Crossing of horses: species. Features and results of mating donkeys and horses

Depending on the direction of development in the economy, there may be needs in horses of various types: working, sporting and productive purposes. To emphasize and strengthen the necessary qualities of the animal, not only purebred breeding, but also the crossing of horses, that is, the pairing of individuals belonging to different breeds. To achieve optimal results, several types of crossing are used, which should be discussed in more detail.

General information on mating horses

The correct approach to pairing horses allows you to get healthy offspring with the necessary qualities. It is important to choose the right time, prepare partners well, choose the best way to pair.

For breeding, healthy mares are selected not younger than three years. The animal must enter into the "hunt", that is, the mating occurs during the period of monthly estrus. Usually the duration of estrus ranges from three days to a week, but, depending on the individual characteristics of the animal, it may have a different duration and periodicity.

Ovulation in the mare lasts no more than 48 hours. In order not to miss this period, mating is carried out, from the second day to the end of the heat. Experienced breeders determine the readiness of the mare on the following grounds: the animal submissively, calmly and publishes a specific neigh.

Mating in nature

The mating of horses in the herd occurs according to certain laws. Natural control of the gene pool is ensured by obtaining offspring from the strongest males in the herd. Each strong male gets several mares, with which they mate several times a day during the period of entry into the "hunt".

The activity of animals is affected by the amount of sunlight. The optimal time for insemination begins in the spring and lasts until the middle of summer. In this case, foals appear at the end of winter or spring.

Breeding under the supervision of a person: the types of crossing

Crossing horses outside the wild, that is, under the supervision of a person, is carried out in several ways. There are the following types:

• Reproductive;
• Absorbing;
• Introductory;
• Industrial;
• Alternating crossing.

Crosses get the properties of heterosis. They are able to surpass their parents in terms of growth, productivity and stati.

Reproductive cross

This species is the most complex, because it is used to produce new breeds. Crossing horses in a reproductive way occurs by pairing representatives of two or more breeds. Depending on the number of used breeds, the reproductive cross is divided into simple (two breeds) and complex (more than two). By this method, excellent results were obtained and new branches, such as the Oryol trotter, Budenovskaya and others, were removed.

Absorptive crossing

This species is used when it is necessary to introduce radical corrections into the rock or to form a branch that was not previously bred in the region. The meaning of the absorbing crossing is the use of the necessary breed during the succession of generations of stallions. The bloodiness of hybrids in this case is brought to 7/8.

Absorptive crossing of horses transforms non-productive breeds, since the uterus of each generation mates with the males of a highly productive, improving branch. As a result, a pedigree group of horses is formed that is close in terms of indices to an improving breed, but has some differences from it.

Introductory crossing

This is the most common form, which is called the method of injecting fresh blood. The essence of the method is to improve the qualities of the breed by adding blood from a specimen of another breed that possesses the necessary qualities. After obtaining the hybrids 1/4 and 1/8 the dilution continues "in itself". All crosses are made on a planned basis, they improve individual qualities, but do not make a significant change to the main branch.

Industrial Crossing

This species is used quite rarely, because the result has no breeding purpose. The resulting offspring can have high athletic qualities or is used in productive horse breeding.

For industrial crosses, animals of different types of constitution and origin are chosen, and then first-generation hybrids are grown. The method is based on heterosis and allows you to get working, athletic and productive horses. In the industrial crossing, strong imported stallions of trotting, riding or heavy-duty directions and mares of local breeds are used.

Variable Crossing

This type of crossing is typical for the general working direction. For the cover, two or three stallions are taken alternately in order to obtain a universal crossbreed. Usually the first generation is mated with a stallion of one breed, the second is another, and the third generation is returned to the first. Sometimes a larger number of different breeders are used.

Two-breed and three-breed crosses are suitable for use under both saddle and harness.

The results of crosses of horses allow changing and improving the quality of the selected branch. The highest heterosis is inherent in the first generation, and in the transition to breeding "in oneself" the phenomenon of superiority is reduced.

Getting hybrids

Unquenchable curiosity and the desire to receive an animal with unique properties led to the emergence of hybrids of horses. The mating of horses + other animals made it possible to obtain crossbreeds adapted to hard work, hot climate and poor fodder. Cattle breeders managed to bring out a variety of hybrids, but the most common are crossbreeds with zebras (zebroids) and donkeys.

