The content of essential and toxic elements in the hair of the mane of the trotter horses depending on their speed

A study on the Russian trotting breeds was conducted to assess the impact of horses’ sporting results and the degree of accumulation of chemical elements in the hair. In the first phase of the research, the elemental composition of the mane hair of trotter horses (n = 215) was studied. Based on these studies, percentile intervals for the distribution of concentrations of chemical elements in the hair have been established, and the values of 25 and 75 percentile adopted as a “physiological standard” have been defined. In the second stage of the research into clinically healthy Russian trotting breeds (n = 56), it was estimated that the sporting results were dependent on the elemental status defined by the hair. The elemental composition of the hair was defined by 25 chemical elements using atomic emission and mass spectrometry. It is established that the mane hair is closely related to the sporting results of trotter horses. Thus, in animal wool with the highest sporting achievements, there were reliably less I, Cr, Co, Li, V, Al, Pb, and Cd, and reliably more Si than the low ones. Differences in individual elements exceeded 200%. As sporting performance diminished, the number of elements within the standard increased. For example, for mares with average speed, there were deviations from the physiological standard by 6 elements (P, Fe, Mn, I, Co, Si), with the low one by 13 elements (P, Fe, Cu, Mn, I, Co, Si, K, Cr, Ni, V, Al, Pb). A comparative estimate of the mineralization of the horses’ mane measured by the sum of the amount of substances showed that there was a negative correlation between the accumulation of toxic elements and the speed (r = − 0.59). On the basis of the above, a conclusion is reached on the future use of the mane hair to assess the speed qualities of trotter horses.