Ujumqin horse

Also known as Wuchumutsin[1] and Wuzhumuqin.[2][3] The CAB International encyclopedia (2016) calls it "improved white Ujumqin".[3] It is the result of selective breeding under human control, which has increased its size.[4]

A technical communication from Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux in 1969,[5] followed by an official Chinese report in 1978,[6] indicated the existence of these horses as a distinct breed or type. In 1982, around 100,000 Ujumqin-type horses were recorded in China, with a downward trend in numbers.[1]

The Ujumqin is a light,[1] steppe-type horse.[2] It is considered an "improved", more elegant version of the classic Chinese Mongolian horse.[2][4]

Different size data are available. In his 1984 study, Piliu Zheng mentions an average height of 1.35 m for males and 1.29 m for females.[7] Caroline Puel (1989) cites an overall average of 1.35 m.[4] CAB International (2016) indicates more than 1.30 m.[3] The data are 1.27 m for females and 1.30 m for males according to the DAD-IS database, managed by the FAO.[1] The University of Oklahoma study (2007) gives a lower overall average of around 1.25 m.[2]

The Ujumqin is reputed to be better conformed than other strains of Chinese Mongolian, thanks to the quality of the grass in its native territory.[3][4]

The breed has great endurance, and is faster than other Mongolian horses.[8] Among the various types of Chinese Mongolian horse, the Ujumqin is the closest genetically to the Wushen,[9] which is surprising given the great geographical distance between the two breeding areas. It is possible that this genetic proximity is the result of exchanges of breeding stock between breeders.[10]

The Ujumqin has a remarkable aptitude for work.[1] The breed is mainly used as a saddle horse and transport horse.[4] Ujumqin mares are milked for their milk: lactation lasts an average of 125 days, with an average yield of 350 kg per lactation.[1]

DAD-IS registers it as a local Chinese breed.[1] It is mainly found in the Xilingol League in eastern Inner Mongolia,[8] but has also spread to neighboring agricultural regions in northern China.[4] No threat level is given.[1] The study carried out by Rupak Khadka, of Uppsala University, for the FAO in 2010, considers it to be a local Asian horse breed, which is not threatened with extinction;[11] the FAO assessment carried out in 2007 had already indicated that it was not threatened.[12]

• List of horse breeds
• Horses in Chinese culture

• Hendricks, Bonnie Lou (2007). "Chinese Mongolian". International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 080613884X.
• Li, Jinlian; Shi, Youfei; Fan, Caiyun; Manglai, Dugarjaviin (2008). mtDNA diversity and origin of Chinese Mongolian horses (PDF). Vol. 21. Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci.
• Mang, L. (2005). Wuzhumuqin horse-outstanding species on Xilingoluo grasslands. Vol. 1. China-Collection Industry.
• Porter, Valerie; Alderson, Lawrence; Hall, Stephen; Sponenberg, Dan (2016). "Chinese Mongolian". Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (6th ed.). CAB International. ISBN 1-84593-466-0.
• Puel, Caroline (1989). "Où sont donc passés les chevaux chinois ?". Le petit livre du cheval en Chine. Caracole (in French). Favre. ISBN 978-2828903312.
• Zheng, Piliu (1984). "Horses". Livestock Breeds of China. Food and Agriculture Organization. ISBN 9251021856.