Guanzhong Horse

Last updated 2026-11-09 — [Main Production Areas and Distribution] The Wei River Plain in the Guanzhong region of Shaanxi Province. Baoji City has the largest population, while Liulin County in Long County produces horses of the highest quality. [Formation History] The Guanzhong region serves as an agricultural base. In the early 1950s, both agriculture and transportation required a new type of horse that was larger in size, stronger, and faster, but the local horses at the time were small in stature, with insufficient pulling and speed capabilities. Therefore, it was decided to introduce high-quality stallions to carry out complex crossbreeding with local mares in order to develop a versatile draft and riding horse capable of a normal pulling capacity of 60–75 kg, with a light and quick gait, a speed of 4.5–4.8 km/h, a body weight of over 500 kg, a height of around 152 cm, a well-proportioned structure, a dry and sturdy constitution, and adaptability to the local natural conditions. The breeding of this new horse breed started at the Liulin Tan Stallion Farm in Shaanxi Province, and expanded from there to cover the entire production area. The breeding process unfolded as follows: Starting in 1950, lightweight stallion breeds such as the Anglo-Norman (later renamed Budenny), Karabair, and Soviet Thoroughbred were first used to cross with local mares, producing a group of first-generation improved light horses. These first-generation horses showed significant improvement in various body measurements compared to the local horses. However, their body proportions were less optimal, characterized by a tall, narrow, and short build, a light and quick gait, but insufficient pulling strength. In 1958, large Ardennes stallions were introduced to conduct further complex crossbreeding with the first-generation improved light horses, aiming to enhance body mass and pulling power. The second-generation light mares crossed with Ardennes stallions produced third or fourth generation horses that largely met the original breeding goals in terms of body measurements, conformation, appearance, and working ability. The Kabarda and Ardennes horse breeds played a major role in the development of this new breed. Starting in 1965, horses that met the desired body measurement standards and ideal types—both stallions and mares—were selected, using primarily homogenous matching supplemented by heterogenous pairing, to carry out inbreeding with strict selection criteria to expand the pool of ideal horses. To rapidly improve the overall quality of the horse herd, the Liulin Tan Stallion Farm established a core breeding group, focusing on stallion No. 66-6, which demonstrated stable genetic traits. This stallion was extensively used for breeding over several years, resulting in a horse herd with increasingly consistent body measurements, structural features, and physical characteristics, thus acquiring the traits of a versatile draft and riding horse. From 1970 onward, all mares entered into self-breeding. Horses of different bloodlines were used, prioritizing medium kinship pairings with some instances of close relative breeding, gradually consolidating the desirable genetic traits and achieving overall consistency within the herd. The core breeding group had undergone three or more generations of self-propagation, with the mare herd having an average inbreeding coefficient of 3.38%. The horse population now essentially consists of 12.5% heritage from the original local horse breed, 25.0% from lightweight breeds, and 62.5% from heavy draft breeds. Planned line breeding has since been initiated. Throughout the breeding process, superior feeding and management conditions also played a crucial role. The main method of feeding in the production area is stall feeding, with meticulous management practices. The primary forage includes grain straw, wheat bran, wild hay, and a small amount of wheat straw, supplemented in summer and autumn with alfalfa, wild grasses, and cereal grasses, and in winter with silage corn stalks and dried alfalfa. The ratios of various feeds vary according to the season and production conditions. Concentrated feed mainly consists of barley, peas, black beans, corn, and wheat bran. Foals begin supplemental feeding in separate troughs alongside their mothers after one month of age. Around one year old, they start light work, and formal work begins at two years of age. Pregnant mares are generally not put to work or only given light tasks. The breeding program was guided by a "Guanzhong Horse Breeding Collaboration Group" composed of administrative bodies, academic institutions, research units, and stud farms, which developed the breeding plan. The Liulin Tan Stallion Farm served as the core, with rural areas forming the foundation, continuously expanding the breeding population. Over the course of thirty-plus years, the improved horse herd was continually selected and enhanced. In October 1982, the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Agriculture organized the “Guanzhong Horse Breed Appraisal Group,” which conducted a breed evaluation and acceptance of the Guanzhong horses at the core breeding farm—Liulin Tan Stallion Farm. The evaluation found a qualification rate of 97%, meeting the breeding objectives and confirming the establishment of a new breed, officially named the “Guanzhong Horse.”