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The article represents the study of influencing factors on the main breeding characteristic of trotting horses, namely, speed during trialing on racetracks. Differences in the processes of selecting different trotting horse breeds are considered. The development of prize-winning equestrian sports and racetrack business is highlighted. Quantitative characteristics of trotting horses in Ukraine were established, absolute records of speed of trotting horses of domestic selection, fluctuations of the speed index of horses bred and prepared in different technological and climatic conditions were determined.

It was outlined that the speed of trotting horses differs in stud farms due to technological and climatic differences. It was also established that equal horses by breed, age and gender differ in speed when trialed at different racetracks in Ukraine. Thus, horses trialed at the Kyiv Hippodrome with a high probability (p>0.95-0.99) prevailed in terms of speed of peers trialed at the Odesa Hippodrome, both by record speed and by speed revealed in all age periods. Differences between peer groups of different gender have also been established. Thus, stallions of all age groups prevailed in terms of speed of mares at both racetracks.

The correlational relationship between record speed and the main body diameters of mares of the newly created Ukrainian trotting breed group was established, and it was found out that the livelier mares are also the largest according to the determined body diameters.

The influence of breeders of different origins on the speed of the progeny of the newly formed Ukrainian trotting breed group was determined. It was established that in all studied age groups the progeny of stallions of the French trotting breed prevailed over purebred peers of both trotting breeds in terms of speed at 1,600 m. It was proved that the use of the gene pool of the French trotting breed for crossbreeding makes it possible to improve the selection characteristics of horses of the newly created Ukrainian trotting breed group, to enrich its gene pool and reduce inbreeding depression in working conditions with a limited gene pool of the breed.

 

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