Horses are bred in the cooperative in Guyang county. [Photo/Baotou news network]

Frozen pregnant mare serum produced in the cooperative. [Photo/Baotou news network]

The processing equipment for pregnant mare serum. [Photo/Baotou news network]

Rishengtai Grassland Farmers' Professional Cooperative in Shimen village, Guyang county, Baotou, specializes in producing pregnant mare serum.

Chen Lijun, the person in charge of the cooperative, said that the economic value of mare serum is high and can earn over 10,000 yuan ($9,264) per horse's mare serum per year.

Mare serum is mainly used for bio-pharmaceutical raw materials, with significant market demand. The cooperative has partnered with a pharmaceutical factory and has been exploring the market for technological advancements.

This year, the cooperative plans to collect 30 to 50 metric tons of mare serum and the mare will not be harmed during the serum harvest. Other than harvesting mare serum, the foal born by each mare can also be sold to bring in more revenue.

According to Chen, the development of mare serum production requires expanding the production scale. The cooperative will lead farmers in the surrounding areas to raise more mares, earning more income and opening up the path to prosperity.

In recent years, Guyang county has been exploring new modes of development suitable for the local horse industry, continuously improving its technology to expand the mare milk, mare serum, and other industries.

They focus on lengthening the development chain and expanding their sales channels so that the horse industry can gradually become an important way for farmers and herdsmen to increase their income.

Baotou currently boasts over 80,000 Mongolian horses and three stud farms. In 2019, the city's agriculture and animal husbandry bureau secured funding for the Mongolian horse breeding project. The bureau plans to establish Mongolian horse protection areas and breeding bases to ensure the protection and development of Mongolian horse breeding resources.