Horse Raising. Rough terrain and inadequate pasture lands limited horse raising in ancient China. However, the industry developed steadily in the seventh and eighth centuries. At the beginning of the Tang dynasty (618-907) the government owned a total of about 5,000 horses. Before long, public stud farms were established, soon becoming so successful that by the middle of the seventh century the Tang government had 700,000 horses. This figure fell to 240,000 by 713. Within twelve years government-operated farms had 400,000 horses because of a revival in breeding and purchases from the nomadic people of the steppes. Private breeding developed in North China, especially in eastern Gansu, Shenxi, and Shaanxi, because the government decreed that all militiamen, most of whom belonged to great noble families, should have their own mounts. In the first half of the eighth century, members of the imperial family, high officials, and...