An Overview of China's Equestrian Industry
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AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
An Overview of China's
Equestrian Industry
Luc J. van Moorsel
Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Department of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
10/F East Tower, Dawning Center
No. 500 Hongbaoshi Road
Changing District
Shanghai 201103
People’s Republic of China
www.hollandinchina.org
All right reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.
1
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
PREFACE
China offers great potential to particular business
segments in equestrian sports. The increasing interest in
equestrian sports started approximately twenty years ago
and has developed enormously since then.
This development goes hand in hand with China’s
economy which has changed during the past thirty years
from a centrally planned system that was largely closed to
international trade to a more market-oriented economy. It
has a rapidly growing private sector and is a major player
in the global economy.
This report has been written under the authority of the
Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and
describes the opportunities for Dutch enterprises in the
expanding and rising Chinese equestrian market, the
report is concentrated on Shanghai and Beijing. It gives in
insight in the following aspects of the industry:
• Veterinary guidance
• Schooling of riders
• Training of horses
• Horse feed
• Horse stables
• Transport of horses
• Equestrian competitions
• Horse breeding
• Export regulations
2
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
TABLE OF CONTENT
Chapter 1 Brief Introduction to China 6
1.1 General Overview
1.2 Political Developments
1.3 Animal Husbandry Law
Chapter 2 Overview of China’s Equestrian Industry 9
2.1 Equestrian Regions
2.2 Groups of Horse Owners
2.3 History
2.4 Veterinary Guidance
2.5 Schooling of Riders
2.6 Training of Horses
2.7 Horse Feed
2.8 Horse Stables
2.9 Transport of Horses
2.10 Equestrian Competitions
2.11 Popular Equestrian Sports
2.12 Breeding
2.13 Export & Import
Chapter 3 Development of China’s Horse Industry 11
3.1 History
3.2 Political Bodies
3.3 Recent Development
3.4 Changes in Function of Horses
Chapter 4 Veterinary Guidance 13
4.1 Foreign Expertise
4.2 Education of Veterinarians
4.3 Veterinarian Problems
4.4 Farriers
Chapter 5 Schooling of Riders 16
5.1 New Terminology
5.2 Selection of Riders
5.3 Instructors
5.4 Prices for Horseback Riding
5.5 Willingness for Abroad Study
Chapter 6 Training of Horses 18
6.1 Trainings Routine
6.2 Equestrian Capitals
Chapter 7 Horse Feed 20
7.1 Current Feed Producers
7.2 Overall Feed Production
7.3 Current Way of Feeding
7.4 Groups of Horse Owners
7.5 Havens
3
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
TABLE OF CONTENT
Chapter 8 Horse Stables 22
8.1 Stable Design
8.2 Footing
8.3 Copied Stables
Chapter 9 Transport of Horses 25
9.1 Trailer Embargo
9.2 Trailer Producers
9.3 Other Transport Options
Chapter 10 Equestrian Competitions 26
10.1 Popular Sports
10.2 Future Developments
10.3 Jinma International Sports City
10.4 DFZ
Chapter 11 Export Regulations 29
11.1 Current Export Procedures
11.2 Trade Barriers in Dutch Export
Regulations
Chapter 12 Doing Business in China 31
12.1 Mode of Entry
12.2 Differences in Doing Business
12.3 Guanxi
12.4 Long Term View
Chapter 13 Contact Details 33
Appendix 1 Historical View on China’s Horse
Industry 36
Appendix 2 Classification of Chinese Horse
Breeds 38
Appendix 3 China’s Weather Conditions 39
4
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
Chapter 1 – Brief Introduction to China
The People’s Republic of China is the world’s most The cause of China’s economic growth is often attributed
populous country, with 1.3 billion people living on 9.6 to two main factors: large-scale capital investment which is
million square kilometers of land. Only slightly larger financed by large domestic savings and foreign investment,
than the US, it contains almost five times as many and rapid productivity growth. These two factors appear to
people. About 62 per cent of the population lives in the have gone together hand in hand. Economic reforms led
countryside. However, millions of migrant workers from to higher efficiency in the economy, which boosted output
rural areas actually earn their living in China’s towns and and increased resources for additional investment in the
cities. According to the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-Operation economy.7
Forum, the country’s urban population is expected to grow
to 750 million by 2020.1 The country’s ‘one-child’ policy has lead to one of the most
The country is divided into 23 provinces, five autonomous rapidly aging countries in the world. By 2035, 25 per cent
regions, 4 municipalities (city provinces), and 2 special of China’s population will be aged 60 or older, compared
administrative regions. to 10 per cent in 2001. With aging, the share of working-
age individuals who contribute to government revenues
1.1 General Overview and economic growth will decline and the demand for
Prior to 1979, China maintained a centrally planned, social services will rise.8
or command, economy. A large share of the country’s
economic output was directed and controlled by the 1.2 Political Developments
state, which set production goals, controlled prices and While the Chinese government has been focusing on
allocated resources throughout most of the economy. market-oriented developments, its national economy is
Reforms began with the slowly phasing out of collectivized still officially directed according to Five-Year Plans which
agriculture, and slowly expanded to a liberalization of lay out growth goals in various industries for the next half
prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for decade. These guidelines are put together by a group of
state enterprises, the foundation of a diversified banking experts from various fields to ensure it covers every aspect
system, the development of stock markets, the rapid in relation to China’s economical and social development.9
growth of the non-state sector and the opening to foreign
trade and investment.2 In October 2005, the Central Committee of the Chinese
Communist Party approved the draft version of the 11th
The restructuring of the economy and resulting efficiency Five-Year Plan. 2005 saw the implementation of these
gains have contributed to a increase in GDP of 9.8 per cent guidelines for the period 2006 to 2010, in which the central
since 1979 in 2008.3 government intends to lay a solid foundation for building
Economic development has been more concentrated a new socialist countryside. Its aim is to boost modern
around coastal provinces which explains the large agriculture; develop new relationships between industry
disparities in per capita between rural and urban regions. and agriculture, cities and the countryside; and increase
Millions of surplus rural workers move between villages rural affluence. (Naughton 2006). The Ministry of
and cities, taking on part-time jobs.
