Galloping across the snowy steppe, stunning pictures of the wild horses of Mongolia descended from the stables of Genghis Khan




Not even wild horses could drag Chinese photographer Li Gang away from the frozen beauty of Outer Mongolia.

In temperatures of minus 30 degrees he took these photographs of the legendary horses descended from the beasts that Genghis Khan's men rode in the 13th century.

He followed the pastoralist tribesmen who herd the Shandan and Mongolian breeds through the snow-covered landscape.

Magical: Photographer Li Gang captured these incredible wild horses tearing across the plains of Outer Mongolia

Descendants: The animals come from the same stock as those ridden by Genghis Khan and his warriors Photographer: LiGang has spent the last three winters in Mongolia The hardy horses are an incredible sight and only the highly experienced horsemen who have been born and raised in the area can corral the beasts. They are the tribes' source of income and like most wandering peoples their livestock are crucial to their survival. One photograph shows the horses running through powdery snow as a horseman wields a long stick.

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Next Genghis Khan the GREEN: Invader killed so many people that... Share this article Share Another illustrates the harshness of the conditions with some white horses up to their shoulders in snow. Others show the horses galloping through the trees in a landscape of immense beauty. Li, 62, said: 'I have been a photographer for 15 years and for the last three years I have been to take pictures of the horses. 'It is very cold there, but the horses are an incredible sight and I have been lucky enough to get some great shots. 'The landscape is quite harsh but magnificent and these horses galloping through the snow really is a spectacle.' Li is a member of the Chinese Photograph Association.

Great beauty: The animals can only be ridden by herdsmen who have grown up on the snowy plains of the Mongolian steppe



At the gallop: These animals are brown blurs against the snow as they run through the trees