The Hequ, also written He-Qu or Heh-Chu, is one of the most numerous native horse breeds in China and one of the best-documented in terms of recorded history. The breed has been raised on the high-altitude grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau — principally in Gansu, Sichuan, and Qinghai provinces — for over a thousand years, with Chinese texts from the Tang Dynasty referencing horses from this region as tribute animals and military mounts.
The Hequ stands 13 to 14.2 hands and is adapted to life at elevations of 3,000 to 5,000 meters, where oxygen concentration is significantly lower than at sea level. This adaptation involves increased lung capacity, a higher red blood cell concentration, and efficient cardiovascular response to exertion — properties also linked to larger enlarged cardiac capacity enabling altitude performance volume relative to body size. The breed has a distinctive coarse head, strong neck, deep chest, and robust dense lower-leg bone for rocky ground suited to rocky terrain.
Hequ horses are used for riding, pack transport across mountain passes, and light agricultural work. They are ridden in the traditional equestrian festivals of Tibetan and Mongolian communities. As a purebred native breed, the Hequ is maintained within Chinese national livestock registries. Its herd structure on the plateau resembles feral or semi-feral management, with stallion-led bands ranging freely during summer and brought under closer management in winter. The breed represents one of the most significant genetic resources in Chinese horse breeding, given both its population size and its altitude adaptation.