Morphometric Identification of Gemlik Horse and Crossbreds

Öz

This study aimed to morphometrically characterize Gemlik horses and their crossbreds, which originated from Holsteiner and KWPN lineages and have been bred since the early 2000s under the Turkish Ministry of National Defense. A total of 111 horses including pure Gemlik, Gemlik crossbred, and parental lines-were evaluated for various body measurements such as withers height, croup height, body length, chest depth, heart girth, neck length, and ear dimensions. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test followed by Bonferroni-corrected post hoc comparisons due to the non-normal distribution of the data. Results revealed significant differences (p<0.05) among breeds for body length, heart girth, and interocular distance. Gemlik horses exhibited measurements generally aligned with their paternal Holsteiner and maternal KWPN lines, particularly in withers height (~166 cm) and live weight (~514 kg). Gender-based comparisons showed mares were significantly larger than stallions in several traits, including live weight, hind leg length, and chest width. Age also significantly influenced skeletal and muscular development, with older horses demonstrating greater withers height, body length, and heart girth. The findings suggest that Gemlik horses possess morphometric traits suitable for sport horse purposes, especially show jumping. The formal recognition of the Gemlik breed as a Turkish sport horse could support the development of national equestrian activities, accelerate its international competitiveness, and increase the recognition of equestrian sports among a wider audience.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Animal Breeding
• Body Height
• Body Weight
• Horse
• Morphometry
• Quantitative Trait.

Gemlik Atı ve Melezlerinin Morfometrik Olarak Tanımlanması

Öz

Bu çalışma, 2000’li yılların başından beri Türk Millî Savunma Bakanlığı çatısı altında Holsteıner X KWPN ırklarının melezlenmesiyle geliştirilen Gemlik ve Gemlik melezi atların morfometrik özelliklerini tanımlamayı amaçlamıştır. Toplam 111 baş attan (saf Gemlik, melezler ve ebeveyn ırklar) alınan veriler; cidago yüksekliği, sağrı yüksekliği, vücut uzunluğu, göğüs derinliği, göğüs çevresi, boyun uzunluğu ve kulak ölçüleri gibi morfometrik özellikler açısından incelenmiştir. Verilerin normal dağılım göstermemesi nedeniyle Kruskal-Wallis nonparametrik testi ve Bonferroni düzeltmeli çoklu karşılaştırmalar kullanılmıştır. Irk özelliklerine göre vücut uzunluğu, göğüs çevresi ve gözler arası mesafe açısından istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılıklar (p<0.05) saptanmıştır. Gemlik atları, özellikle ~166 cm cidago yüksekliği ve ~514 kg canlı ağırlık ile Holsteıner ve KWPN ırklarına benzer özellikler taşımaktadır. Cinsiyet analizlerinde dişilerin, erkeklerden canlı ağırlık, arka bacak uzunluğu ve göğüs genişliği gibi birçok ölçümde daha yüksek değerlere sahip olduğu görülmüştür. Yaş arttıkça iskelet ve kas gelişimine bağlı olarak cidago yüksekliği, vücut uzunluğu ve göğüs çevresinde artışlar kaydedilmiştir. Bulgular, Gemlik atının engel atlama spor dalı için uygun morfometrik yapıya sahip olduğunu göstermektedir. Gemlik atının bir Türk spor atı olarak tescil edilmesi, ulusal binicilik faaliyetlerinin gelişimini desteklemek ve uluslararası rekabet gücünü artırılmasını hızlandırarak binicilik sporunun daha geniş kitlelerce tanınmasını sağlayabilecektir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• At
• Hayvan Islahı
• Morfometri
• Vücut Ağırlığı
• Vücut Yüksekliği
• Kantitatif Özellik.

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