• The Hequ is found in the Qinghai Province of China and is used as a pack and draft animal as well as for riding and racing

• Hequ means "river zig". The breed originated in the border area of Qinghai, Sichuan and Gansu provinces where the Yellow River makes a large "zig"

• Prior to 1954 the breed was known as Nanfan which is often misapplied to the Tibetan horse. During the T'ang dynasty the Hequ horse was a favored spoil of war in the region

• The horse is solid but coarsely built and is coloured either black, brown or grey

• There are three varieties of Hequ: the Jiaode type (found is southern parts of Gansu), the Suoke tpye (located in western Sichuan) and the Kesheng (found in the Kesheng Mongolian Autonomous region in the province of Qinghai

• The Jiaode have a large course head and weak hooves. They are usually grey and stand at around 13.3 hands high

• The Suoke has a large head and ears, but a short loin. Its tail is high set like the ancient Tang horse

• The Kesheng breeding is mixed with Mongolian horses