Volume 21
Issue 4/volume21
Animal Husbandry
JOURNAL OF
POLISH
AGRICULTURAL
UNIVERSITIES
DOI:10.30825/5.ejpau.161.2018.21.4, EJPAU 21(4/volume21), #02.
Available Online: http://www.ejpau.media.pl/volume21/issue4/volume21/abs-02.html
COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF ARAB AND HUCUL HORSES HAIR COAT
DOI:10.30825/5.EJPAU.161.2018.21.4
Ewa Walkowicz, Katarzyna Czyż, Bożena Patkowska-Sokoła, Robert Bodkowski, Anna Wyrostek, Andrzej Filistowicz, Marzena Janczak
Institute of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland
ABSTRACT
The aim of the study was a comparative analysis of Arab and Hucul hair (winter, summer, mane and tail hairs) with respect to their morphological and histological structure and elemental composition. The research material were horse hair samples collected from adult Arab and Hucul mares maintained in similar conditions. The study included determination of hair length, thickness, breaking force, extension, rupture strength, and histological analysis of scales arrangement and hair cross-section and chemical elements percentage content obtained using roentgen analysis. The study demonstrated an ability of short hairs molting, which proves to be an adaptation of horses to changing environmental conditions. All kinds of Arab horses hair were thinner and more flexible compared to Hucul hairs. Elemental hair analysis did not demonstrate any differentiation between the examined breeds, however it pointed a potential usefulness of hair examination, e.g. in environment or health status monitoring.
Key words: Arab horses, Hucul horses, hair, histology, chemical elements.
Ewa Walkowicz
Institute of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland
Chełmońskiego 38C
51-630 Wrocław
Poland
Katarzyna Czyż
Institute of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland
Chełmońskiego 38C
51-630 Wrocław
Poland
email: katarzyna.czyz@upwr.edu.pl
Bożena Patkowska-Sokoła
Institute of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland
Chełmońskiego 38C
51-630 Wrocław
Poland
Robert Bodkowski
Institute of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland
Chełmońskiego 38C
51-630 Wrocław
Poland
Anna Wyrostek
Institute of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland
Chełmońskiego 38C
51-630 Wrocław
Poland
Andrzej Filistowicz
Institute of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland
Chełmońskiego 38C
51-630 Wrocław
Poland
Marzena Janczak
Institute of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland
Chełmońskiego 38C
51-630 Wrocław
Poland
Responses to this article, comments are invited and should be submitted within three months of the publication of the article. If accepted for publication, they will be published in the chapter headed 'Discussions' and hyperlinked to the article.