STUDIES OF QUANTITATIVE GENETICS AT THE POPULATIONS OF HORSES USED IN THE EQUESTRIAN SPORTS FROM ROMANIA

V. Ujica, I. Dulugeac, Mita Enache, M. Dolis, Rodica Danaila, M. Burlica

Abstract
The quantitative characters have a complex genetic determininism, their forming and control being mainly due to the major genes (Mather, 1941). This determines distinguishable effects on the phenotype that they control, only through the action cumulated with other such genes, where the denomination of polygenes with cumulative or additive action is derived from.
In our country, the cumulative genetic researches regarding horses are relatively few, which is projected in the elaboration of some modern programs of genetic improvement of horse populations.
For the horses used in the equine sports in Romania, the most recent researches were carried out by our team, whose analyses and conclusions are presented synthetically in the present paper.
A common characteristic of the heritability of characters at the Sports Horse, resulted from our researches, is represented by the degree of strong genetic determination for the analyzed characteristics, which is in correspondence with the data mentioned in the specialty literature.
It can be considered that the actions of genetic improvement within the analyzed populations, have been led towards the direction of hereditary fixing of characters which determine the body format, the body mass and the increase of energetic capacity; also, the stronger genetic variability within these populations of horses ensures a rapid effect of selection and an increased safety in obtaining the desired selection effect.

Key words: horses, equestrian, equine, sports, entertainment