Yushu horse
Rider and his horse at Yushu Horse Festival, in July 2008
Conservation statusNot endangered
Country of originTibet, China
Traits
Height
  • 1.26 m to 1.31 m on average
ColorGenerally bay or gray, often with pangaré. Champagne gene possible

Yushu (simplified Chinese: 玉树马; traditional Chinese: 玉樹馬; pinyin: Yùshùmǎ, meaning "Yushu horse") is a horse breed originating from the Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Yushu in Tibet, administratively located in Qinghai, China. It is a local variety of the Tibetan pony. About its measurements, it is medium-sized and one of the few horse breeds that have the champagne gene. Its breeding was discouraged by Chinese authorities in the 1990s. Fit for the saddle, Yushu is adapted to its highland environment. It has been the subject of several studies on its genetic diversity and blood composition. The breed has become rare today, although it is not considered endangered by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It is honored every year at a major equestrian festival, which attracts thousands of spectators.

History

The breed is also known as Gaoyuan, Geji and Gejhua.[1]

The Yushu horse originated in the mountains of the region of the same name, and is known as a local horse.[2] According to French ethnologist and explorer Michel Peissel, the breed received its name from the Chinese.[3] The Beijing-based Ministry of Agriculture studied its qualities in the 1990s.[3] Despite the relative enthusiasm of this report, particularly with regard to its meat production capacity, the Yushu breed is described as not being a desirable food source in modern China.[3] The report states that Tibetans should be encouraged to stop breeding this horse breed in favor of the yak.[3]

The Chinese authorities include in the Yushu breed the Nangchen horse described by Michel Peissel.[4]

Description

This is a local variety of the Tibetan pony.[1][5][6] According to the FAO, the Yushu averages 1.26 m in height, with a small, narrow body.[7] The Delachaux guide gives an average height of 1.30 m for females and 1.31 m for males.[1] Adapted to its plateau environment,[8] it can live up to 4,500 m in altitude.[7] It is more commonly found at altitudes of between 3,000 and 4,000 m.[6]

Morphology

They are generally smaller than the horses of northern Tibet.[9] The head is fairly broad, with a straight profile, large eyes and short ears.[1] The neck is carried rather low.[1] The chest is large, the rump small, with a slight slope.[1] Legs are solid, ending in stiff hooves.[1] Mane and tail are well covered.[1]

Coat

The coat is generally plain and the most common are bay, gray, and, the most frequent is pangaré.[1][7] However, black, chestnut, sooty, buckskin and palomino are rarer.[1]

The first Chinese study focused on the champagne gene, a particularly rare coat gene, was carried out on Yushu and Debao horses in 2013. This gene produces hazel eyes and marbled skin. The haplotype diversity of Yushu horses carrying the champagne gene is low. The presence of a mutation at the origin of this coat gene has been demonstrated, but the cause of this mutation remains unknown.[10]

Genetic diversity and affiliation

Genetic studies have determined that this breed belongs to the Qinghai and Tibetan Plateau horse group, of which the Yushu is a member along with the Hequ, Datong and Chaidamu.[11][12] In particular, it has an allele known as ‘T’, present only in the Hequ, Chakouyi, Datong and Yanji breeds.[13]

The breed has undergone several blood tests: one in 1996,[14] one in 2000[15] and another in 2008.[16] The analysis of serum esterase polymorphism showed five different esterase phenotypes controlled by three alleles.[15] A further genetic analysis showed that this breed does not possess the B haplotype typical of southern Chinese horse breeds. The genetic diversity of the Yushu was compared with that of the Guoxia pony, revealing that it is poorer than in the latter (haplotype diversity at 0.4190 for the Guoxia, compared with 0.2228 for the Yushu). As a result, the breed suffers from consanguinity.[10]

Usage

The DAD-IS database does not indicate the usual usage of this breed of horse.[7] However, the breed is described as suitable for riding, with excellent ability to move at altitude, including over marshy ground, meadows or rocky terrain.[17] It is probably used for pack and transport.[1]

The horse is honored during the annual Yushu Horse Festival, one of the largest in Tibet, which combines racing, dancing and mounted archery.[18] The festival was canceled in 2010 and for several years afterwards due to the consequences of the 2010 earthquake, but has since resumed.[19] The 2016 festival, held in February, attracted tens of thousands of spectators.[20][21]

Breeding distribution

The breed is unique to the Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Yushu,[7] administratively in Qinghai province.[6] In 1980, 60 000 Yushu horses were registered with the FAO.[7] By 2005, 35 100 Yushu horses had been registered.[1]

