Heihe

The Heihe horse breed originally comes from the Heilongjiang River basin in China, which lies along the border of the former Soviet Union. The epicenter of the breeding activity is Heihe city. The region is abundant in water resources and has a hilly terrain with cold climates. Horses are an integral part of the agriculture and transportation of this remote area. The Heihe comes to us from Soulun and Mongolian stock. The Mongolian horses entered the area before the 17^th century and again after 1820 because of gold mining activity. The Heihe breed was diversified in 1908 when Russian immigrants brought horses with them, and after 1930 when Orlov Trotter and draft horses entered the region. The years 1937 to 1939 saw the addition of a Russian strain of Mongolian horses. During this time, a stud farm was created and Anglo-Norman stallions were used. This diversified further as other breeds, like Anglo-Arabians and Percheron, were introduced to the mix. With a balanced conformation and calm nature, the Heihe horse has strong limbs, large eyes, and long ears. It is usually available in bay or chestnut, but gray or black horses also exist. There are two types of Heihe: draft-riding and riding-draft.