engleski

Breeding records for Croatian autochtonous horse breeds as a tool of assisted reproduction tehniques for biologic preservation purposes

After dramatical decrease of horse number due to mechanisation in agriculture and socio-economical changes caused by Croatian Civil War during the last ten years there is obvious and intensive increase and popularisation of horsebreeding. Number of horses arised from 3373 to 13578 in the last ten years and there are accurate indicators that it will continue in the next years. Our goverment stimulates breeding autochtonous horse breeds by protecting them and giving financial rewards to the breeders. Number of autochtonous horses rises permanently and gives increase of 3% of newborn authochtonous foals more per year . Total number of authoctonous horses rises 11, 74 % per year. Average fertility rate in 2007. for autochtonous horsebreeds consists 80, 71% for Posavina mares, 56% for lipizzan mares, 59, 94% for Croatian Coldblooded mares and 5% for Međimurje mares. The majority of croatian autochtonous horses, except lipizzan horses, are kept in woods as semidomesticated animals living in feral herds. To help in solving such difficult situation our study gives educational, scientific and practical perspective. Combination of 10 educational seminars for breeders combined with modified protocol for collecting and analysing reproductive data during winter 2007 on herd of 32 Posavina mares and during spring 2008. on herd of 32 lipizzan mares gave good perspective for improvement of breeding and monitoring reproductive success keeping in mind specificities of traditional way of croatian horsebreeding. It also enabled selection of mares and stallions for future use in asisted reproduction. We significantly improved fertility rate in lipizzan herd only (88% versus 56%), but more important is that we improved level of control in both herds and minimised risks of unknown fertility losses, sexually transmitted deseases etc. Our future goal is to create unique databasis with all autochtonous mares and stallions used in reproduction. We also plan to organise and introduce obligatory education for breeders to make them capable to recognize reproductive problems on time and become aware of concrete progress of our project We also plan to organize veterinary surgeonts in unique net of education and communication connected with similar associations in EU. This is in the same time the best way to connect our horsebreeding with horsebreeding of EU by preserving our specificities in the same time.

mares; autochtonous breeds; conception rate; assisted reproduction

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