injury.
3. During the mounting process, the horse can be on the mare for a long time. The fact that ejaculation occurs can be told by the tail, which during this period will make movements from top to bottom.
4. In a situation where the mating did not give desired result before repeating the horse should be allowed to rest. To do this, it should be led for about 20 minutes on a rein, and only after that it should be allowed to carry out the second cage.
5. Successful insemination should also be ended by allowing both animals to rest with a short walk and placement in the pen. At the same time, it should be taken into account that carrying out more than 2 coverings per day may lead to the fact that further attempts will be ineffective.

Breeding horses can also be done using boiled mating. This technique is used in the case when the horse, due to objective reasons, cannot be allowed into the general herd. At the same time, the mares are driven into a varok (which, in fact, is a yard), after which a stallion is launched towards them. In this case, the horse independently determines the mare that is ready to cover. The use of the cooking method greatly simplifies the work of the owner, since the animals do not require additional attention with it.

Mowing mating involves breeding and mating horses by forming shoals out of them. In such jambs prerequisite is the presence of a male who, without human intervention, will independently determine the hunting of mares and cover them.

Breeding horses at home mainly occurs in one of the above ways. Modern science and technology offers operations for artificial insemination of mares. Thanks to this method, you can solve a lot of serious issues and avoid a number of problems. Under conditions of artificial insemination, it is possible to avoid the spread of diseases of the reproductive system, to inseminate even those animals that are in quarantine. In addition, artificial insemination does not imply the presence of the desired male in the immediate vicinity of the female, and also allows you to fertilize several mares at once. If you have certain skills, you can carry out such an operation even at home.

Pregnancy period

After the horse has been covered, she does not allow more stallions to approach her. In addition, this period is marked by changes in behavior:

• laziness;
• calmness;
• good appetite, because it is through food that the horse receives the entire spectrum of nutrients it needs.

It is quite difficult to determine the presence of pregnancy at the first stage, while already at the second stage noticeable roundness appears, as well as other changes indicating the presence of a new life inside the animal. Serious changes also occur immediately before childbirth, when there is a fall in the groin, legs, swelling of the udder and abdomen, as well as a lowering of the belly. In the last stages of pregnancy, milk begins to ooze. During this period, the mare needs careful care.

The stable during gestation and childbirth must be clean, and there is a need for conditions important for the normal birth process. After childbirth, special care is also necessary, since during this period the occurrence of obesity, which is a characteristic phenomenon, should be prevented. However, the care doesn't end there.

It should be noted that animal instinct tells mares how to behave in this period, and appropriate care on the part of a person should contribute to this, and not harm. At home, raising good, healthy horses, subject to the right motivation, is within the power of everyone. In addition, your horse can bring serious money by turning into a business, but for this it is important not to miss the right moment.

Igor Nikolaev

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The maintenance and breeding of horses, as well as any other domestic animals, requires a responsible approach to creating necessary conditions, proper nutrition and care for them. The correct combination of these three factors is the main condition for the harmonious development of the horse in the conditions of home horse breeding and directly affects the state of his health and the duration of his full-fledged active life.

This complex means right choice feed and drink, planning the feeding regime and competent balancing of the diet, organizing regular cleaning in the stable, cleaning the animals themselves, correct use animal at work, veterinary care and other equally important types of work.

When planning to breed horses, the future horse breeder must take into account the fact that these animals have a thin nervous system, therefore, in addition to maintaining cleanliness and regular feeding, they require a gentle and caring attitude. In addition, these large pets, unlike many others, need sufficient personal space for a comfortable existence.

Simply put, before buying these animals, the breeder must not only prepare a warm, spacious and comfortable room that meets all the necessary standards and requirements, but also select a pasture in advance, take care of buying feed and organizing their proper storage, and prepare the necessary household equipment in advance.

So there are plenty of things to do before these wonderful animals appear in your backyard.

Organization of the stable

Successful breeding of horses as a horse breeding business begins with the proper organization of the premises for their maintenance (stables).