Zebraids

Most often, mares and stallions of zebras are used to obtain such a hybrid. When attempting to cover a female zebra with a horse stallion, fertilization occurs rarely. The resulting hybrid individuals are closer in physique to the maternal body, and the striped color is inherited from the father. Zebraids are used in mountainous landscapes and deserts, as they are much more enduring than horses. Because of the characteristics of the genetic structure, hybrids of zebras and horses are sterile.

To date, the main purpose of zybroids - circus performances and skating of children.

Horse and donkey hybrid

Crossing the donkey with a horse gave a unique hybrid, called mule. The new animal was not inferior in size to horses, but it was much stronger and hardier. In addition, it could boast a longer life expectancy. However, in the speed of movement mules were much inferior to horses.

The appearance of the mule combines the data of both parents. Here the traits of both horses and donkey are clearly traced. Mules have a large head, elongated ears, thin legs, narrow and small hoofs, a massive neck, a proportional body and strong muscles.

The donkey and the horse, which were crossed to produce a hybrid, have different suits. The color of the resulting mule often depends on the maternal line. If the mother has a spotted color, the mule will inherit the pugue color. From the mare breed, the size and the build of the mule also largely depend. The structure of the head, ears and feet is closer to the paternal line.

Loshak

The horse and the donkey, the pairing of which led to the appearance of mules, is the best option for obtaining a working hybrid. But the crossing of the stallion and the donkey gives a less useful result. The hybrid thus obtained is called a horse. Since the possibilities of the uterus of the donkey are limited, the animal turns out to be short and less hardy than a mule. In appearance, they are similar to wild horses. They are big-headed, have a short neck and mane. Ears are longer than horses, but much smaller than donkeys.

Getting a horse is more difficult than a mule, because the donkeys tolerate stallions with caution. Fertilization occurs much less often, because with the difference in the number of chromosomes for conception, fewer pairs are allowed in the male than in the female. The offspring are born weak, because the duration of the donkey's pregnancy is shorter than that of the mare.

Difficulties in obtaining this hybrid and poor performance have led to the fact that the hounds have not been widely spread even in the peak of the use of horses and their hybrids in agriculture and industry.

Why are hybrids sterile?

The mating of donkeys and horses leads to the production of infertile males, but females in some (single) cases are able to give offspring. Why is this happening? There is a well-founded scientific answer to this question.

The fact is that the donkey and the horse have a different number of chromosomes. The mares have 64, and the donkey has 62. To continue the genus, a pair of chromosomes is necessary, and the mule inherits an unpaired number, that is, 63 chromosomes. This becomes an obstacle to reproduction.

How horses and their hybrid species are used today

Progressive development of technology has led to the fact that even horses are gradually losing their popularity. For the transport of people and goods, it is much more convenient and quicker to use automobile, not horse-drawn transport. If horses are used for sporting purposes, for horse races and exhibitions, as well as for relaxation and advertising, there are almost no needs in hybrid types.

In the mountainous regions horses and mules are used today for the transportation of goods, but in much smaller quantities. The main application for hybrid species is circus performances and short riding tours. Unfortunately, to satisfy these needs, a large number of animals is not required.

Statistics relentlessly captures the decline in the number of purebred and working horses, as well as all hybrid species, that is, zebroids, hams, and mules.

Horses in the game Black Desert Online

The breeding of horses can be practiced not only in real life. There are online games where such a practice is practiced. What offspring will appear as a result of the cross-breeding of one or another breed depends on many factors.

The main theses and results of crossbreeding of BDO horses will be considered in more detail:

1. In the game you can not catch a wild stallion, which will have a unique color.
2. The quality of offspring does not depend on the breed of horses, but on the rank that the stallion or mare earned.
3. Animals in the game have a limit of crossing. If two matings are allowed for the male, the mare is only available once.
4. What will be the offspring of a certain pair of animals, you can calculate on a special online calculator.

The breeding of stallions in Black Desert allows the player to earn silver, because the only means of transportation here are horses, and the higher their rating, the more expensive the horse can be sold.