Year 2009 People’s Republic of China The Netherlands
Area 9.596.960 km2 41.543 km2
Population 1328020000 16 554 448
Number of households 539.100 000 7312 579
GDP (USD)4 7.973 trillion 672 billion
GDP per capita (USD)5 6.000 40.400
Bilateral import (EUR)6 3.845.000.000 25.306.600.000
Bilateral export (EUR) 25.306.600.000 3.845.000.000
Currency Renminbi Euro
1 7
The China Business Handbook – ING – ISBN 0-9552126-0-X Issue Brief for Congress – Congressional Research Service – Jan 2006
2 8
Issue Brief for Congress – Congressional Research Service – Jan 2006 China Daily – Dec 2009
3 9
Statistical Yearbook 2009 – ISBN 978-7-5037-5800-9 An Overview of China’s Pork Industry – Spring 2006
4
The total market value of all final goods and serviced produced in
a country in a given year, equal to total consumer, investment and
government spending, plus the value of exports, minus the value of
imports – The World Factbook, 2008
5
Central Intelligence Agency – The World Factbook, 2008
6
www.evd.nl – Internationaal Ondernemen & Samenwerken China
5
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
Agriculture has set a number of quantitative targets for authorities should offer financial and technical support
animal husbandry in the current Five-Year Plan. Main tasks to farmers to expand and improve production, whilst
of the 11th Five-Year Plan include: farmers should register their farms and establish breeding
records, which will also log the use of veterinary feed and
• Speeding up the development of animal husbandry medicine.
and ensuring the supply of animal products; Farmers would be required to report outbreaks to local
• Increasing monitoring and supervision on product animal epidemic prevention agencies and the take
quality and continuing product safety improvement; measures to curb infections, and if diseased stocks are
• Improving the industry’s profit in order to raise removed because of sickness. They would be entitled to
farmers’ income; claim compensation.11
• Heightening awareness on environment protection
and eco-construction.
1.3 Animal Husbandry Law
The Chinese government has enacted several laws to
promote its country’s agriculture, which would let to
more investment in rural infrastructure and agricultural
technology. In this line, the Animal Husbandry Law was
put into force on the first of July 2006. This eight-chapter
Law includes regulations on livestock breeding, raising and
production, transportation and product quality protection.
To ensure the quality and security of livestock products,
animal feed, additives and medicines should meet legal
and technical standards set which are set out by the
Animal Husbandry Law. 10
The newly implemented law aims to facilitate the
modernization of China’s animal husbandry industry by
encouraging the development of large-scale and highly
productive livestock farms.
At this moment, China sees a lot of small-size household
farmers whom raise their livestock in their backyard.
Horses are an exception because they are not held this Map of People's Republic of China
way.
The Animal Husbandry Law aims to improve meat safety
whilst protecting farmers’ livelihoods. Government
10
An Overview of China’s Fruit & Vegetables Industry – Summer 2008
11
An Overview of Trade Opportunities in China’s Pork Chain – Spring
2009
6
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
Chapter 2 – Overview of China’s Equestrian Industry
An increasing number of wealthy people in China have 2.3 History
diverted their attention to equestrian sports. Professional In Chinese history, there were three major events
equestrian sports are only discovered relatively recently as concerning horse breed improvement and therewith the
it started to develop since 1990. In mainland China, Beijing equestrian industry. In the Han Dynasty, light bred horses
and Shanghai are the biggest players in equine sports were introduced, which were lighter than modern light
as show jumping and dressage, whereby show jumping horses, and which became known to people for their
definitely gains popularity. service in the Silk Road14. In the Tang Dynasty, more than
twenty horse breeds were introduced and raised in Longxi,
Special administrative region Hong Kong is a major northwest China (west of Shaanxi Province, south of Gansu
player in the horse racing. The "Sport of Kings," the only Province), with the breeding result ‘Tang Horse’. After the
legal form of gambling in Hong Kong, is embraced with founding of the People’s Republic of China, 1125 horses of
unbridled fervor. One racing season, from September to 8 different breeds were imported from the former Soviet
June, can pull in more than HKD 91 billion.12 This report Union merely in 1952.15
will lay more focus on the regions Beijing and Shanghai
as the Netherlands is specialized in show jumpers and • In 1960s, breed improvements were enormously
dressage horses. conducted in order to foster new horse breeds;
• In 1970s, remarkable achievements were scored in
2.1 Equestrian Regions this regards and new breeds were fostered in the
In China, there are around 300 professional horse clubs agricultural areas of northwest China, north China
which have more than ten horses.13 The majority of these and northwest China as well as pasturing areas;
horsemanship clubs are located in and around Beijing. • In 1980s, new horse breeds fostered were examined
Beijing is one of the most developed cities when it comes and accepted. Later on, management was loosened
to equestrian sports with around 80 professional stables. up, resulting in the loss of certain horse breeds;
Shanghai has around 16 professional horsemanship clubs. • In 1990s, horse demand for racing, riding and
The remaining 204 horsemanship clubs are mainly situated equestrian sports brought about the changes in the
throughout eastern China around the developed cities. functions of horses and breeding purposes as well as
the application of new fast breeding techniques.
2.2 Groups of Horse Owners
To find out who are decision makers in the equine Number of horses in China
*1000 heads
business, it is good to have an insight in how this market
is divided. There are three groups of horse owners: the Year Horses
first and most important group is the one of successful 1996 8.715
entrepreneurs that have horses as a hobby. They seek for 1997 8.912
participation in this new elite sport of equestrian sports 1998 8.981
and are investing in buildings, staff and horses. 1999 8.914
2000 8.766
2001 8.260
A very small group is the group that owns their own
2002 8.088
horses and rent stables at professional horsemanship clubs
2003 7.900
(pensionklanten). Almost all people within this group
2004 7.639
are foreign people who are voluntarily absent from their
2005 7.400
home country and choose to live in China. This is a very 2006 7.195
limited group because most of these expats live in China 2007 7.028
temporarily and therefore do not buy their own horse but 2008 6.821
rather use the services of the horsemanship clubs. Statistical Yearbook 2009 – ISBN 978-7-5037-5800-9
The last group which is even smaller is the group farmers
who use their horse(s) for agricultural purposes. Most of Although there is an overall decrease in the number of
these farmers are located in the north west of China, in horses in China since 1996, the equestrian industry is
the autonomous region Xinjiang. The Yili-horse breed has developing well. The number of high quality warm blood
its roots in this ‘province’ of the People’s Republic of China, horses has been increasing during the last fifteen to
these horses are still used on the fields. twenty years.
