SOME SIGNIFICANT EXTERIOR AND REPRODUCTIVE PROPERTIES OF THE ENGLISH THOROUGHBRED HORSE POPULATION FROM THE STUD FARM "LJUBICEVO" – SERBIA

The investigation included 5 stallions (average age of 10.40 years) and 33 mares (average age of 10.33 years) with pedigree of the English Thoroughbred horse breed that are used for breeding on the Stud Farm Ljubicevo -Serbia. The investigation of some significant properties relating to the exterior (at stallions) and reproductive ones (at mares) were carried out in the year 2009. The following average exterior (body) measures of the stallions: the body mass (474.80 kg), withers height (160.46 cm), trunk or body length (161.88 cm), breast circumference (187.96 cm) and tibia circumference (19.22 cm) were within the standards of this horse breed of the age. The gestation period at mares, regardless the sex of a colt, averagely lasted 337.70 days. With the mares having had a male colt, the gestation lasted a little bit longer (338.92 days) than with the mares having had female colts (336.90 days). The difference in the gestation duration (2.02 days) was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Between the age of the mares and the gestation duration (regardless the sex of a colt) it was found a positive slight correlation (rp=0.320). Furthermore, between the age of the mares and the gestation duration it was found medium (rp=0.453) correlation at male colts, and quite poor correlation (rp=0.202) at female colts. Found coefficients of the phenotype correlation were not statistically confirmed (P>0.05)