The first thing you should pay attention to is its size. It should be spacious, well lit and have a sufficient level of ventilation, since these animals are extremely intolerant of dampness, constantly low temperatures and stale air.

Therefore, the main requirements for the stable are a constant indoor temperature within plus 15 - 18 degrees and natural light entering the stable through a sufficient number of windows. The region of our country in which the farm is located directly affects the costs of meeting the listed requirements.

Before starting the construction of a new or adapting an old stable, it is recommended to check the list again necessary equipment and a list of basic rules. This will avoid mistakes at the first stage, which are difficult to correct later.

In the stalls, there must be places for grain feeders and drinkers, a hay nursery with a compartment for mineral supplements. The drinker can be either a modern automatic or an ordinary, well-fixed bucket. According to the standards, nurseries and feeders must be installed at the level of the horse's chest, for convenient and comfortable eating by animals.

The organization of stalls is a separate item in the arrangement of the stable. This is the personal space of each individual, designed for relaxation and sleep. It should not be cramped, and it is recommended to make the door slatted so that the animal can see what is happening outside the stall at any time.

The specifics of horse breeding in Russia puts the breeders of these animals in front of the problem of choosing a system for their maintenance. The existing systems for keeping these animals, based on a pasture-stall method, make it easy to divide horses into groups. The criteria for such a division may be the age, sex of the animal or its purpose. For example, stallions are often kept in stalls, in quantities from a couple of dozen to hundreds of heads. This content is typical mainly for large horse breeding farms.

Every day, horses need a sufficient amount of grain feed (oats), as well as sources of vitamins and minerals (vegetables, fruits and special mineral-vitamin supplements). They also need constant care for the skin and teeth, regular washing of the mane with its subsequent combing, as well as cleaning the hooves and timely replacement of horseshoes.

In general, the method of keeping these animals in Russia is selected taking into account several factors, the main of which are: the characteristics of a particular area, climatic conditions, the specifics of the natural food supply, and so on.

For example, the herd method of keeping was widely used by nomadic peoples, whose lifestyle did not allow organizing a permanent stable with cozy stalls. This technique of horse breeding has come down to our days, and is considered the most natural and close to the natural conditions of life of wild horses. Such maintenance and cultivation has its advantages, the main of which is the habitual habitat of animals and the ecological purity of the feed they consume. In addition, the popularity of this technique is also due to significant savings in feed costs.

There is also an improved way of keeping and breeding horses, called cultural-herd. It also implies the year-round keeping of horses on natural pastures, but at the same time, special fodder bases are equipped near the pastures, covered with sheds, where horses come for artificial feeding and fodder that is not available in the natural environment. The conditions imply the widespread use of such a method.

You can breed these animals in a different way. The stable system is based on the permanent residence of these animals in specially equipped rooms - stables.

In Russia, this is very important. To ensure the necessary physical activity, they are walked on special fenced areas located near the premises. The sizes of these walks are planned based on their respective standards. For example, stallions of the main herd need 20 square meters of free space, young animals about 400 tons, and breeding producers about 600 square meters.

In order to protect animals as much as possible from the negative weather phenomena that are frequent in Russia, they also equip special dry and closed rooms next to the paddock. However, such a measure is relevant only for breeding animals - foal mares and breeding males. The main herd usually uses natural shelters - ravines, hollows and other relief features.

Taking care of horses means feeding them properly, keeping the animal and stall clean, and looking after its hooves.

Feeding

It is very important to organize daily feeding of horses at the same time.

The diet should be of high quality and balanced. In addition to natural feed (grass and hay), it must include grain (oats or barley), vegetables, fruits, mineral supplements and compound feed. The diet itself must be adjusted depending on age and physical condition animal, season, gender and other factors.

