Equestrianism gains currency in China

A trainer communicates with a horse at an equestrian club in suburban Beijing in April. A trainer usually works with and becomes familiar with several horses. [Photo/VCG]

"He is much better at riding now than when he first started," Ding said as he watched his son on horseback. "He is also becoming much more brave after he started practicing horsemanship."

Of the 1,500 members of the Guofa Equestrian Club in suburban Beijing, 60 percent are children and teenagers between the ages of 3 and 18, and 70 percent are female. "It indicates many of those practicing horsemanship in China are not doing it as a profession," said Zhou Zhen, general manager of Guofa Equestrian Club.

After developing in China for more than two decades, equestrianism, which used to be a privilege of the British aristocrats, is gaining currency with ordinary Chinese, who find horsemanship classes of several hundred yuan an hour more and more acceptable with the growth of their disposal income.