## 3 Results and Discussion  
The age of an animal is one of the basic factors that influence the level of most traits related to the slaughter value of animals. It also determines the postslaughter yield, the tissue composition of carcass, and the physical and chemical qualities of the raw material. This, in turn, differentiates the directions of the culinary and processing uses of meat [2; 3; 55; 11; 16; 29; 56]. Proper determination of an animal's slaughter value, in addition to its use in breeding work, is essential in the relationship between breeders/producers and meat plants in order to objectively determine the price for animals delivered for slaughter. The postslaughter evaluation of the slaughter value of horses is conducted based on detailed linear measurements, calculation of the slaughter yield index, and dissection with the separation of individual tissue components of the carcass. Horses exhibit significant differences in terms of slaughter value, and this depends on several factors that shape the quantity and quality of essential raw materials, namely, meat and fat. These factors primarily include performance type, sex, nutrition, and age. A higher preslaughter weight of horses positively affects the slaughter value of their carcass. The slaughter value evolves as animals age, and the nature of these changes is a result of two physiological processes: growth and development. Growth is expressed by the increasing weight of the animal until it reaches physiological maturity. Development, on the other hand, can be defined as changes in the shape, structure, and function of individual tissues and organs. Development occurs concurrently with growth, and the achievement of maturity by the animal is a product of both these processes. The evaluation of the slaughter quality of horses is based, among other factors, on the determination of the dressing percentage, the degree of muscularity, and the body fat content of the animals. Simplified and quick methods for this evaluation include mass measurements and linear measurements [5; 44]. The results concerning the slaughter value of reals and other horses obtained in this research are presented in Table 2. The analysis of the dressing percentage showed that in all three age groups, a similar value of this feature was obtained, ranging from 63.6% to 67.2%. A higher dressing percentage was demonstrated in reals compared with old horses (\(p\leq 0.05\)). To compare the obtained results, one should cite the studies by [PERSON] and [PERSON] [57] and other authors [7; 29; 30; 31; 34], who obtained a lower dressing percentage of reals. The dressing percentage in reals, at the level of 67.2% shown in our research, was related to the live weight of the animals. The relationship between the live weight of animals and the dressing percentage index was also confirmed by the results of other studies [4; 32; 33]. A high dressing percentage in reals was demonstrated by other authors [6; 11; 58; 59]. The decrease in dressing percentage with age/weight is usually associated with increases in noncarcass fat. [PERSON] et al. [35], in their study on the dressing percentage of adult horses, showed values for this index ranging from 52.1% to 62.8%. Taking into account the formation of the dressing percentage in horses in various age groups [3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32; 33; 34; 35; 36; 37; 38; 39; 40; 41; 42; 43; 44; 45; 46; 47; 48; 49; 50; 51; 52; 53; 54; 55; 56; 57; 58; 59], [PERSON] et al. [7] found that this parameter was the lowest in the oldest group of horses, which amounted to 61.5%. This, in comparison with the results of our research, indicates a higher value of this parameter in older horses. Additionally, the study of [PERSON] and [PERSON] [32] indicates a higher dressing percentage of adult horses compared with the results of our study (60.0%). [PERSON] et al. [30] also showed a higher level of this parameter compared with the results of our research, ranging from 59.8% to 60.9%.