Estimation of phenotypic variability of body measurements in Lipizzan mares

Abstract

The aim of this work was a phenotypic description of the mare families of a Lipizzan horse breed from stud Vucijak. A total of 31 mares were measured, for every animal 28 measures were recorded. The mares are distributed by mare families in the following: Sana (3), Lipa (3), Bregava (3), Cremica (3), Ukrina (3), Visla (2), Neretva (3), Pliva (1), Drina (2), Sutjeska (2), Sitnica (1), Janja (2) and Sava. Simple analysis of variance was done to determine the difference in the morphological measures between mare families. Also, correlation between 28 measures was done. This study revealed phenotypic uniformity between mare families. Of the 28 measures recorded, a statistically significant difference was identified only for the length of cannon (front leg). The longest average length of the cannon (front leg) had at Sana (24.67 cm), and the shortest at Bregava (19.00 cm). The correlation ranged from slightly negative to highly positive with correlation coefficients from -0.465 to 0.779. Significant and highly significant correlation with height, length and depth was found in mare measures. The body shape of the mare families has a rectangular, which is in accordance with the Lipizzan horses from other stud in Europe. Also, the study revealed that mares from Vucijak are smaller than mares from other stud, which is in accordance with the breeding goals.