12 14
http://www.happyvalleyracecourse.com/course.html The Silk Road gets its name from the lucrative Chinese silk trade which
13
Mr. Chang Wei – Chairman – Chinese Equestrian Association began during the Han Dynasty, the major reason for the connection of
trade routes into an extensive trans-continental network.
15
Horses in China – 马在中国 – Dugarjaviin Manglai – 芒来 – Nov 2009
7
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
The provinces which have a quantity of horses are all real numbers
situated in the north of the People’s Republic of China, Province Horses
close to Inner Mongolia. Inner Mongolia is the province Beijing 2.000
that has the longest history in equine. Tianjin 1.000
Hebei 227.000
2.4 Veterinary Guidance Shanxi 23.000
Each horseman ship club employs its own veterinarian Inner Mongolia 700.000
expert. Unfortunately, the veterinarians who work for Liaoning 277.000
these Chinese horsemanship clubs are not specialized in Jilin 478.000
horses. More information can be found in chapter four. Heilongjiang 282.000
Shanghai 7.000
Jiangsu
2.5 Schooling of Riders Zhejiang
In Shanghai and Beijing, more and more riding schools
are founded. This goes well together with the current Anhui 2.000
Fujian
development of the horse industry. Young children start
Jiangxi
riding horses which will benefit the industry in a later
Shandong 58.000
stage. Many professional horsemanship clubs hire foreign
Henan 156.000
instructors to train their Chinese riders. Most of these
Hubei 10.000
experts from abroad come from England, Australia, the Hunan 44.000
Netherlands, Germany and New Zealand. Guangdong 20.000
Guangxi 366.000
2.6 Training of Horses Hainan
Whether horses are trained properly and effective has Chongqing 21.000
everything to do with the expertise of its riders and Sichuan 949.000
trainers. In China, there is enough room for improvement Guizhou 846.000
concerning the overall level of horseback riding and Yunnan 753.000
instructing riders. In northern China, more and more Tibet 410.000
wealthy entrepreneurs start to found horsemanship Shaanxi 10.000
clubs in which they employ staff that already worked for Gansu 137.000
them in the original business. With a lack of experience Qinghai 218.000
Ningxia 3.000
and feeling, they start to train the club’s horses. More
Xinjiang 839.000
information can be found in chapter six of this report.
Statistical Yearbook 2009 – ISBN 978-7-5037-5800-9
2.7 Horse Feed
There are approximately four producers of horse feed in as Australia and New Zealand because in the People’s
China.16 Most of the horsemanship clubs have their own Republic of China, it is not allowed to use a horse trailer
staff which is responsible for feeding the horses and more on public roads. But some experts state that changes are
remarkable; producing the horse feed. Because horse feed coming soon.18
as a final product is only offered in a very limited way
and its variety is scarce, horsemanship clubs mix several 2.10 Equestrian Competitions
ingredients themselves. T h e re i s o n e c o m p e t i t i o n p e r t h re e w e e k s b e i n g
organized in Beijing due to the relatively large number of
2.8 Horse Stables horsemanship clubs.19 There are not enough riders which
The more horses will be held, the more stable buildings compete to organize more competitions. But as stated in
and other buildings for equestrian use will have to be the previous paragraph, horse trailers are not allowed on
build. Most of the stable buildings in Shanghai have the Chinese roads. This political drawback makes it hard for
same design, the stable buildings in Beijing differ more Chinese riders to compete.
and are often designed by foreign architects. There are
no Chinese architects who are specialized in designing 2.11 Popular Equestrian Sports
buildings for equestrian use.17 More information, together The most popular equestrian sport in China is, without
with pictures on this subject can be found in chapter eight a doubt, show jumping. Approximately 80 per cent of all
of this report. the horsemanship clubs are specialized in show jumping.
Dressage is not very popular (yet), just like western riding
2.9 Transport of Horses and polo. Track racing is not allowed in mainland China,
There are approximately eight horse trailer producers but is allowed in the special administrative zone Hong
active in China. Hundred per cent of the total production of Kong. Harness riding in China is quite exceptional.
these producers is currently being sold to foreign countries
16 18
Mr. P. Peili – Managing Director – Shanghai Corich Sports & Leisure Mr. C. Chun – Jinan Horssen Trailers Co., Ltd. – Dec 2009
19
Co., Ltd. Mr. V. Vermeulen – Beijing International Equestrian Club Co,. Ltd.
17
Mr. E. Wong – Owner – Meadowbrook Equestrian & Rural Activity
Center
8
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
Jinan – 20 October 2009 – China’s National Games
2.12 Breeding
There is an increasing interest in export of horse semen
to China on both the Dutch as the Chinese side. That is
why the Agricultural, Nature and Food Quality department
in Beijing and Shanghai are looking into a protocol to
establish the export of horse semen to China. Export of
horse semen is currently not possible.20
2.13 Export & Import
The number of imported horses that entered mainland
China has increased tremendously during the last six years.
KLM alone flew 245 horses to mainland China and 220
horses to Hong Kong in 2009.21
Highly involved parties are working hard to realize
adjusted legislation concerning quarantine and other
requirement concerning export to China. They are
expected to be launched in 2010. More information on
some of the trade barriers that infect this branch can be
found in chapter eleven of this report.
20
Veterinair Informatie Punt – 09-077 – July 2009
21
Mrs. M. Scherer – Int. Sales Manager Variation Live – KLM Cargo
9
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010 10
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
Chapter 3 – Development of China’s Horse Industry
Exploring the origins of the Chinese horse breeds is The China Horse Industry Association (CH IA) was
not an easy job to do because it has a rich horse breed- established in 2002 on the basis of National Horse
culture with 19 different breeds and 18 sub-breeds. The Breeding Committee.
classification of the Chinese horse breeds is included in
appendix number two. 3.3 Recent Development
More and more arenas, horse-riding clubs, horse race
3.1 History courses and other facilities are being build. In China, there
Starting from the Qin Dynasty, great efforts have been are approximately 200 equestrian clubs at the end of 2009.
made to develop the horse industry chiefly for military Horse riding has already become a fashion of modern life.
purposes. In the Han Dynasty, priority was given to horse Improvement and introduction of horse breeds are being
raising in order to challenge foreign powers and expand carried out in a larger scale than ever.
the emperor’s territory.
