INFLUENCE OF SEX ON LIPIZZANER BREED FOALS DEVELOPMENT

The offspring’s development especially in the first months after foaling is crucial for further development. If favourable conditions of feeding, keeping and fancying as well as other important conditions are ensured, a homogenous growth and development of the offspring is obtained. Research was conducted on 44 male and 42 female Lipizzaner breed foals in the first six months after foaling. The measuring of the withers height, chest girth and cannon bone circumference were done seven days after foaling and at the age of six months. Measuring data were processed by the statistical program SPSS/PC (Nie et al., 1975). The processed data of the obtained measurings indicate homogeneity for both male and female foals. The male foals had a little higher values than the female in both measurings, but the differences between sexes were highly significant only in the cannon bone circumference. Correlations among obtained values were positive and ranged between low and very high, with correlation coefficients between r= 0.379 and r=0.843 for male and r=0.338 and r=0.723 for female foals. The differences between the obtained values were significant and highly significant and a little more marked in male foals.