The state of horse breeding in the Stavropol Territory

Abstract

The information on the current state of the horse population in the Russian Federation, its distribution by farm category over the past three years has been provided in the article. Between 2020 and 2022, the number of horses in agricultural organizations in Russia decreased by 21 thousand. On the contrary, in privet households there was an increase in the number of horses by 16 thousand heads, and in peasant (farm) farms by 13 thousand heads. The material on pedigree horse breeding in the Stavropol Territory has been also provided in the work. The founders of horse breeding in the region are the Stavropol and Terek stud farms, which were organized in 1921. On their basis a new promising breed of horses was established as Terek breed, which today is on the verge of extinction. It is bred only by private owners and then in small quantities. Targeted work is needed to preserve the gene pool and restore the population of this horse breed. Information is presented on existing stud farms and multiplication farms, which are located in the Stavropol region. Under the conditions of four stud farms, two multiplication farms located in 5 districts of the region. There the following breeds of horses are bred such as Akhal-Teke, Thoroughbred riding, Arabian and Karachay. The total number of breeding horses in the Stavropol Territory at the beginning of 2023 was 862 heads, including 302 mares and 36 stud stallions. Training and systematic testing of horses take place at the Pyatigorsk Racetrack. Horse racing takes place every Sunday from May to October. In general, the dynamics of the horse population in Russia indicates that horse breeding continues to be an important sector of the economy and can be an attractive area for investors and businessmen.