INDICES OF BREEDING VALUE FOR PUREBRED ARABIAN STALLIONS USED IN POLISH BREEDING WITH REGARD TO RACING EFFICIENCY

Krystyna Chmiel¹, Dorota Sobczuk^2
1 Department of Animal Breeding and Use, Institute of Agricultural Science of Zamosc, Agricultural Academy of Lublin, Poland
² Department of Animal Breeding and Use, Faculty of Agricultural Science, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland

ABSTRACT

Under evaluation came 49 purebred Arabian stallions, used as leading sires in Polish breeding in the years 1978-1997. For them computed were the following indices expressing their breeding value with regard to racing abilities: RGV (the Relative Genetic Value), I (the Index of Stallion) and WH (the Breeding Value). It was found, that the best results as an improver, achieving the highest levels of the calculated indices, showed the stallion Wermut, bay, 1982 (Probat – Warmia), with his own coeffficient of success Wp = 0.86 (RGV = 2650.26; I = 152.95; WH = 0.30), whereas the worst degrader proved the unbeaten, Classics winner Europejczyk, bay, 1982 (El Paso – Europa), with Wp = 8.97 (RGV = -3337.78; I = 63.96; WH = -0.22).

Key words: Arabian stallions, breeding value, degraders, improvers, racing abilities.

INTRODUCTION

The population of purebred Arabian horses in Poland throughout recent years increased significantly. To racing trials submitted were subsequent age groups of progeny by new stallions, whose breeding value, concerning that trait, wasn’t estimated yet. Specific type and conformation, connected with toughness and stamina at use, are highly priced at world markets as typical advantages of Polish Arabians. That’s why we felt obliged to bring our research up to date, because the recent introduced results ended on the year of birth 1977 [1]. The aim of the present paper is to estimate the indices of breeding value for the stallions put to stud after that date, whose offspring completed their full race careers [2,3].

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The research material of the present paper made 49 purebred Arabian stallions used in Polish breeding, who in the years 1978-1997 sired at least 5 heads of progeny, raced at Polish turfs. For those, who completed full race careers, calculated were Indexes of Use Value by the method of Budzyński and Chmiel [4,5,7], published in the Vol. II and III of the “Register of Usa Value of Polish Purebred Arabian Horses” [2,3]. As criteria for estimation for race value of the tested stallions, used were coefficients of success [4,5,7], computed as quotients of sums of money won by a given horse and an average sum of money won per head. They were relative figures, quite apart from the sums of prize money in the tested years. For comparison taken were the seasons of starts, in which a given horse achieved its highest coefficient of success. Under evaluation came stallions, who ended their stud career in Poland.

The estimation was conducted, using the modified method of Contemporary Comparison (CC), by Robertson and Rendel [6].Calculated were the following indices:

(1)

where:

RGV – Relative Genetic Value,
– average level of the trait for progeny,
– average level of the trait for peers,
– average value for the population,
h² – coefficient of heritability of the trait, computed for the present material on the level of 0.10
b – coefficient of regression, w – the effective number of progeny.

(2)

where:

I – index for the stallion,
D_w – weighed mean deviation of the efficiency of progeny from the efficiency of peers.

where:

Wh – breeding value.

The values of RGV and I are given in percent, whereas WH, as a real ascendancy of progeny over peers, is measured in units of an absolute value of a trait.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

RGV. As far, as the RGV was concerned, 24 stallions turned out to be decided improvers, the same amount – decided degraders, whereas one proved neutral, because his RGV was close to 100% (99.89%), so he neither increased, nor decreased the racing performance of progeny (Table 1). It was the stallion Pesennik, chest. 1979 (Kumir – Pesnia), imported from Tiersk. Extremely high levels of RGV showed such stallions, as Wermut, bay, 1982 (Probat – Warmia) – RGV = 2650.26; Wojsław, bay, 1986 (Tallin – Wilejka) – RGV = 2040.67; and Eldon, grey, 1985 (Penitent – Erotyka) – RGV = 1163.62. Those three stallions, bred at Michałów Stud, achieved slightly more or slightly less than average race results, but they weren’t top runners in their age groups. They sired, however, many outstanding racers and Classics winners.