It is important to observe the correct single dosage at each distribution of food. Overfeeding is no less harmful than underfeeding, so daily and single portions must be calculated in advance and correctly. This calculation is made based on the age and live weight of the horse. As a rule, for every 100 kilograms of weight, five kilograms of feed are needed. In summer, when grazing, the horses of the main herd, as a rule, have enough vegetable food eaten during the day, and they do not need additional feeding.

BREEDING METHODS

Improving the productive qualities of horses is based on well-organized breeding work, which covers both breeding issues, that is, selection and selection, and technology issues that provide the necessary conditions for feeding and keeping livestock. An indispensable condition for successful breeding work is its planning and clear purposefulness. At atom essential role plays the right choice of breeding methods.

In productive horse breeding, purebred breeding is used, as well as different types crossing.

Purebred breeding. In the conditions of herd horse breeding, this is the main method for improving local breeds. It is carried out through the wide breeding use of the best stallions and mares, classified during grading to the elite class and the first. Horses of the second class serve as a potential fund for the expansion of the leading part of the breed.

The number of horses in the breeding core should be about 10% of the total population of the entire breed. Specifically, this number is determined on the basis of the full provision of purebred breeding stallions for all shoals of local mares, as well as mares designated for backcrossing.

Zootechnical science and practice have proven that the best breeding producers in terms of phenotype do not always give a good offspring, therefore essential element selection work in purebred breeding is the evaluation of stallions by the quality of offspring, the selection and widespread use of the most valuable of them to create lines.

Of great importance is the selection of queens in the shoals of these stallions. For them, mares of the desired type are singled out, which have received a high rating during grading for all breeding traits.

The formation of the bulk of the shoals that are not among the best, and the selection of stallions for them is carried out according to the principle of compensation: mares with an insufficiently massive and long body are selected into the shoals of the most massive stallions with a well-developed body; with defects in the structure of the limbs - to stallions with legs without exterior defects; mares that deviate from the breed type are sent to sires typical of the breed, etc.

In the zootechnical literature, the experience of improving Kazakh horses with purebred breeding in the former Kustanai breeding nursery is widely known, where in two generations the growth of mares was increased from 136 cm to 143 cm. jabe. According to the data of A. I. Belyaev, in this farm, according to the results of the appraisal carried out in 1939, the average measurements of the mares were: height at the withers 136.8 cm, oblique body length 145.9 cm, chest girth 174.5, mouth girth 17 .9 cm In 1970, these measurements were respectively equal to 143.3 - 151.5 - 174.7 - 18.4. The mass of mares in 1939 averaged 374 kg, and in 1970. - 422 kg. At the same time, it is important to note that the adaptability of the jabe to breeding them in the herd way is fully preserved with the round-house use of semi-desert pastures.

The importance of breeding work on breeding highly productive lines in purebred breeding of horses in meat herd horse breeding can be shown by the example of the Kushum breed. The average live weight of Kushum mares, as mentioned above, is 492 kg, and the weight of the mares of the Laskovoy line, in particular the daughters of his grandson, Linkor, is 530 kg, reaching 638 kg for the best of them. The wide breeding of horses of the best lines contributes to the improvement of the quality of the entire massif of the breed, the increase in the productivity of herd horse breeding.

A positive effect will sometimes be given by crossing horses of different offspring belonging to the same breed. So Andreev (4976) in a special experiment established that the crossing of mares from Central Yakutia with stallions from the Verkhoyansk region gave an increase in the weight of the offspring by 52 kg per head compared to the control

Along with the correct selection, it is necessary to pay attention to great attention organizing rational grazing of horses, watering, feeding during difficult periods of wintering, conducting veterinary measures. First of all, it is advisable to create improved conditions for the most valuable groups of horses - for shoals where stallions are used - the founders or continuers of the line, and for stallions raised for breeding purposes.

Increasing the productivity of herd horses through purebred breeding is proceeding at a relatively slow pace. Results become noticeable only after two or three generations. To replace each generation in horse breeding, on average, 7-8 years are required. More rapidly increase the productive qualities of animals by crossing. In the practice of herd horse breeding, mares of local breeds are breeding stock for industrial crossing. In this regard, the importance of work on the improvement and reproduction of local breeds is even more increasing.

