Spatial structure and motor activity of horses of Zabaikalsky breed

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The total influence of external environmental factors by seasons on the spatial structure and motor activity of herd horses of Zabaikalsky breed with year-round grazing was studied. The scientific and economic research was carried out in Trans-Baikal Territory. Grazing of 10 herds of horses (20-27 heads) was carried out on the area of 301.5 km2 at different distances from each other. The distance from the horse-breeding camp was 2300-7900 m. According to the motor activity assessment of horses in the spring and summer seasons during 14 hours of grazing, the average speed was 1.4 and 1.1 km/h, the distance traveled was 16828 and 14827 m. The average air temperature during these periods was 10.4 and 12.2 °С, average air velocity was 4.5 and 2.1 m/s, average relative air humidity was 32.2 and 53.3%. In the autumn period, during 10 hours of grazing, the distance was 13879 ± 195.7 m at a horse speed of 1.2 ± 0.07 km/h, average air temperature of minus 1.1 °C, air speed of 2.3 m/s, and air humidity of 54.4%. In winter, the grazing time was 8 hours, the horses in the experiment covered the distance of 12190 ± 142.3 m at a speed of 1.8 ± 0.03 km/h with an average temperature of minus 24.7 °C, wind speed of 1.5 m/s and relative humidity of 64.7%. In the spring, the horses covered the distance greater than in summer, by 13.5% (p < 0.01), in autumn - by 21.2% (p < 0.001) and in winter - by 38.0% (p < 0.001). The highest nutritional value of pasture herbage was noted in the summer (0.60 feed units/kg of dry weight, 102.3 g of digestible protein/ feed unit). In the spring, the nutritional value of pasture grass was 0.35 feed units/kg of dry weight with 31.5 g of digestible protein.