The Nangchen horse is a small breed of horse native to the Kham region of northern

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...

, thought to have been bred pure since the 9th century. They became known to the western world in 1994 due to the exploration of French anthropologist

Michel Peissel Michel Georges Francois Peissel (February 11, 1937 – October 7, 2011) was a French ethnologist, explorer and author. He wrote twenty books mostly on his Himalayan and Tibetan expeditions. Peissel was an emeritus member of the Explorers Club an ...

.Dam, Julie K.L., Bruce Crumley/Paris and Helen Gibson/London. "Ancient Hoofbeats: In Tibet, A Missing Link in Equine Evolution?" ''Time,'' November 27, 1995 Volume 146, No. 22
Accessed September 10, 2009 These animals are said to contain no ancestry from any of the common sources for most other

Tibetan pony The Tibetan pony is a horse breed originating in Tibet. Once thought to be simple hardy mountain ponies developed from Mongolian stock, recent research indicates that there may be up to six separate horse breeds native to Tibet. History ...

breeds, neither

Mongolian horse The Mongol horse ( Mongolian Адуу, ''aduu'': "horse" or ''mori''; or as a herd, ''ado'') is the native horse breed of Mongolia. The breed is purported to be largely unchanged since the time of Genghis Khan. Nomads living in the traditio ...

, Arabian nor any type of Turkish blood. They are powerful and fast, said to have many of the characteristics of a modern racehorse.Lowry, Susan. "Explorer backs Tibetan dark horse in the history stakes." ''Fortean Times'' (reprinted)
Accessed September 10, 2009 They have refined features, are

pony A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...

-sized, but tall for ponies, swift and agile. Their unique characteristics include adaptations to the very high altitude of the region,Peissel, Michel. "Reserve on the roof of the world" ''Geographical,'' April, 1999
accessed September 10, 2009 including enlarged lungs. In 1995, Peissel returned to Tibet in hopes of purchasing some individual animals to study in more detail, but they were unable to do so due to the high prices asked for the animals by local residents. On their way back, Peissel's expedition took an alternate route through a remote area and observed the Riwoche horse.

References

Simons, Marlise. "A Stone-Age Horse Still Roams a Tibetan Plateau." ''New York Times,'' November 12, 1995
* * ttp://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3120/is_4_71/ai_n28730908/pg_2/ Peissel, Michel. "Reserve on the roof of the world" ''Geographical,'' April, 1999br>Hays, Jeffrey. "Tibetan Animals and Plants." ''Facts and Details'' 2008.
Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Tibet {{Horse-breed-stub

See also

References