Industrial crossing. With this type of crossbreeding in meat herd horse breeding, only mares of local breeds can serve as breeding grounds, and stallions of factory breeds (specially selected Russian, Soviet and Lithuanian heavy trucks, Don dense types and some others) can serve as producers. Using this method, in the first generation, it is possible to obtain crossbreeds that, in terms of their live weight, are 50-100 kg or more superior to horses of local breeds. Table 12 shows the indicators of the live weight of horses-crossbreeds of the first generation, obtained in the long-term experience of the All-Russian Research Institute of Horse Breeding, conducted at the former Kenkiyak state farm in Aktobe region.

Crossbreeds were grown under the same conditions as Kazakh horses; in all periods of the year, the herds were kept on grass-wormwood-saltwort pastures, including winter time(on tebenevka).

12. Average live weight of hybrids of the 1st generation at the age of 3 and a half years (kg)

The effectiveness of crossing with factory breeds can also be traced on the materials of the All-Russian Research Institute of Horse Breeding, collected in 1971-1975. during a mass survey of horse stock in the farms of the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Region, the Buryat ASSR and the Tuva ASSR (Table 13).

13. Average indicators of live weight of adult mares of local breeds and their crosses with factory breeds (kg)

The efficiency of crossing in all cases is seen very clearly, and the higher mass of hybrids is not in doubt. The data obtained in a special experiment conducted in the Aktobe region, and the results of a mass study of the quality of horses in areas of herd horse breeding indicate a high efficiency of crossing. Crossbreeds of the first generation inherit adaptability to local conditions from their mothers of local breeds, which allows them to develop normally in the harsh conditions of herd keeping without additional costs for a radical improvement in feeding and keeping conditions. That is why only mares of local breeds are suitable as a mother base for industrial crossing in the conditions of herd meat horse breeding.

Stallions of factory breeds imported for crossbreeding require careful veterinary control over their condition. In herds, they often fall ill with piroplasmosis, pododermatitis and other diseases, get injured and fail. Throughout the year, especially in the pre-mating and breeding periods, stallions must be fed with concentrates, otherwise their sexual activity is sharply reduced or completely lost. For the winter, stallions of factory breeds must be put in a stable and fed according to full zootechnical standards. They should be kept in a group method, and not in separate stalls; they quickly get used to each other and do not fight. This makes them easier to use in jambs. Without observance of veterinary and zootechnical requirements, stallions die, and from the surviving ones they receive little offspring, and crossbreeding does not justify itself economically.

Reproductive and absorption crosses. At present, in most areas of herd horse breeding, with the exception of Yakutia, the bulk of horses are represented by crossbreeds of local breeds with factory ones. In addition, during industrial crossing, not all of the hybrid offspring goes for meat, as is provided for by the classical form of this method, and part of the young, especially fillies, is assigned to the mother herds. In this regard, the question of rational methods of breeding work with crossbreeds is of great importance. There are several methods of breeding crossbreeds that are acceptable in productive horse breeding, namely absorption (or conversion), reproductive and return.

In absorptive crossbreeding, only stallions of an improving breed are used as sires. As a result, the proportion of her bloodlines increases from generation to generation (1/2, 3/4, 7/8, 15/16, etc.). But at the same time, it is absolutely necessary to change the conditions of feeding and keeping, bringing them into full compliance with the high requirements of the improving breed. While maintaining the same herd-tebenevochny mode, as the blood level increases, the reproductive functions of mares decrease, the yield of foals per 100 queens decreases sharply, young animals develop poorly and often die. This has been confirmed by numerous scientific research and the widespread practice of herd horse breeding.

The exception is stallions of those breeds that are well adapted to herd and tebenevok content. These are new breeds - Kustanan (steppe type), New Kirghiz, Kushum. Through absorption crossbreeding, for example, the local Kyrgyz horse is almost completely replaced by a more productive new Kyrgyz horse.

