Northeast Asian History Network

Western Wall of the Eastern Auxiliary Chamber - Horse Stable

This is a detailed view of the Baektoma (white stallion), Hwangtoma (yellow stallion), and Jeoktoma (red stallion; not to be confused with the legendary Red Hare owned by the Chinese warlord Lü Bu) depicted on the southern section of the western wall in the eastern auxiliary chamber. The three horses seen in the image can be seen standing side by side and feeding rather nonchalantly. The robust, healthy-looking horses seem to be a direct reflection of the family’s affluence. The horses and manger are staggered diagonally in an excellent utilization of perspective. One cannot help but admire the outstanding workmanship of the artist who painstakingly depicted each individual hair on the horses' manes and tails.
The horses mainly used in Koguryo at the time weren't the large, long-legged Ferghana horses (literally "sweats blood horse") from the mountains of Central Asia but a type of short-legged pony found in the grasslands of Mongolia. Although these horses probably couldn't run as fast as the long-legged Ferghana horses from the mountains of Central Asia, they likely played key roles in battles that took place in the mountainous regions of Koguryo. The horses' manes are tied up with red straps.