[1] They became known to the western world in 1994 due to the exploration of French anthropologist Michel Peissel.
[2] These animals are said to contain no ancestry from any of the common sources for most other Tibetan pony breeds, neither Mongolian horse, Arabian nor any type of Turkish blood.
[3] They have refined features, are pony-sized, but tall for ponies, swift and agile.
[4] In 1995, Peissel returned to Tibet in hopes of purchasing some individual animals to study in more detail, but they were unable to do so due to the high prices asked for the animals by local residents.
On their way back, Peissel's expedition took an alternate route through a remote area and observed the Riwoche horse.