In productive horse breeding, absorption crossbreeding with factory breeds can become widespread on koumiss farms with stable and pasture keeping of horses in the European part of the country, where it is advisable to breed horses of heavy draft breeds. Stallions of these breeds, descended from mares with higher milk production than the bulk of the breeding stock, should be selected as producers on these farms for absorption crossing.

In breeding work with crossbreeds in herd and cultural-herd conditions, chain results were obtained on the basis of the use of reproductive crossing, that is, by breeding crossbreeds of the desired type in oneself. In this way, the Kustanan, New Kirghiz, Kushum breeds were bred. The experience of breeding new breeds indicates that crossbreeds of the desired type, which it would be advisable to breed "in oneself", were obtained by crossing not two breeds (local and one factory), but three or more breeds, for example: Kyrgyz x Don riding x purebred , Kazakh X trotting X Don or Kazakh X riding thoroughbred X Don, etc. Among the three-breed crosses there are very valuable horses with large stature and large live weight. However, most of these crossbreeds are distinguished by increased demands on feeding and maintenance, therefore, among them there are many mediocre, and often underdeveloped horses. As the experience of breeding new breeds in the conditions of herd keeping has shown, it is necessary to conduct a strict selection of mares and especially stallions for further breeding (consolidation). On average, out of the total mass of crossbred young animals, 30-35% of mares and 5% of stallions were included in the breeding core.

Scientific materials on reproductive crossing in the conditions of herd horse breeding using heavy draft breeds have not yet been accumulated, however, there are some successful examples of obtaining high-quality horses based on crossing three breeds: Kazakh X trotting X Russian heavy draft, Altai X trotting X heavy draft.

It is quite acceptable to select for reproductive crossing mares of unknown origin, that is, without a fixed pedigree, but at the same time, the requirements for the quality of animals must be strictly observed. It is especially important that horses are raised in local herd conditions.

When organizing reproductive crossbreeding to create new breed groups and breeds, special attention should be paid to breeding stallions of the desired type. This is the key to success. First of all, it is necessary to select the best crossbred colts into separate groups, from which breeding studs can be raised. The fact is that, due to biological characteristics, colts are more demanding on the conditions of feeding and keeping than fillies, and they do not develop well in general herds. Selected colts should be grown in more favorable conditions, namely, for the winter period, take them to a group stall and pasture maintenance and provide them with full feeding. This guarantees the identification of the genotypic capabilities of each animal and allows you to select the really best stallions for further work. Based on the available data on the quality of crossbreeds in the areas of herd meat horse breeding, mares with a live weight of at least 420 kg, stallions - at least 450 kg should be selected into breeding schools at the first stage of reproductive crossing, and in the future, the requirements for live weight of stallions should be increased to 480 kg and more. When selecting crossbreeds 2-4 years old, special attention should be paid to the sufficient severity of the desired type - broad-bodied, good meat forms, high adaptability, and when grading at an older age - to the same signs and additionally to the quality of the offspring of queens and stallions and the milkiness of mares.

Breeding work during reproductive crossing should be planned and purposeful. A clear methodology and a specific breeding plan are needed.

Backcrossing and the method of "blood flow". Crossbreeding of crossbred mares with stallions of a local breed is called returnable. As a result, horses are obtained that have 3D blood of a local breed and "A factory. In terms of their adaptive qualities, such horses are close to local ones, but larger. Backcrossing is a valuable method of breeding work with crossbreeds. However, in practice it has a limited distribution due to lack of good stallions of local breeds This circumstance once again confirms the need for organization of breeding work with local horse Breeds.

Horses with A blood of factory breeds are also obtained by the “blood rush” method, in which half-blooded crossbred stallions are allowed into the shoals of mares of the local breed.