There came a declining period in horse breeding (907
AD – 1368 AD), when China’s horse industry fell into
decline due to the lasting wars in the late Tang Dynasty
and the following five Dynasties and ten Kingdoms,
which decrypted various environments necessary for the
sustained development of the horse industry.
During the period from 1368 AD to 1949 AD, Mongolian
horses came to prominence. Horses and the horse industry
thrived once again. Mongolian cavalries swept across
Europe and Asia, making enemy armies flee pell-mell
at the mere sight of them, and spreading the nomadic
civilization all over the world.
In the Ming Dynasty, stables were primarily run by
the government, and civilians raised horses under the
supervision and guidance of the government. Although
the horse industry was revitalized to a certain extent, there
was insufficient supply of horses. That is why breeders Luxurious clubhouse of a horsemanship club in Beijing
started breeding with foreign breeds.22 The most common
foreign breeds in China as follows: In recent years, the exchanges between China’s horse
industry and the international horse industry have
• Thoroughbred horses increased constantly. Many Chinese entrepreneurs,
• Arabian horses researchers, athletes, coaches, veterinaries, horse breakers
• Holsteiner horses and specialists have been to Germany, France, Australia,
• Orlov Trotters Hong Kong and other countries and regions to receive
• Ardennes horses training. 24 In response to the needs of developing the
• Kabardin horses modern horse culture, China Horse Culture Museum was
• Akhal-Teke established in Beijing in 2003, which is now the largest
among horse culture museums in Asia. 25
Since then, the so called equine infrastructure has
developed steady. Political bodies have been founded 3.4 Changes in Function of Horses
and organizations started to participate in organized The origin and evolution of the functions of various horse
equestrian sports. breeds can trace back to ancient times. In the Shang and
Zhou Dynasties, horses were generally used for chariot
3.2 Political Bodies wars, hunting, goods- and passenger carrying.
The Chinese Equestrian Association (CEA) was formed in
1982, and joined the International Equestrian Federation Horses were used for farming as early as the early Qin
(FEI) in 1983. This association has subscribed 200 Dynasty. Farmers plowed land, carried goods and horses
members since then.23 They are both horsemanship clubs were often used for driving chariots and plowing in
and racecourses. ancient times. Horses were widely used for farming and
22
Horses in China – 马在中国 – Dugarjaviin Manglai - 芒来 - Nov 2009 24
Mrs. M. van de Stolpe – Customer – Shanghai Equestrian Center –
23
Mr. Chang Wei – Chairman – Chinese Equestrian Association Sept 2009
25
Horses in China – 马在中国 – Dugarjaviin Manglai – 芒来 – Nov 2009
11AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
war. Undoubtedly by northern nomads.
Furthermore, horses were also used in games. In central
China, horses were first used for entertainment in the
imperial court of the Han Dynasty.
In 1990, commercial horse races were held for the first
time. In response to market demands, horses have not
been merely used for traditional purposes, along with the
change in breeding purposes.
Now in 2009, horses are used for both professional and
amateur purposes. Competing at show jumping and other
equestrian sports competitions is the main goal. This trend
will continue to develop in the direction of the western
Europe way of using horses.26
Descriptions of the pictures from top to bottom:
The first one shows a Spanish rider on a Spanish horse.
One would expect this picture to be taken in Spain. But it
was actually made in China, Jiangsu province to be precise.
More and more wealthy entrepreneurs have diverted their
attention to equestrian sports and import the kind they
like. Staff and original horses included.
The second picture was taken in a production hall in
Shanghai. Shanghai Shine Kingdom Sport Apparatus Co.
Ltd. produces products for equestrian sports as whips,
saddle decks and horse blankets. After the production
period, many of the products find their way to end users in
America, Germany and Sweden.
The third pictures shows two Russian-bred horses that are
owned by a horsemanship club in Shanghai. The Chinese
instructor of the club is mounting his horse while his
students are entering the arena.
26
Horses in China – 马在中国 – Dugarjaviin Manglai – 芒来 – Nov 2009
12AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
Chapter 4 – Veterinary Guidance
China’s economic miracle has given rise to an increasingly The three largest universities are located in respectively
affluent and aspirational middle-class which is demanding Beijing (15.891 undergraduates), Nanjing (12.655
greater access to international standard equestrian and undergraduates) and Harbin (15.873 undergraduates).29
horse related sports. Veterinary guidance is an important Harbin is the capital city of the Heilongjiang province in the
facility to succeed in these sports and is a well respected northern part of China. There are thirty-two agricultural
subject in the Chinese equestrian industry. Almost all of universities in China. They all provide the study veterinary
the state owned, as well as the private owned stables medicine. Mostly treatment of horses is
have their own veterinarian. This vet is an employee of only a small part of the education program, the focus lays
the particular stable and only works on the horses that more on small pets like cats and dogs. Students at the
are owned by the stable. There are no specialized horse Nanjing Agricultural University are informed about the
clinics in China. This makes it very difficult to treat horses specific diseases for horses. Acupuncture courses are also
which are seriously suffering from severe diseases. There offered to treat horses diseases. In the anatomy courses,
is simply no clinic where they have the knowledge and horses are also uses as samples in class teaching.30
resources to treat such diseased horses.27
The individual approach differs a lot when compared to the
way veterinarians work in Europe. European veterinarian
experts mostly own their own practice or work for one.
The difference is that they take visits and treat different
horses of different owners.
This personal and daily attention of course benefits the
horses. The only drawback is that the Chinese veterinarians
did not specialize in treatment of horses.