In 2014, a study of livestock farming in the region recorded 3 260 people, 34 407 yaks, 11 557 Tibetan sheep and just 522 horses, meaning that horses now account for just 1.12 % of livestock.[22] The increasing sedentarization of Tibetan nomads in the Yushu region is also a factor.[23] In 2007 it was listed by the FAO as 'not at risk'.[24]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rousseau (2014, p. 358)
  2. ↑ Yushu (2005, p. 260)
  3. 1 2 3 4 Peissel, Michel (2015). The Last Barbarians : The Discovery Of The Source Of The Mekong In Tibet. Henry Holt and Company. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-62779-568-5.
  4. ↑ Rousseau (2014, p. 359)
  5. ↑ Porter (2002, p. 209)
  6. 1 2 3 Hendricks, Bonnie (2007). International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 486. ISBN 978-0-8061-3884-8. OCLC 154690199.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Yushu/China". Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  8. ↑ 国家民族事务委员会 (2007). "中国民族". 民族团结杂志社 (in Chinese): 67.
  9. ↑ 《中国家畜家禽品种志》编委会. (1987). "《中国马驴品种志》编写组, 中国农业科学院". 畜牧研究所, 中国马驴品种志, 上海科学技术出版社 (in Chinese): 131.
  10. 1 2 "Polymorphisms of SLC36A1 Gene in Yushu Horse and Debao Pony《Acta Ecologiae Animalis Domastici》". en.cnki.com.cn. 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  11. ↑ "Investitute of animal science, Beijing : Evaluation of the genetic diversity and population structure of Chinese indigenous horses using 27 microsatellite markers". Issues in Animal Science and Research: 2012 Edition. ScholarlyEditions. 2013. ISBN 978-1481646222.
  12. ↑ Ling, Yinghui; Ma, Yuehui; Guan, Weijun; Cheng, Yuejiao (2010). "Identification of Y Chromosome Genetic Variations in Chinese Indigenous Horse Breeds". Journal of Heredity. 101 (5): 639–643. doi:10.1093/jhered/esq047. ISSN 0022-1503. PMID 20497969. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  13. ↑ Han, Haoyuan; Zhang, Qin; Gao, Kexin; Yue, Xiangpeng (2015). "Y-Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Diversity in Chinese Indigenous Horse". Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences. 28 (8): 1066–1074. doi:10.5713/ajas.14.0784. ISSN 1011-2367. PMC 4478473. PMID 26104513.
  14. ↑ Wang, Z.S. (1996). "The Zootechnical Characteristics and Polymorphism of Blood Biochemistry Genetics of Yushu Tibeten Horse". China Agricultural University.
  15. 1 2 ZhenShan, Wang; De Jiang; RenDe, Song; Dai Dai (2000). "Genetic polymorphism of serum esterase in Yushu Tibetan horse". Chinese Journal of Animal Science. 36 (6): 12–13.
  16. ↑ "Determination of 20 biochemical parameters of blood in Yushu horse《Journal of Qinghai University(Nature Science)》". en.cnki.com.cn. 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  17. ↑ Yushu (2005, p. 261)
  18. ↑ "Tibetan Yushu Horse Festival in Qinghai - China Culture Center". www.chinaculturecenter.org. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  19. ↑ Lonely Planet China. Travel Guide. 2015. ISBN 978-1-74360-538-7.
  20. ↑ "玉树上万马迷赛马场共庆藏历新年_1赛马网_第一赛马网". www.horsechinaone.com (in Chinese). 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  21. ↑ Wong, Edward (2015). "A Showcase of Tibetan Culture Serves Chinese Political Goals". The New York Times.
  22. ↑ "Preliminary Study and Analysis of Livestock Breed and Structure in Yushu Prefecture《Acta Ecologae Animalis Domastici》". en.cnki.com.cn. 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  23. ↑ Bauer, Kenneth (2015). "New homes, new lives - the social and economic effects of resettlement on Tibetan nomads (Yushu prefecture, Qinghai province, PRC)". Nomadic Peoples. 19 (2): 209–220. doi:10.3197/np.2015.190204. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  24. ↑ Breeds Currently Recorded In The Global Databank For Animal Genetic Resources. Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture. 2007. p. 27.

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yushu horse.
  • Porter, Valerie (2002). Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties (5th ed.). CAB International. ISBN 0-85199-430-X.
  • Rousseau, Élise (2014). Tous les chevaux du monde (in French). Delachaux et Niestlé. ISBN 978-2-603-01865-1.
  • Yushu, Chi (2005). 玉树藏族自治州志编纂委员会 (in Chinese). Vol. 1. Shaanxi Press.
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