The Balikun breed stands at 14 hands (56 inches, 142 cm) high or more, and is most commonly bay or chestnut.

[citation needed] They have heavy heads with small ears; the neck is thick, short, and well muscled; withers may be somewhat low; the back is short, flat, and very strong; the croup is sloped with a low-set tail.

The coat is very dense and thick, and the Balikun is able to live on steppe pasture, even at temperatures under -40F.

The Balikun comes from the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China, and descends from Kazakh and Mongolian horses.

[1] The Balikun can easily carry a pack weighing 220 pounds up to fifty miles in a day.