Breeds of Livestock - Mongolian Horse (original) (raw)

The Mongolian horse is one of the most important and numerous breeds found among the indigenous horse breeds of China. They are distributed widely throughout the Northeast, North China and the Northwest, mainly in the high plains and highland areas. It is a dual-purpose horse, used primarily for riding and carting, but is also used for meat and milk production. The average wither height of males is 128 cm, females 127 cm, but body size varies with environmental conditions.

Work

Mongolian horses possess remarkable working ability. For carting, four horses, with a load of 4400 lbs, can walk 50-60 km a day.

Milk Production

During the grass-growing season, mares are milked 4-5 times a day, producing 0.11 lbs of milk each time. Yearly production is 662 lbs.

Reference:

Cheng. P. (1984) Livestock breeds of China. Animal Production and Health Paper 46 (E, F, S). Publ. by FAO, Rome, 217 pp.

Photographs:

William B. Ley, DVM, MS, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University