At present, as a result of "blood flow" and backcrossing in most areas of herd horse breeding, large arrays of improved horses with 1/2 and 1/8 drops of factory breeds have been formed. These horses are dominated by the features of the exterior and body type characteristic of local horses, while the features of factory breeds are weakly expressed, and in most cases it is not possible to determine by what breed they are improved. At the same time, they are larger than local horses. So, according to a survey conducted by the All-Russian Research Institute of Horse Breeding, mares of the local Altai breed mainly have a live weight of 415 kg, and improved - 453 kg, stallions, respectively, 449 and 467 kg.

The most chain horses from among those improved by the method of "blood flow", as well as as a result of backcrossing, may well be used in work on the creation of new breeds and breed groups.

Breeding work with factory breeds in connection with the development of productive horse breeding. There are no factory breeds of horses specialized in the dairy or meat direction. However, stallions of a number of breeds are successfully used to improve the livestock in the areas of meat herd horse breeding. In this regard, the Don stallions of the dense type and some of the heavy ones are of the greatest importance.

Zootechnical spiders and practice have rich experience in breeding Don horses in various areas of herd horse breeding and in using this wonderful breed to improve the local horse stock.

Pre-baked breed has combined utility qualities. Donchaks are suitable for both saddle and harness. For crossing in the areas of meat herd horse breeding, only stallions of a massive type, grown in cultural herd conditions, are chain (Fig. 7).

Rice. 7. Stallion Bracelet Don breed, Massive type.

Each stud farm that breeds horses of the Don breed must have an exact task - for what specific purposes it is obliged to raise stallions, and, in accordance with the task, orient its breeding work. Naturally, the Don stallions of a light riding type, moreover, from the age of one and a half, were individually stabled during the factory training and hippodrome tests, are of little use as improvers of herd meat horses. In herd meat horse breeding, heavy-drawn stallions should be used, which are distinguished by moderate massiveness, strong and relatively dry constitution, strong legs and hooves. This should be taken into account when organizing breeding work with heavy breeds. Stallions of the Russian heavy draft breed already have such qualities in mass and are chain improvers in herd meat horse breeding (Fig. 8). Soviet and Lithuanian heavy trucks for this purpose, as a rule, are excessively damp, very demanding on the conditions of feeding and keeping, and not mobile enough.

Rice. 8. Reasonable stallion of Russian heavy draft breed.

It is desirable in breeding work with the breeds of Soviet and Lithuanian heavy trucks to provide for the breeding of special lines or types with increased strength and dryness of the constitution, as well as high milk yield of mares (Fig. 9).

The most important requirement in this case is the cultivation of heavy young animals with the maximum use of pastures, keeping them outdoors for most of the year. Even in winter, if the weather permits, foals - future herd horse improvers should be kept in the walking yards at the stable during the daytime. In other words, the conditions for their cultivation should be hardening. Such cultivation in the future provides a relatively easy acclimatization of stallions of heavy draft breeds in areas new to them. In the experiment on crossing, conducted by the All-Russian Research Institute of Horse Breeding in the Aktobe region, young stallions of 2-3 years acclimatized more easily than others compared to 5-7 years old stallions. Particularly easily withstood acclimatization were 2 stallions of the Soviet heavy-duty breed, bred in the Experimental Stud Farm on cultivated pastures.

Rice. 9. Rustam stallion of Soyot heavy draft breed.

As productive animals, heavy trucks have great importance l with stable and pasture maintenance of livestock in a number of regions of the country. In particular, it is advisable to have mares of these breeds on koumiss farms, as they are calm, have high milk yield, use pasture well, coarse and succulent feed. In this regard, in breeding work with heavy-duty breeds, selection should be made for milk productivity, which is determined by the results of control milk yields or by weight gain of foals. The size and shape of the udder and teats should also be taken into account, which is important for machine milking.

Regarding trotters, it should be said that in most regions they have not found promising use in meat herd breeding, as well as in koumiss horse breeding, and there is no point in breeding work with Russian trotter and Orlov breeds to focus on breeding lines and types of horses specially intended for delivery improvers for productive horse breeding farms.