State of Vyatka horse population in regions of Russia

Abstract

The current state of Vyatka horse breed gene pool was studied in the research. It was revealed that the main array of the breeding stock is concentrated in three populations of three regions - the Udmurt Republic, the Kirov region, the Central Federal District. The purpose of the research was to assess the state of gene pool of Vyatka breed in modern conditions. Population of breeding stock horses both in agricultural enterprises and on private farms was analyzed in the territory of three regions of the Russian Federation: the Udmurt Republic, the Kirov Region, the Central Federal District. According to the genetic characteristics, horses in each population were divided into groups based on the relation degree: group 1 - outbred, group 2 - with distant Fx inbreeding (0.21.55 %), group 3 - with moderate Fx inbreeding (1.5612.5 %), group 4 - with close Fx inbreeding (12.625 %). The coefficient of inbreeding was estimated according to the Wright-Kislovsky formula. The most typical horses with an inherent conformation were outbred horses from the population of the Central Federal District. Monitoring the quantitative composition of the breed showed that the number of mares increased from 73 to 287 heads over the period from 1995 to 2021. However, a sharp decrease in the number of mares (222 heads) was recorded at the beginning of 2022. This tendency creates certain difficulties in the selection process. The largest number of mares is concentrated in the Central Federal District - 83 heads nowadays. At the present stage of work with Vyatka breed the analysis of genetic diversity showed that 43.3 % of the representatives were outbred, it was based on the study of the increase in homozygosity of individuals in a limited gene pool. Representatives of the Vyatka breed were obtained in equal proportions by remote and moderate inbreeding - 28.1 and 27 %, respectively. The most typical with the correct conformation were outbred horses from the population of the Central Federal District.