Socio-economic Profile of Equine Owner, Morphometric Characterization and Reproductive Performance of Indigenous Horses in Bangladesh

Background: The socio-economic importance of horses plays a decisive role in the dynamism of rural economies in remote regions of developing countries such as Bangladesh. Horses are particularly suitable for transportation and recreation in these areas. Methods: The study was conducted from January to March 2023 in 200 randomly selected horse families concentrated in Sherpur, Jamalpur, Tangail, Sirajganj, Natore, and Noagoan districts of Bangladesh. After the necessary corrections and modifications, the final questionnaire was created based on the objectives of the study. The data were collected by respondents individually through personal interviews. Results: The average number of horses per family was 1.18, with 70% of them being transported and only 11.5% participating in horse races. The average peak and the poor seasonal income of the farmers were recorded as BDT (12,920-6,717). On average, 2 kg of concentrate feed per day is supplied to each horse with forages in the morning and afternoon depending on the situation. All farmers practiced natural mating, but they did not perform vaccination (100%). The indigenous horse's face color was observed as a star of 30%, and 45% non-specific, while the coat color was chestnut 38.5%, bay 41.5%, grey 8%, pseudo-Albino 3.5%, black 3.5%, brown 1% and bay roan 4%. The chest stocking color was observed as black 48%, white 33%, black and white 19%. The average body length, chest girth, neck length, ear length, and body weight in the research region were 119.86±0.17 cm, 126.28±0.19 cm, 37.87±0.14 cm, 15.78±0.12 cm, and 160.43±0.65 kg. The body length and body weight (p=0.000) differ significantly from region to region. Age at first service, service per conception (no.), gestation length, and foaling interval were 2.34±0.07 years, 1.21±0.06 years, 10.91±0.33 months and 1.00±0.03 years, respectively. Conclusions: Horses have enormous potential for livelihoods in rural areas, so it is important to preserve and improve horse genetic resources and ensure sustainable horse rearing in Bangladesh.