POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS AND THE CONCEPT OF GENE POOL CONSERVATION FOR THE OF HORSES OF THE NEWLY CREATED UKRAINIAN TROTTING BREED GROUP

Abstract

Population characteristics were analyzed and specific features of the newly created Ukrainian trotting breed group of horses were revealed. The main conditions for stable preservation of the horse gene pool, risks and opportunities for the newly created Ukrainian trotting breed group are determined. The quantitative composition of the reproductive population of the Ukrainian trotting breed group of horses, which according to the FAO classification is in the status of “in a state of danger”, has been established. The basic population characteristics of the newly created breed group are described. The share of the breed group in the total of trotting horses of Ukraine, which is 37.2%, was determined, the amount of interbreeding improving crossbreeding with the American Standardbred and French trotting breeds was determined, and the expediency of its use was justified. The maximum number of generations in the breed – 11 – was observed in the Scotland line, a branch of Speedy Crown. The use of indicators, one of which is based on the generation interval, and the second is based on the inbreeding coefficient, made it possible to analyze the population and identify specific features of the Ukrainian trotting breed group of horses. The average annual yield of foals and the number of repair young ones were calculated to preserve the gene pool of the breed group at the current level. The generation interval for the breed group was L=11.57±0.98 years. It was determined that the generation interval between sires and their male offsprings is greater than between dams and male offsprings, and the generation interval between dams and female offsprings is greater than between sires and female offsprings. The effective number of the population, according to which the new breed group will develop qualitatively, is 688.2 horses of reproductive age. The increase in the inbreeding coefficient for one generation is ∆F=0.0063, and therefore, to prevent the growth of inbreeding, the increase in the effective size of the population per generation should be 79.4 heads. If the quantitative composition of the breed group does not increase, the population will lose 2.36% of genetic diversity in 10 generations.