Mustefa Amine, Engdawork Aweke, Sinke Seble
Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Heliyon. 2024 Oct 18;10(20):e39280. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e39280. eCollection 2024 Oct 30.
Ethiopian horses are multipurpose horses that have socioeconomic significance for smallholder farmers. However, studies regarding their husbandry practices have received little attention. Thus, the current study was conducted to assess the horse husbandry practices in the southwest Ethiopia. Data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires from a total of 196 randomly selected respondents. The general linear model and frequency procedures of the Statistical Analysis System (SAS 9.0) were used to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data, while indices were calculated using Microsoft Excel 2016. Most of the respondents from the Telo district were illiterate, while the percentage of literate farmers was greater in the Gesha and Masha districts. The within-household flock structure and level of importance were dominated by cattle and sheep, followed by horses. The horses were used for transport, draft power, and breeding purposes. In terms of shelters, the horses in the Telo district stayed in shelters, while the horses in the Masha district stayed in forests during both the dry and wet seasons. However, the majority of the horses in the Gesha district were sheltered during the wet season, while they were left to stay in the forest during the dry season. The respondents provided supplementary feed and water to their horses while the water point was located within a kilometer distance. Government and private veterinary shops were the primary sources of veterinary services. Farmers sold their horses at the local market. Castration was performed to minimize aggressiveness. Body size, conformation, and temperament were used as sire selection criteria. An increasing trend in horse population size due to increased farmer interest was observed. In the studied areas, horses were found to be highly important to the livelihood of the farmers. However, horse husbandry practices were led by a considerably greater number of illiterate farmers. Moreover, horse management activities, including the housing of horses, need more attention. Therefore, successive awareness-raising campaigns, including the introduction of formal schooling, are recommended to improve the horse breeding and husbandry practices. Moreover, breeding programs with the aim of genetic improvement and conservation need to be designed to optimize the sustainable utilization of the horses.
埃塞俄比亚马是对小农具有社会经济意义的多用途马。然而，关于其饲养管理方法的研究很少受到关注。因此，开展了本研究以评估埃塞俄比亚西南部的马匹饲养管理情况。通过半结构化问卷从总共196名随机选择的受访者中收集数据。使用统计分析系统（SAS 9.0）的一般线性模型和频率程序分析定量和定性数据，同时使用Microsoft Excel 2016计算指标。来自特洛区的大多数受访者是文盲，而盖沙区和马沙区识字农民的比例更高。家庭内部畜群结构和重要性水平以牛和羊为主，其次是马。这些马用于运输、役力和繁殖目的。在畜舍方面，特洛区的马呆在畜舍里，而马沙区的马在旱季和雨季都呆在森林里。然而，盖沙区的大多数马在雨季有畜舍，而在旱季则留在森林里。当水源距离在一公里以内时，受访者会给马提供补充饲料和水。政府和私人兽医店是兽医服务的主要来源。农民在当地市场出售他们的马。进行阉割以尽量减少攻击性。体型、外形和性情被用作种马选择标准。由于农民兴趣增加，观察到马的种群数量呈上升趋势。在研究地区，马对农民的生计非常重要。然而，马匹饲养管理工作主要由大量文盲农民进行。此外，包括马匹饲养在内的马匹管理活动需要更多关注。因此，建议开展一系列提高认识活动，包括引入正规教育，以改善马匹繁殖和饲养管理方法。此外，需要设计旨在遗传改良和保护的育种计划，以优化马匹的可持续利用。
