Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXVI, Issue 1
Written by Maya POPOVA, Gradimir GRADEV
The observation was made on a herd of Karakachan horses, bred freely in the area of the village of Prisadets, Southern Bulgaria. The study covers a period of one year, with 24-hour field surveys conducted every month. The analysis shows that horses drink water relatively rarely. Although not statistically proven, the highest percentage of horses drink water at moderate ambient temperatures - about 22oC, while at high temperatures around 36oC, when standing in the shade, the percentage of horses drinking water drops to 46.15%. Karakachan horses spend most of their time grazing. Most horses graze at noon (91.28%), and the least at night (40.90%). The factor time of the day had a significant effect on the following traits of behavior: grazing (P <0.001), sleeping / resting lying down (P <0.001), sleeping/resting standing (P <0.01), standing on alert (P <0.01) and standing in the shade (P <0.01). Ambient temperature affects resting behavior: lying down (P <0.01) and standing (P <0.01), chasing insects with a tail and head (P <0.001), and standing on alert (P < 0.001).
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