In many of the interviews that were held with Chinese
veterinarians was stated that he (female veterinarians
are very rare) was able to treat all animals, not horses
in particular. It is not remarkable that they are not that
much interested in a specialism of horses during their
educational program because this market was never
interesting enough. Pets are more interesting for students
because of the simple reason that treating cats and dogs is
more lucrative in busy cities.28 A thoroughbred horse at a horsemanship
club in Fengxian District, Shanghai
4.1 Foreign Expertise
Approximately 85 per cent of the stables, although they The only university that lays more focus on horses is the
have their own veterinarian, hire a foreign veterinarian Inner Mongolia University. This university might be an
expert to treat their horses before an important event. interesting partner to set up educational programs in the
Most of the veterinarians that fly in to check on the horses equine field and has a long history in this field since it was
of the Chinese stables are from New-Zealand, Germany founded in 1952.31 They have 180 undergraduate students
and England. Those foreign experts mostly treat the horses per year, 60 master graduate students annually and 20
on a regular base by returning to the stable three times doctorate graduate students in the last three years.
per year and extra for special events.
The National Games which were held in Jinan in October 4.3 Veterinarian Problems
2009 was such an occasion. The problems that occur most are orthopedic and digestion
related. These problems have two major causes. The first
4.2 Education of Veterinarians one is the footing in the arenas. Often this footing consists
The three largest agricultural universities of the People’s of too loose sand. This way the horses’ joints and muscles
Republic of China as follows; are overworked. Secondly, equine colic also occurs in China
as Chinese horses, or horses which are held by Chinese
• China’s Agricultural University horsemanship clubs, are exposed to similar aspects which
• Nanjing Agricultural endanger the possibility of colic as elsewhere in the world.
• Northeast China Agricultural University
27 29
Mrs. E. Eldering-Verwaal – Sept 2009 Mr. N. Hong – Agricultural Assistant, Consulate-general of the
28
Mr. E. Verwaal – Consul-general of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kingdom of the Netherlands , Shanghai – Nov 2009
30
Shanghai – Jan 2010 Mrs. Han Jiqin – Associate Professor – Nanjing Agricultural University
– Nov 2009
31
http://www1.imau.edu.cn/lxsh/bencandy.php?fid=5&id=4
13AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine asked the question
whether Chinese veterinarians would be interested in
following courses abroad. The veterinarian experts that are
employed on the private stables are aged between 30 and
55 and most of them have a family already and therefore
prefer to attend these courses in China.
Veterinarians are interested in guidance of sport horses
but state that because they work in an independent
way, on their ‘own’ horses and their ‘own’ stable, that
collaboration with other veterinarians is difficult.
4.4 Farriers
A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care and it is an
ancient profession that deals with knowledge, experience
and knowhow. Horses need horse shoes when the animal
works on abrasive footing, needs additional traction, or
has pathological changes in the foot.32
Equestrian club owners hold a ditto view compared to
veterinarians when it comes to farriers. Each club employs
its own farrier whose task it is to maintain the horses
hoofs. These farriers do not have a lot of experience yet
and like with the vets, farrier-specialists from abroad come
to China several times per year in order to check-up the
horses hoofs and teach the clubs’ own farrier.33 This is a
positive development, the foreign farriers are introducing
hot shoeing and other, for China, new techniques.34 The
foreign farriers also come to China for special events and
competitions.
Descriptions of the pictures from top to bottom:
The first one shows a groom at the Shanghai Equestrian
Center which is clipping one of the competitions horses.
The legs are a bit swollen.
A pile of used horse shoes at Song Seng Horsemanship club
Fenxian district.
The third picture shows a Chinese bred jumping horse at
the Song Seng Horsemanship club that suffers from a skin
disease.
32
AAEP Convention – The Horse – May 2006
33
Mrs. M. Wangqiang – Owner – Equuleus International Riding Club –
Oct 2009
34
Mr. E. Wong – Owner – Meadowbrook Equestrian & Rural Activity
Center – Nov 2009
14AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
15AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
Chapter 5 – Schooling of Riders
No sustainable developments without youth that has Shanghai and Beijing have been selected from a group of
horseback riding as a hobby. New riders that start riding at employees that formerly worked for the companies that
a young age are important for the professionalization of set up the club. Most of the horsemanship riding clubs
the equestrian industry on the long run. In regard to young are set up by company owners. They pick people to work
children in China that learn how to ride a horse, they are at the stable from their own workforce since they already
the children of wealthy Chinese and expats. know and trust these people. But it is not undoubtedly
that they do not have talent for this sport.
The selected ‘riders’ are fortunate to have the opportunity
to develop themselves and are able to leave the factory
and work in a good working environment as a stable is.
This decision is more often than not made, not because
of the love for horses, but because of better working
conditions. With the effect that the staff team responsible
for the training of the horses is not always as motivated as
one would wish.
5.3 Instructors
Many of the professional horsemanship clubs collaborate
with trainers from foreign countries as Germany, Belgium,
the Netherlands, Australia and England. They come to
China two to three times per year in order to train riders
and instructors of the clubs. The foreign trainers especially
come over for important events as the Olympic Games
and the National Games. The most ideal situation would
Mr. E. Wong teaching one of his students be that Chinese trainers gather contented experience in
at Meadowbrook, Shanghai Sept 2009
order to train Chinese riders themselves. There is potential
5.1 New Terminology in the perspective of training centers for riders, instructors
It is noticeable that professional equestrian sports do not and grooms. Especially for ‘Helicon Opleidingen’, there
have a long history in China; many horsemanship clubs are numerous opportunities as the industry wants to
are newly build and there are only a few instructors that go forward quickly but lacks in knowledge and training
can be compared to the overall quality in the Netherlands. institutions. The Chinese Equestrian Association is the
Equine sports is something totally new that has been actuation point for setting up equestrian trainings and
developing to European standards since fifteen years. courses.
This recent development is also shown in for example the
names of the horses gaits. The Dutch language knows There are already courses that are currently offered by
specific names for the three standard gates and almost all the Chinese Equestrian Association in collaboration of the
Dutch people know these names. There are even sayings Hongkong Jockey Club. These trainings are government
that include these gaits (op een drafje ergens heen gaan) supported whereas the Chinese Equestrian Association is
In Chinese the horses gaits are called: a state-owner organization. The Chinese government sees
that the equestrian business starts employing more and
• 溜马 liu ma stroll running walk more Chinese citizens. Twenty students participated at the
• 小跑 xiao pao small running trot course for horse-grooming in 2008 offered at the Hong
• 奔驰 35 ben chi fast running canter Kong Jockey Club. There are also instructors who come to
Beijing to teach students on this subject.
