Evaluation of Traditional and Indigenous Horse Breeds for Wider Intended Use: Case Study from Slovenia

Jernej Prišenk,Jernej Turk,Karmen Pažek,Nina Filipič,Črtomir Rozman

doi:10.3390/su14041971

Abstract

In this work, a new multi-criteria model for the evaluation of traditional and indigenous horse breeds, the HORQUAL model, was developed by applying the DEX (Decision Expert) method. The idea for this study culminated from brainstorming among researchers who had the importance of conserving traditional and indigenous horse breeds in Slovenia and their universal uses (recreative and sport) in mind. The conservation of native domestic animal breeds is one of the important indicators of sustainable agricultural development in particular countries. Here, the assessment process considered the horse breeds in terms of lifestyle, expectations, requirements and experiences. The development process was based on the multi-criteria decision analysis approach, and it was applied to seven traditional and indigenous Slovenian horse breeds. The horse breeds were classified into four groups of breed ratings according to the chosen criteria. The horse breeds were categorised as follows: “does not correspond to the criteria”, “less correspondence with the criteria”, “corresponds to the criteria” and “completely corresponds to the criteria”. The results of the HORQUAL model clearly show that it is easier and more effective to choose the most suitable breeds for specific purposes (i.e., recreative/sport horses with the potential for breeding along with acceptable costs, favourable temperament and suitable price) as they can easily be analysed or compared with each other, according to the criteria chosen in this paper. The rating by group takes the criteria for the multi-attribute evaluation that were identified by an expert group into account and balances between the assessment of recreational and sports needs for riders and the life expectancy for breeders. Additionally, incorporating the Plus-minus-1 analysis proved to be a useful support tool to analyse the assessments and to further improve horse breeding plans.

Highlights

In Slovenia, there is a rich history of horse breeding as the country already had quality horse breeds in the 15th century, such as the “Kras” horse, which was later crossed with other breeds [1]
Trotter and the Haflinger, are presented as traditional breeds. Indigenous breeds are those for which it has been proven, on the basis of historical sources, that they originated from the Republic of Slovenia, or, in other words, the Republic of Slovenia was the original environment for the development of the breeds
Based on the input data, in order to capture the influence of several horse breed factors simultaneously, we developed a multi-criteria decision model for the evaluation of traditional and indigenous horse breeds

Summary

Introduction

In Slovenia, there is a rich history of horse breeding as the country already had quality horse breeds in the 15th century, such as the “Kras” horse, which was later crossed with other breeds [1] Traditional breeds are those that do not originate from the Republic of Slovenia, or their origin have not been proven. The present study is important because the population of traditional and indigenous horse breeds is shrinking. We expect that the study results can be used to aid conservation decision makers in improving traditional and indigenous horse breeding plans. This can help Slovenian horse breeds be considered more attractive, and ideally, their populations will be preserved

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion