Evaluation and Selection of Kushum Horses and their Dairy and Meat Productivity by Economic and Useful Traits

Abstract

The research conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the Kushum horse breed based on economically valuable traits, including dairy and meat productivity, with the aim of selecting the most promising animals for further breeding. The research was conducted at two farms in Kazakhstan ("Bereke" and Kulunshak") in 2022-2025. 1084 individual horses were researched, including groups of horses of different intra-breed types. To study dairy productivity, 35 mares were used, and the meat productivity of 1.5- and 2.5-year-old foals was evaluated. It has been established that homogeneous selection of parents allows obtaining more productive offspring in terms of live weight, chest girth, and metacarpal girth. Stallions reached an average live weight of up to 620 kg, mares - up to 508 kg; the highest milk productivity was noted in mares of the basic type (up to 19.5 l/day); slaughter meat yield in 1.5-2.5-year-old foals reached 52.7-54.5%. Positive correlations were found between body measurements and live weight. The obtained results allow for increasing the effectiveness of Kushum breed selection in pasture maintenance, recommending predominantly homogeneous selection based on key productive traits.