This means that there are no specific words to describe
these gaits. Not many Chinese people are able to 5.4 Prices for Horseback Riding
immediately respond when they are asked what the three Horseback riding is a relatively expensive sport in China.
gaits of a horse are called. It is seen as a elite sport and the people who invested
and are thinking about investing in this sector would like
5.2 Selection of Riders to keep it that way. It creates status and this status will
Most of the riders that work at horsemanship clubs in decline when the majority of the people is able to practice
35
Mr. N. Hong – Agricultural Assistant – Consulate-general of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands – Sept 2009
16AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
equestrian sports. But perhaps even more important is the
fact that the horse-infrastructure is not yet as developed
as in Europe. More costs have to be made in order to
maintain horses properly because many aspects (horse
feed, footing etc.) are not as common as in Europe. The
average prices for horseback riding are as follows:
• EUR 31,00 per hour - with instructor
• EUR 1.650,00 membership fee per year per person36
Equitation will stay an ‘elite’ sport for a longer time when
prices are kept high by horsemanship club owners and
their customers.
5.5 Willingness for Abroad Study
In order to enhance equestrian sports, the quickest way
Round pen at Meadowbrook
to integrate more European horse management styles Equestrian & Rural
into China would be to send Chinese horsemen over to Activity Center in Shanghai
European countries or other countries which have a good
reputation in equine. Although this would be the best
option, it is more likely to set up programs and courses
in China. The main reason is that even though Chinese
in general like to travel, it is an expensive matter to cross
to world to gain this knowledge. The designated people
who would have to go abroad for trainings (farriers,
veterinarians, riders) mostly do not have sufficient financial
sources to travel. Given this fact, more effectiveness will
be generated when courses are set up in China. Having
this said, there are ofcourse possibilities for exchange
programs. These operational plans can be discussed with
each particular stable.
Chinese rider is tacking up
his retired racehorse at
Song Seng Horsemanship club
in Shanghai
36
This price indication has been made after calculating the prices of
eleven horsemanship clubs
17AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
Chapter 6 – Training of Horses
Unlike in the Netherlands, most Chinese staff members Unfortunately, the opportunities for such rides outside the
at horsemanship clubs are male. This has to do with the premises is scarce in China. Many of the horsemanship
in chapter five already described phenomenon that most clubs are located next to busy roads, not to mention the
of the employees at the horse stables are often selected driving skills of the Chinese. Adjacent to this, people in
from the stable’s owner workforce. They formerly worked traffic are not used to horses in traffic. This could effect in
in the company before their general manager decided he dangerous situations for both the rider and horse, as well
wanted to set up an horsemanship club and needed staff as for the road user.
to maintain and train the horses.
But above all, the most effective way to school a horse
is a well thought out training schedule that takes place
in an arena and allows the horse to gain strength
and prepare it for the job it has to do, whether this is
dressage, show jumping (most popular sport) or any other
equestrian sport. Nevertheless, it is hard to realize such
a well considered training technique and schedule when
there is no expertise and experience available within the
organization. This will eventually gain but it will take
several years. More knowledge is needed and wanted
in these horsemanship clubs who are eager to develop.
Financial resources in these horsemanship clubs are not
the aspects that obstruct these developments, a lack of
knowledge and inexperience is.
Material arrangements as stable buildings, personnel and
tack are made quickly, but aspects of the equestrian sports
that require feeling, experience, insight and knowhow are
Professional riders during their daily training at
only succinctly present in the current market.
Shanghai Song Seng Horsemanship Club
Having this said, it is not hard to imagine the poor
quality of riders at these stables. Like always, there are
numerous exceptions but the general way is as described
above. The inexperience is not beneficiary for the training
of the horses. The imbalance, fidget hands and a lack
of knowledge on how to train a horse of many of the
‘professional’ riders make it hard to train the horses in a
proper way. Nevertheless, there are some really talented
Chinese riders that are offered jobs at high- quality
horsemanship clubs.
6.1 Trainings Routine
It is important for sport horses to enjoy an alternating Professional riders during their daily training at
Shanghai Song Seng Horsemanship Club
training schedule. Variation in the horses training prevents
the horses from a finite work strain and getting bored. 6.2 Equestrian Capitals
There are many ways to guarantee an alternating training Beijing, together with Hong Kong, are more developed
schedule. One of the training methods is longing. areas when it comes to equestrian activities in China.
Although we in Europe consider longing to be an useful More experts from abroad are involved and it has shown
and necessary addition to the daily training routines, that this definitely benefits the training of the horses. In
not many horsemanship clubs in China use this training Shanghai, the only stable that has an foreign instructor
technique to improve the horses balance and flexibility. (Karsten Huck - Germany) is the Shanghai Equestrian
A ride outside the horsemanship’s premises will also help Center, the state-owned horsemanship club. The overall
to keep the horses interested in the workload as they will average quality of training of horses in Shanghai is low.
get new impressions and experiences. The overall quality in Beijing is better.
18AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
19AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
Chapter 7 – Horse Feed
A lot of work can still be done when it comes to the feed contributed 5.46 million tonnes, an increase of 4.79
Chinese horse feed industry because of the simple reason percent year-on-year. In 2008, China exported 6 million
that the available horse feed that is offered at the market tonnes of feed and the total value was USD 3 billion;
is very limited at the moment. Specialized horse pellets imported 2.5 million tonnes and worth USD 2 billion.39
for example sports horses or foals is not yet offered by Most of is this feed is produced for pigs, cows and poultry.
Chinese companies in large amounts. Horses are such a small group that the China Feed Industry
Association does not include horses.
7.3 Current Way of Feeding
Because feed that is especially developed for horses is
scarce, most of the horsemanship clubs have their own
personnel to prepare their own feed for their own horses.
