BREEDING WORK – BASIS FOR THE CONSERVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF KOSTANAY HORSES

The article analyzes the work on improving the horses of the Kustanay breed in the course of the evolution of the breed from the moment of approbation and evaluates the breeding stallions by the quality of offspring. It is established that the modern livestock of the Kustanay breed horses is characterized by superiority in terms of a set of characteristics in the context of the factory lines of 464 Neon and 494 Fort over the peers of the control group – both in breeding and athletic qualities. In this connection, the breeding stallions: Nauryztoy 9 (512 Nag – 2146 Torki 8) and Preferans 5 (525 Pegasus – 2101 Safari) are improvers according to the quality of offspring and can be used to lay two new lines in the Kostanay breed of horses. The Kustanay breed of horses historically comprised five principal genetic lines: 30 Burelom, 45 Zaboy, 84 Zeus, 56 Dictor, and 162 Trostnik. Of these, the 84 Zeus line (classified as the main type) was the most predominant, representing 23 % of the total population. The 45 Zaboy line followed with a representation of 15 %. Meanwhile, the 30 Burelom line (top type), 162 Trostnik line (main type), and 56 Dictor line (top type) collectively accounted for 7.8 % and 9 %, respectively. These data were collected and analyzed as part of the scientific and technical program BR 10764999, titled «Development of Technologies for Effective Management of the Breeding Process and Preservation of the Gene Pool in Horse Breeding (2021–2023)». This initiative was conducted under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, with the goal of advancing breeding strategies and ensuring the conservation of the genetic resources of the Kustanay breed. Keywords: breeding methods, breeding stallion, type, exterior, performance, athletic qualities.