The lowest levels of RGV (Table 1) showed the following stallions: Europejczyk, bay, 1982 (El Paso – Europa), bred at Janów Podlaski Stud, RGV = -3337.78; Monogramm, chest., 1985 (Negatraz – Monogramma), bred in the US, RGV = -1564.64; and Alegro, bay, 1983 (Probat – Algeria), bred at Janów Podlaski, RGV = -1629.45. Found was an interesting coincidence, that a pronounced degrader turned out also the stallion Tallin, bay, 1978 (Nabeg – Talantlivaia), bred at Tiersk Stud, a sire to Wojsław – a holder of the best result as an improver for the trait of racing performance. Extreme values given in the Table 1 result from specificity of the indice RGV.Even such a valuable sire to show horses, as Monogramm 1985, turned out a degrader in terms of race value. He managed to produce single good racers, as Ganges 1994, with Wp = 3.00, but in general the racing performance of his progeny was rather poor.

I. According to the value of the Stallion Index (I), from 49 tested producers 24 turned out improvers, 24 degraders and one neutral, with I = 100. It was the above-mentioned Pesennik (Table 2). The highest indexes were achieved by the stallions: Wermut 1982, I = 152.95; Gil, bay, 1981 (Probat – Gildia), bred at Michałów Stud, I = 151.88; and Penitent, grey, 1979 (Partner – Penza), bred at Janów Podlaski, I = 147.61. On the other hand, the lowest indices were computed for Tallin 1978, I = 61.36; Europejczyk 1982, I = 63.96; and Alegro 1983, I = 65.80.

WH. In terms of the breeding value (WH), the proportions were similar as regarding two other indices (Table 3). 24 stallions showed a positive advantage of progeny over its peers, one (Pesennik 1979) neither improved, nor deteriorated racing abilities of his progeny, whereas 24 sires exerted a negative influence. The highest advantage (measured in units of Wp) showed the offspring of Wermut 1982 (WH = 0.30), Gil 1981 (WH = 0.28) and Penitent 1979 (WH = 0.25). Those sires, who decreased their offspring’s performance to the highest degree in relation to its peers, were as follows: Europejczyk 1982 and Tallin 1978 (both achieved WH = -0.22), as well as Alegro 1983 (WH = -0.20).

CONCLUSIONS

1. Usually the same stallions showed as well the highest, as the lowest levels for all three tested indices.

2. As the best improvers with regard to racing abilities turned out the stallions, whose own performance was not much higher than moderate.

3. The decidedly lowest breeding value in terms of passing on the tested trait showed the stallion Europejczyk 1982, who was himself unbeaten in his age group and won all classics.

REFERENCES

1. Budzynski M., Chmiel K., 1988. Rejestr wartosci uzytkowej polskich koni czystej krwi arabskiej. T.I., rocznik 1924-1977 [The Register of Use Value of Polish Purebred Arabian Horses, Vol. III, foal years 1924-1977]. AR Lublin [in Polish].

2. Budzynski M., Chmiel K., 1994. Rejestr wartosci uzytkowej polskich koni czystej krwi arabskiej. T.II., rocznik 1978-1987 [The Register of Use Value of Polish Purebred Arabian Horses, Vol. III, foal years 1978-1987]. AR Lublin [in Polish].

3. Budzynski M., Chmiel K., 2005. Rejestr wartosci uzytkowej polskich koni czystej krwi arabskiej. T.III., rocznik 1988-1997 [The Register of Use Value of Polish Purebred Arabian Horses, Vol. III, Foal years 1988-1997]. AR Lublin [in Polish].

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6. Kownacki M., 1982. Uwarunkowania genetyczne cech uzytkowych u koni [Genetic conditioning of performance traits in horses]. Zesz. Probl. Post. Nauk Rol., 264, 449-465 [in Polish].

7. Lewik K., 1984. Wykorzystanie wynikow wyscigowych prob dzielnosci w polskiej hodowli koni czystej krwi arabskiej [Utilization of Horse Race Courage In the Polish Breeding of Purebred Arabian Horses]. Ann. Univ. Mariae Curie-Skłodowska, Sect. EE, 2 (29), 281-294 [in Polish].

Accepted for print: 29.04.2007

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