A Study Of The Domesticate Techniques And Social Status Of Horses In The Liao Dynasty

The Liao dynasty is vast territory and ethnic groups is numerous.According to the natural environment and ethnic activities,It can be roughly divided into six parts: the sixteen prefectures of Youyun where the Han people live,the Upper Capital where the Khitan people live,the Xi people where the central Beijing is the xi people where the central Beijing is the Xi people where the Central Beijing is the Xi people where the Central Beijing is the Xi people where the Central Beijing is the Bohai people where the Tokyo is the Bohai people where the Zhubu and Wugu people live,the northwest grassland region where the Shiwei and Nuzhen people live,and the northeast region where the Shiwei and Nuzhen people live.Because of the different latitude and large longitude span in these regions,it provided favorable factors for the development of horse breeding industry in different regions of Liao Dynasty.The horses of the Liao Dynasty originated in Siberia and other regions in Europe and Asia,and then spread to East Asia through Kazakhstan and other places in Central Asia.These horse breeds,after a long period of breeding by the nomadic herders in northern China in ancient China,by the Liao Dynasty,the horse breeds in their territory had fully adapted to the local natural environment.Horses of the Liao Dynasty had a variety of sources,which could be divided into five ways: horses provided by the official ranch of the Liao Dynasty,horses raised by the people of various ethnic groups in the Liao Dynasty,horses obtained through exchanges,horses obtained through plunder,and horses obtained through tribute.The diversity of horse sources constitutes the diversity of horse breeds in the Liao Dynasty,which can be divided into native horse breeds and foreign horse breeds.Among them,the indigenous horse breeds mainly include five kinds of Khitan horses,Xi horses,Bohai horses,Murwei horses and Han horses;foreign horse breeds mainly include five kinds of large food horses,Song horses,Western Xia horses,Uighur horses and ponies.In liao Dynasty,the cavalry was an important military force in the south,the east and the west.The horses of these cavalry were mainly "Khitan horses" with small heads and thin necks,and only some of the elite troops were equipped with great horses.After training,riding training and special breeding,these war horses were combined with the nomadic fishing and hunting life of the Khitan people,and then equipped with the harness produced by liao Dynasty.Horses played an important role in liao Society: the emperor presented and rewarded horses to show the emperor’s favor and attention;The horse is irreplaceable in tribute,trade and daily life.The Liao’s military conquest was dominated by cavalry who were good at running.Horses are often used in sports and religious culture.The horse’s unique role in military affairs made it more important than cattle,sheep and camels,and influenced the rise and fall of liao Dynasty to a certain extent.The northern nomads of ancient China already had a prosperous horse breeding industry as early as the Xiongnu period.Through the experience of summarizing,these nomadic peoples have mastered the techniques of herding,breeding,management,disease prevention and treatment,and leather making.Because the Liao Dynasty spanned two major regions of nomadism and farming,"there were city states and traveling countries",its horse breeding technology developed while inheriting the previous generation,showing diversity,inclusiveness and autonomy.Many ethnic groups in its territory have relatively mature horse breeding technology,of which the Khitan and Han people’s horse breeding technology is the most distinctive.The Khitan horse breeding techniques mainly include the use of gregarious group herd grazing,the use of horses to manage the horse herd,the use of branding to identify the belonging,the adjustment and training of horses,scattered grazing and centralized grazing,and the implementation of grassland rotation and other six techniques.The horse breeding techniques of the Han people can be divided into six technologies: house feeding management,disease prevention and management,use of branding and posture classification,horse adjustment and training,group herding,and herding.Other ethnic groups such as Xi and Murong Wei also have unique horse breeding techniques.The Liao Dynasty "established the country by force",and cavalry was an important military force in its southward march,eastern expedition,and western conquest.The horses of these cavalry were mainly "Khitan horses" with small heads and thin necks,and the elite troops were equipped with some high-headed horses.After these warhorses were trained,riding and specially reared by young horses,they were combined with the nomadic fishing and hunting life of the Khitan people,and then equipped with the harnesses produced by the Liao Dynasty.Horses played an important role in Liao dynasty society.The Khitan Emperor showed the favor and importance of the monarch by giving and rewarding horses;horses were irreplaceable items in the daily life of the Liao Dynasty and in the tribute and trade of the vassals and subordinates;the military strength of the Liao Dynasty was dominated by cavalry who were good at running;and horses were often used in sports competitions and religious culture.The unique role of horses in the military made them surpass cattle,sheep and camels,and to some extent affected the rise and fall of the Liao Dynasty.The use of horses by nomads is mainly to use their rapid mobility to wage war,so as to achieve effective governance of the grasslands.This attribute made the social status of ma in the early Taizu,Taizong,and Sejong periods of the Liao Dynasty,which required large-scale wars,to show an upward trend.With the defeat of the Central Plains in the south,the deepening of Sinicization,from the time of Muzong,the horse breeding industry of the Liao Dynasty gradually declined,and eventually affected the decline of the Liao Dynasty.The horse breeding industry and the diversity of horse breeds in the Liao Dynasty were inherited by later generations of Jin and Yuan,and played a role in carrying forward the upper and lower levels.