Ingredients are purchased separately from local farmers,
mostly for Inner Mongolia, and are then mixed to create
the final end-product for the horses. Ingredients that are
most commonly used to feed horses in China are:
• Sugar beet pellets
• Soybean residue
• Bailey
• Grain
• Corn
• Barley
• Oats
• Carrots
• Vitamin A, B and C
7.1 Current Feed Producers
There are around four feed producers in China that These ingredients are grinded by hand or machine and
produce feed specialized for horses.37 Also in this area it is then collected in big wooden boxes. Sometimes oil or
shown that the expertise in equine is not as developed as vitamins are added. This is different in every stable,
in other parts of the world seeing that some think the feed depending on what the stable-veterinarian thinks is best
for horses and cattle has no difference. These producers do for the horses. These veterinarians have a great influence
not only produce horse feed, also feed for other animals is on the prescribed feed whereas there are no experts who
sold. Ninety percent of all horse feed is sold to the Middle can advise stable-owners and managers on what is the
East, South Korea and Japan. best for their horses. And although most horses look
healthy, this can be improved much more by proper feed
The remaining ten per cent is sold to end users in China and training.
itself. The majority of the customers are private owned
stables and some state owned stables. Most of the horse The most remarkable is that none of the stables work
feed is sold to Guangdong province, Beijing and Shanghai. together in the purchase process. They all buy from their
The most equestrian activity takes place in these three own farmers located in Mongolia.40 In this way, transport
provinces.38 costs have to be made by each individual stable and no
quantity discount can be stipulated. The fact that every
7.2 Overall Feed Production single stable purchases their feed individually has to do
In 2008, China's feed industry has continued to show a with the ‘guanxi’ of the Chinese people. The Chinese word
trend of stable development. The output of China's feed ‘guanxi’ means network in English. Using somebody else’s
industry in 2008 reached 137 million tonnes, an increase of network by purchasing feed at the contact person of
8.51 percent year-on-year. Among them, compound feed another stable owner would mean that his own network
achieved 105.90 million tonnes, up 13.64 percent year- would not be good enough. More information can be
on-year; concentrated feed made 25.31 million tonnes, found in chapter fifteen.
an increase of 1.58 percent year-on-year; additive premix
37 39
Mr. P. Peili – Managing Director – Shanghai Corich Sports & Leisure http://english.chinafeed.org.cn/main_itemdetail_en.php?column_
Co., Ltd. – Dec 2009 id=173&item
38 40
Mr. J. Lee – Sales Respresentative – Xingtai Jiansen Trade Co., Ltd. – Mr. Pan – General Manager – Shanghai Roborant M&E Technology Co.
Dec 2009 Ltd. & Shanghai Roborant Horsemanship Club
20AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
7.4 Groups of Horse Owners
To find out who are decision makers in the purchase
process in horse feed it is good to have an insight in how
this market is divided in China. There are three groups of
horse owners: the first and most important is the group of
successful entrepreneurs that have horses as a hobby. They
want to participate in the new elite sport of equestrian
sports and invested in buildings, staff and horses. But
because foreign feed imports are expensive they produce
their own horse feed. It is a common fact that labor costs
are cheap in China, due to this fact it is more beneficiary to
produce the feed themselves.
A very small group is the group who own their own horse
and rent a stable at a professional horsemanship club
(pensionklanten). Almost all people within this group
are foreign people who are voluntarily absent from their
home country and choose to live in China. This is a very
limited group because most of these expats live in China
temporarily and therefore do not buy their own horse but
rather use the services of the horsemanship clubs. The
horsemanship clubs decide for them what the horses will
eat, in correspondence with the horse owners.
The last group which is even smaller is the group farmers
that use their horse(s) for agricultural purposes. Most of
these farmers are located in the north west of China, in
the autonomous region Xinjiang. The Yili-horse breed has
its roots in this ‘province’ of the People’s Republic of China,
these horses are still used on the fields.
The last described target group is probably the least
interesting because of the limited financial resources of
this group and the rich offering of nutritious hay, grain,
corn and other agricultural products.41
The first mentioned target group disposes of more
financial strength and has the goal to manage their warm
blood horses in the way it is done in Europe. They want to
establish equal circumstances. Responding hereon would
mean increasing sales of good horse feed.
7.5 Havens
Havens Graanhandel N.V. is a big global player in horse
feed with a expanded target group that also reaches
South-East Asia. Havens started selling horse feed in Japan
and was later followed by Malaysia, Singapore and the for
China most important locations Hong Kong and Macao.
Havens cooperates with Tallahesse Asia Holdings Limited
and has its stock in Hong Kong. Experts expect an increase
of professional horse feed as the industry becomes more
performance oriented.42
41
Mr. P. Peili – Managing Director – Shanghai Corich Sports & Leisure
Co., Ltd. – Dec 2009
42
Mr. M. Chin – Tallahesse Asia Holdings Ltd. – Oct 2009
21AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
Chapter 8 – Horse Stables
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of windows are placed to high so horses cannot see through,
building stables in China is; copying. In the past, this doors have to be opened in order to feed the horses, sharp
perception has shown to be a realistic one, also in edges occur on places where horses have to make turns
equestrian fields. There is the famous phrase: copyright and doors open in a way that could be more proficient.
for China means the right to copy. Especially product
developers, but also architects of horse stables are of
course not very fond of the idea that all efforts and designs
can be copied easily without restrictions of the nation’s
government.
There are several examples of Chinese companies that
have copied stable designs of foreign architects. Not only
the designs of the stables but even the exact pictures of
their leaflets and brochures have been used in the ones of
their Chinese competitors.
8.1 Stable Design
Most of the buildings for equestrian use of original
design are designed by foreign architects. Many of the
Shanghainese stables have the same design.
The actual stable building is approximately 13 meters wide
with two stables on each side and an aisle in the middle.
The horse stable sizes vary from large to very large, the
ceiling is high and has an even higher roof-ridge. This
helps to cope with the heat in Shanghainese summer: 30
degrees Celsius in July and an average annual temperature
of 17,2 degrees Celsius.43
The horse stables are made of concrete and do not have
stable-doors as we know them in Europe. To prevent the
horses from walking out of the stables, a double pipe
construction that can be pulled towards the other end of
the stable entrance.
8.2 Footing
The footing that is placed in the stables would regularly
consist of rice bran. This is a relative inexpensive rest-
product that is affluence in the Shanghai area because
of the large rice consumption all over China. The rice
bran absorbs fluids quite well, although straw absorbs
better. But each manager has employed so many staff that
cleaning is no problem. Drainage is hardly ever included in
the horse-stables.
