Tibetan nomads raise yaks, yak-cattle hybrids, sheep, goats, and horses. Yaks provide nomads with milk, meat, hair, wool, and hides. Yaks are also used as pack animals and for riding. Dried yak dung is an important source of fuel in a land where firewood is not available. The yak makes life possible for people across much of the Tibetan steppe.
Yaks also play an important part in many pastoral rituals and religious festivals.
Events such as yak dances and yak races signify the vital role that yaks have in Tibetan society, not only as a means of daily sustenance, but also for their cultural and spiritual value. Sheep and goats are also important animals, especially in western Tibet where it is more arid, and provide nomads with wool, milk, meat, and hides. The wool from Tibetan sheep ranks among the best carpet wool in the world, and Tibetan goat hair produces one of the finest cashmeres. Tibetan nomads use horses for riding and for transporting supplies, but horses are not milked, nor is their meat eaten. Tibetan nomads' herds usually contain a mix of animal species.