2026 is byeongo (丙午年), the year of the red horse. Along with dogs, pigs, chickens and cattle, horses have been with humans for a long time. Since around 3000 B.C., they have served as a means of transportation and provided labor. They were also used in sports when the chariot race with four horses was held at the ancient Olympics in 680 B.C.
According to the most recent survey by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Korea's horse industry was worth 3.3323 trillion won in 2023, up 4.3% from the previous year. Of that, 53% is related to horse racing. The horseback riding industry amounts to only 63.9 billion won. The number of people who buy memberships at riding clubs and ride regularly is in the 70,000 range, roughly 0.1% of the population. In European countries strong in riding, it is 2% to 3%.
The government is pushing to revitalize the horseback riding industry as a key policy to diversify the horse industry's structure and secure new income sources for farms. As part of this, the Rural Development Administration under the Agriculture Ministry has been developing the "K-riding horse" since 2009. The "K-riding horse" is characterized by having a withers height—horse height—that is 10% lower than imported riding horses mainly supplied to domestic riding clubs.
Withers height determines stability when a person is mounted and the fear felt on horseback. If the withers height is too high relative to a rider's height, mounting is difficult and it is hard to keep balance once mounted. Many riding horses supplied to domestic riding clubs are English Thoroughbreds bred to fit Western body types. Thoroughbreds typically have a withers height of at least 160 cm. For Koreans, whose average adult male height is in the mid- to high-170 cm range, they are on the large side to ride.
◇ Developing a domestic horse 10 cm shorter than imports... "Lower withers height makes riding easier and more stable"
According to a compilation of ChosunBiz reporting on the 2nd, the Rural Development Administration's ultimate goal is to develop a domestic horse with an adult withers height of 145–150 cm, about 10% lower than imported horses. For an adult withers height of 145–150 cm, the horse needs to reach about 132 cm at around 12 months after birth.
The Rural Development Administration succeeded last year in raising a 12-month-old horse with a withers height of 128.5 cm after crossbreeding Thoroughbreds with Jeju horses, a domestic breed with an average withers height of 115–122 cm. This year it plans to develop a 12-month-old horse at 130 cm, the stage just before the final target. If it succeeds in developing a 12-month-old horse at 132 cm in 2033, it will have achieved the goal.
About 100 "K-riding horses" have been produced so far. Of these, 81 have been distributed to riding clubs nationwide, including Jeju; Gwacheon, Gimpo and Yangpyeong in Gyeonggi; Gumi in North Gyeongsang; Gimje in North Jeolla; and Taean in South Chungcheong. Recently, two K-riding horses were distributed to the mounted unit of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Autonomous Police Corps. These horses are being deployed for patrols at tourist sites and to guide traffic order.
Kim Nam-young, head of the Nanji Livestock Research Center at the Rural Development Administration, said, "We are also studying ways to expand the use of K-riding horses into healing agriculture fields such as therapeutic riding and animal-assisted therapy," adding, "As the number of horses that beginners can ride without burden increases, the base of the horseback riding industry will expand as well."