From the firstborn to the herd of white-cheated horses on Khau Sao hill
Taking advantage of the rich soil, climate and natural food resources, people in Huu Kien commune (Chi Lang district, Lang Son province) are gradually affirming their own unique brand on the mountainous livestock map with the development model of white horses - an animal likened to the "white herd" of the great army.
As one of the pioneering households to bring white-cheeked horses back to raise since 2003, Mr. Nong Van Quang (Co Huong village) shared: "Since the first two, I have gradually expanded the scale because I see that white-cheeked horses are very adapted to the climate here. Every year, horses are born in one generation, cared for for about 3 - 5 months can be sold, with an average income of about 200 million VND/year.
Not only Mr. Quang's family, the entire Huu Kien commune has now become the "capital of white horses" of Lang Son province with a total of more than 2,800 horses, including over 1,600 white horses.
The large area of natural grassland, especially the Khau Sao steppe area with a scale of more than 140 hectares, an altitude of 760 - 1,000m, creates ideal conditions for people to release their horses during the period from October to March of the lunar calendar.
"White gold" in the thousands
Mr. Nong Quang Dam (Suoi Ma A village) is one of the households with a high income from raising breeding horses: "I maintain a herd of 16 mother horses, selling 12 - 14 young horses each year, earning nearly 500 million VND. I also encourage the villagers to develop this model.
Sharing with reporters, Mr. Nguyen Van Tin - Chairman of Huu Kien Commune People's Committee - said: "The purebred white horse breed here has a small, gentle body, weighing about 70 - 100kg. The selling price of breeds ranges from 40 - 50 million VND, while adult horses can reach 70 million VND/ horse, double that of regular horses.
Currently, the total number of horses in Huu Kien is almost equivalent to the total population of the whole commune.
"In addition to horse meat and white horse height products, we also develop tourism associated with horse herds and grasslands. However, traffic infrastructure is still limited. In particular, the road from National Highway 1 to the commune is still difficult to travel. We really hope that the DT.250 route will be invested in and upgraded soon to exploit the full potential available, Mr. Tin shared.
Not only bringing high economic value, the white horse breeding model also actively contributes to poverty reduction. From national target programs, in 2024 alone, Huu Kien commune supported 11 poor households, each household with one breeding cow worth nearly 40 million VND. In the district, from 2023 to present, nearly 50 poor and near-poor households in Huu Kien and Bang Mac communes have been supported with breeding horses.
Thanks to that, the total herd of white horses in Chi Lang district has surpassed 4,000, the highest in the province.
Mr. Luong Thanh Chung - Vice Chairman of Chi Lang District People's Committee - commented: " Huu Kien white horse is bringing high economic value, increasing income for people and gradually shaping a typical local brand."
Currently, the district is expanding this model to neighboring communes. At the same time, the locality has developed a project to develop horse breeding in the direction of commodity production, applying science and technology and clearly planning the breeding area.
Each year, Chi Lang organizes about 70 training courses and livestock technology transfer, including specialized content on care and disease prevention for white-cheeked horses.