In some of the stables, the horses’ watering troughs still
have to be filled by hand every few hours. This depends on
how much the horse drinks. This is not very effective seen
the fact that many of the employees will be occupied with
this chore during the working day and horses can run out
of water during the night.
8.3 Copied Stables
Some of the stables in Shanghai and Beijing have been
copied by people who have little knowledge of designing
buildings for equestrian purposes. This shows immediately;
43
Statistical Yearbook 2009 – ISBN 978-7-5037-5800-9
22AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
23AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010 24
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
Chapter 9 – Transport of Horses
In a country were the so called equine infrastructure is 9.3 Other Transport Options
missing, you can imagine that regulations are not totally There are three other options to transport a horse; on
suited for this sport as well. Transport of horses is an horseback, by foot or by truck. Unfortunately, there is
example of a political drawback that is not conductive to often only one horse truck per province. Almost all of
the development in the equestrian line of business. these trucks are owned by the state-owned stables. Some
private owned stables have their own horse truck at their
9.1 Trailer Embargo disposal.
In the People’s Republic of China, it is not allowed to
use horse trailers on public roads. This again indicates A lack of trucks requires cooperation between stables. For
the stage China is in when it comes to equestrian sports. example during the national Games in Jinan, many horses
Some specialists state that the Chinese government from the Beijing area had to go to the Shandong province
is already writing draft reports and actively gathering to compete at the competition. But stable managers had
information within the industry to release a law that to work together in order to get all the horses at the site
allows horse trailers on public Chinese roads. 44 Other, in time. Even though there weren’t enough horse trucks.48
less positive specialists45 state that it will take another ten This collaboration of managers and riders is beneficiary for
to fifteen more years before this law will be active due the industries developments as they hopefully will work
to the number of cars that take part in traffic every day: together on other parts as well.
50.996.100 vehicles, both private as civil, in China in 2008.46
Nevertheless, there are more positive developments; the
Beijing municipality started to issue registration plates for
caravans in April 2009.47 This is positive because a trailer
is a comparable object behind a car, which could mean
that the admittance of horse trailers is close. Could mean,
because in Chinese politics suchlike arrangements are
never made in an improvident way.
9.2 Trailer Producers
There are eight horse trailer producers in main land China.
All these production companies sell 100 per cent of their
horse trailers to foreign countries (Australia, New Zealand)
because they cannot sell their products in China due to
But the overall feeling is that this transport problem will
current regulation.
have to be solved. Not only riders and owners stress the
fact that it obstructs the entire industry, also the Chinese
Changes in traffic law which would result in a permit of
Equestrian Association is working hard to change current
horse trailers on public Chinese roads would benefit the
regulation.
equestrian competitions enormously. The current situation
is that stables organize competitions, especially in the
Beijing area, but it is difficult for potential participants
from the outside to participate due to the transport
problem.
44 48
Mr. C. Chun – Jinan Horssen Trailers Co., Ltd. – Dec 2009 Mr. A. Neessen – Clearwood Stud. – Beijing – Oct 2009
45
Mr. M. Pan – Shanghai Nohard Autotools Co., Ltd. – Dec 2009
46
Statistical Yearbook 2009 – ISBN 978-7-5037-5800-9
47
Mr. C. Chun – Jinan Horssen Trailers Co., Ltd. – Dec 2009
25AN OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE EQUESTRIAN INDUSTRY I Jan 2010
Chapter 10 – Equestrian Competitions
This is one of the shortest chapters of this rapport, for 10.2 Future Developments
the simple reason that there are hardly any equestrian A bright future for equestrian competition in China is
competitions being organized in China. But like every forecasted by many highly involved people in the industry.
other aspect of the sports of horses, this is starting to More and more competitions are organized every year, but
change quickly. the number of competition-riders should not stay behind.
It is expected that one competition per three weeks will be
The Chinese Equestrian Association is an important enough for the first half of 2010. The following paragraphs
political body that is involved in the organization of are important for future developments.
equestrian competitions. This association will organize
twenty national and five international competitions in
2010.49
There are two to three competitions being hosted by
local associations, horsemanship clubs or the Chinese
Equestrian Association from March to November.
During the winter, there is one equestrian competition
being organized in Beijing per three weeks. Equuleus
International Riding Club is a horsemanship club in Beijing
that organizes a competitions every Friday, all year round.50
In Beijing, there are annually 30 equestrian competitions
organized without help of the in Beijing located Chinese
Equestrian Association. Horsemanship clubs should get
in contact with the Chinese Equestrian Association if they
wish to host a national equestrian competition and there
are more than five participating horsemanship clubs.
10.3 Jinma International Sports City
10.1 Popular Sports Another positive step was taken in November 2009
Approximately 80 per cent of these horsemanship clubs when the first “Sports Lottery Cup” Inter national
practice show jumping.51 This branch of equestrian sports Equestrian Forum was held in Chengdu, involving a
is by far the most popular one. There are only a few number of Australians. It was jointly organized by the
equestrian clubs that are specialized in dressage and Sichuan Equestrian Association, the Chengdu Equestrian
harness riding 52. Another sport which wins popularity Association, the Wenjiang district government, and was
is western riding. Especially barrel racing competitions supported by Chengdu Sports Bureau.53 This was the first
are organized more often than three years ago. Riders high-level forum to be held in Western China, and signals
compete with warm bloods or Chinese bred horses which the beginning of the horse industry in that region.
are not the ideal horses for the job.
Equestrian Sports and other horse related industries,
Popularity Equestrian Sports including racing and breeding, are part of the plan by the
Chengdu municipal government and Wenjiang district
government who are working together to establish
“Chengdu Jinma International Sports City”.
10.4 DFZ
The abbreviation DFZ stands for Disease Free Zone and
refers to a certain defined area where no one, or several
49 53
Mr. Chang Wei – Chairman – Chinese Equestrian Association http://www.elizapark.com.au/_news_articles/news_090721_
50
Mr. V. Vermeulen – Stable Director – Beijing International Equestrian ChinaForum.html
Club Co,. Ltd.
51
This statement is an estimation that was deducted after numerous
visits to organizations active in the equestrian sector during a period
of 4 months
52
An arrangement of leather straps buckled or looped together, fitted to
a draught animal in order that the animal can be attached to and pull
a cart
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