Growth dynamics of Lipizzan horses and their comparison to other horse breeds

Abstract

A typical body format of Slovenian Lipizzan horse was investigated. The study included 6 foals (5 colts and 1 filly) at the Lipica stud farm. They were measured from birth to twenty-seven months and again at forty-four months of age. Measurements included body length, chest circumference, withers height and body mass. All those measurements were statistically evaluated and compared to some other horse breeds to determine the similarity of the growth dynamics of those horse breeds. It was concluded that the parameters of the head and neck reached their full growth at the age of 27 months and also exceeded the values of their parents. The same results were obtained with the length and heights of the body (body length, withers height, etc.) and with the parameters of the front and hind legs. However the girth width, hip width and some other parameters had not yet reached their full growth at 27 months. We observed different growth dynamics with the body weight. The parameter continued to grow after 27 months of age. The same growth dynamics also seem to apply to other investigated horse breeds although the actual measurements were slightly different.