Research Article

The influence of imported stallions on the population of Polish cold-blooded horses exemplified on Swedish Arden Rolltan

Ewa Jastrzębska, Katarzyna Wolińska, Adriana Pawelec, Agnieszka Kondratiuk

University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland

1. Acta Sci. Pol. Zootechnica, 14(4), 2015, 75‒92

Abstract. The population of Polish cold-blooded horses has been bred on the basis of native female material using western cold-blooded stallions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of imported cold-blooded stallions on the Polish cold-blooded horses population on the example of the Swedish Arden – stallion Rolltan. The study involved the offspring of stallion Rolltan, Swedish Arden, a total of 63 stallions and 67 mares, born in Poland in 1989–2006. For comparative purposes, the analysis included also the offspring of 9 selected stallions of Polish cold-blooded horse, a total of 149 males and 248 females. The analysis of the exterior has shown higher average values at chest circumference by 2.4 cm and cannon circumference by 0.4 cm in Rolltan’s sons and higher average values at withers height by 0.1 cm, chest circumference by 2.1 cm and cannon circumference by 0.2 cm in Rolltan’s daughters than in the offspring of the selected stallions of Polish cold-blooded horses. A higher bonitation score of Rolltan’s sons by 0.3 points and daughters by 0.5 points indicates that they had better conformation and movement than the offspring of selected stallions of Polish cold-blooded horses. The analyses showed also the occurrence of different coat colors specific to cold-blooded horses, mainly chestnut and bay. Results of the study, years of experience of the authors of the present study and the views of people associated with the horse breeding practice enable concluding that the breeding of Polish cold-blooded horses should be supplied with imported Swedish Arden stallions of good quality.

Keywords: cold-blooded horses, imported stallions, zoometric parameters, bonitation score