A study was conducted on the different management practices followed by horse cart (Jatka) owners in Mysore and Vijayapura districts of Karnataka. Information was collected by interview method using a structured schedule. The age of the establishments ranged from 3 - 31 years. The mean stock holding was 1.95±0.162, with about 89.5%, 63.2% and 26.3% of the jatka owners owning stallions, mares and geldings, respectively. None of them owned foals. Most of the stables were of open type (57.5%) and located at a considerable distance from the owner’s residence (73.7%). Concrete flooring was common (84.2%) and only 42.1% of the respondents some used straw as a bedding material. Mean stable dimensions were 83.16±0.685 sq. ft. Stables were cleaned once a week. Stone feed mangers and feed bags were commonly used. Majority of owners practiced individual feeding (57.9%), with maize as the primary fodder, and concentrates fed thrice a day (52.6%). Vitamins, minerals, salts and electrolytes were given as feed supplements by all the respondents, and anti-stressors, amino acids and growth promoters were commonly used. Colostrum was fed to foals within 30 minutes of birth and concentrate feeding was introduced at 3 months of age. Natural mating (84.2%) with a breeding ratio of 1:5 and conception rate of 72.37%, and artificial insemination (68.4%) with a conception rate of 70.0%, were commonly practiced. The most common indicators of oestrus were vulval discharge (100%) and swelling (89.5%). Most of the respondents preferred sandy surface for training their horses. Regular vaccination was practised for tetanus only. Most respondents regularly practised deworming and dental checkups. Diarrhoea (100%), colic (100%), laminitis (89.5%) and endometritis (68.4%) were commonly recorded conditions. All respondents reported transporting the horses once a month for clinical purposes.
Impact Factor
2022: 6.012
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