Family structure on the Danubian horse breed

Maya Popova, Nadejda Lukanova, Radka Vlaeva

Abstract: The work of the Danubian horse breed started after the foundation of Klementina stud farm in the village of Pobeda, Pleven region. For the reproductive process were used local, half-breed, Anglo-Arabian mares and Nonius mares. A method of purebred breeding of Nonius horses has been used.
Along with it, the so-called “grading-up” was applied were sires of the Nonius breed were continually backcrossed with females of the previous generation of local and improved mares. For part of the horses was used three-way and four-way crossing. The Danubian horse was officially recognized as a breed in 1951. The aim of the present study was to trace back the breed’s family structure from its beginning to the present day. The families of the Nonius mares, imported from Hungary and the former Republic of Yugoslavia, as well as the families originating of native mares, were examined. In the research are included new families, which have been formed over the last years and have not been considered so far. Some of the families have already been closed, others are represented by a small
number of mares.

Keywords: horses, Danubian breed, family structure

Date published: 2020-06-06