Xinjiang imports 21 prized horses from Kazakhstan

URUMQI - Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has imported 21 Akhal-Teke horses, a breed famed for its speed and endurance, from Kazakhstan.

After a two-day journey from Kazakhstan, they arrived in Jeminay border pass in Xinjiang's Altay prefecture at the weekend and will settle down in Urumqi following a 45-day quarantine, according to Xinjiang Yema Group, which imported the horses.

Du Xuemei, deputy general manager with the company's marketing center, said that the batch included 18 adult horses and three foals.

"The workers of our company supplied them with grass and water, and dressed them to fend off the cold," Du said.

The company's Akhal-Teke horse base started importing the breed from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Russia from 2009. The base now is home to 120 of the horses.

The Akhal-Teke is known in China as a "blood-sweating horse," as people say it sweats a red, blood-like liquid as it gallops, signifying extreme vitality.