Spatial structure and motor activity of horses of Zabaikalsky breed

Abstract

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.