Study of the Structure of Hair and Skin of Sports Horses in the Conditions of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

Livestock farming plays an important role in the sustainable development of agricultural systems in the interests of food security. The study of animals’ skin and hair is of current importance, since it can reveal changes that characterize pathological processes occurring in the body. Skin changes are sometimes caused by damage to certain organs, metabolic disorders, parasitic or infectious diseases. The skin performs barrier, excretory, respiratory, depository, secretory, heat-regulating and receptor functions, communicates the body with the external environment and plays an extremely important role in maintaining the homeostatic balance of the internal environment. The article presents a study of the structure of the hair and skin of sports horses of the equestrian sports complex FSBEI HE ASATU “Lena”. The experiment was conducted using a stable system of keeping horses without additional feeding in the natural – and climatic conditions of Yakutia. The aim of the study is to study seasonal changes in the structure of skin and hair in sports horses, who are systematically kept in a special pen. The object of the study is 5 horses of a sports breed (Galileo, Tornado, Willow, Torero, Ali Baba), of different ages and gender. The skin and hair of horses were examined using a Biomed-5 PRT microscope. The corpulence of the skin fold of horses was measured with calipers on the side, back, hip and shoulder blade according to the method of V. A. Arzumanyan. Hair samples were systematically taken by the method of shearing on the same topographic areas of the animal's body with the determination of the ratio of hair (fluff, transition hair, awn) according to the methodological recommendations of T. V. Nechinennaya, V. S. Kulanov, etc. The hair length was interpreted in the absolute state using a caliper with an accuracy of 1 mm. Seasonal changes in the skin and hair structure of horses were studied for the presence of pathological changes in the skin and its derivatives, as signs of adaptation to environmental factors. Biometric processing of the obtained digital results and materials was carried out by the method of variational statistics.