Guangxi Geographical Indication Livestock and Poultry Products Series Story: Debao Pony Famous in the World

Debao dwarf horses are produced in Debao County, and are farmed in 12 townships under the jurisdiction of the county, including Chengguan Town, Jingde Town, Ma Pass Town, Foot Rong Town, Longsang Town, and Naga Township.

Debao pony is a local livestock breed formed by the unique natural environmental conditions of Debao County's unique karst stone mountainous areas, after long-term self-breeding and closed breeding. Debao pony breeding has a long history, and the description in the Book of Han and the Book of Later Han is: "Three feet high, multiplied by fruit trees." "The pony race held in Debao is a long-standing sport that began as early as the Song Dynasty. The pony is also an indispensable transportation breed for local people to live and produce. In 2014, the Debao pony was listed as one of the seven horse breeds protected by the national livestock and poultry genetic resources. In 2018, debao ponies were certified by the National Agricultural Geographical Indication Registration and Protection Certification.

Debao County is located in the continuation part of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, with sufficient sunlight and abundant rainfall, providing a good natural environment for the growth of broad-leaved forests and shrub forests, and also providing unique conditions for the development of debao pony industry. The karst landforms in the territory are widely distributed, with an altitude of more than 1,000 meters and a large slope of rugged slopes. These have created the characteristics of Debao's ponies to be physically strong, have superior weight capacity, and adapt to hot climates. Debao ponies are bred in natural grazing, semi-grazing, semi-house feeding and full house feeding captivity, mainly feeding pure natural pasture grass and native crops. The water source is mainly the ground water tank and the well.

Debao pony is one of the world's famous pony breeds, and is the most typical mountain pony found in China. In recent years, Debao County has increased its capital investment in pony breeding farms, focusing on the characteristic brand of Debao ponies and digging deep into the pony culture, and the pony industry has become one of the county's cultural industry business cards.

(Source: Guangxi Daily, Author: Wang Yanqun Daniel Zhang)