The Sailimu Lake is the starting point of the five-day ride along the Xiate Ancient Trail ride in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Xiao Yang / for China Daily

2. Kangxi grassland

Many well-heeled Beijingers polish their equestrian skills and etiquette at more than 10 stables in the capital, but this is the place to go if you want to get a brief taste of the freedom of riding in the open.

The area, known as one of the hunting grounds of the Qing Dynasty emperors, lies about an hour's drive northwest from the city past the Badaling Great Wall.

Kangxi is dotted with wind turbines along the southern shore of the Guanting reservoir. A mountain range in the north means you can get the full view of the plain, water and highland as you gallop through sunflower-filled fields.

3. Bashang

This is where most Beijing slickers spend their weekend to give their horses free rein in the closest genuine grassland to the capital. Bashang, about half a day's drive from Beijing, is the highland that rises north of the capital before the border of Hebei province and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region toward the Mongolian plateau. The horses here are mostly of the sturdy Mongolian stock that are legendary for their speed and stamina, promising exhilarating daylong canters through Bashang's rolling hills.

The nearby Shan Dian Lake is a day-trip option to picnic along cool shores, accompanied by herds of grazing cattle and sheep.