China thinks it have found the right person for the job. What it needs is the right horse.

The biggest challenge confronting the Olympic equestrian team is where to find the best four-legged friend to literally carry its sporting hopes to their logical conclusion.

"I believe our riders are well capable of passing the qualifiers," Cheng Qing, secretary general of the Chinese Equestrian Association (CEA), said. "But they really need the right horse if they want to go further at the Games."

China now has more than 10 riders training in Europe. Three are financially independent; provincial teams support the rest. "All of them are worried about where to get the right partner (horse)," he said. "But the country cannot buy the horses for any of them."

Chen said that if the association were to go on a horse-buying spree it would likely spur a backlash among the public, many of whom live on a pittance in undeveloped rural areas.

"China is a developing country and people will ask, 'How can China spend so much money on a horse? We still need money in many important areas.

"We encourage wealthy individuals and big Chinese companies to become horse owners," he said.

In China, horse riding is still an elite sport. Most people have a rudimentary understanding of it at best, and few domestic companies have shown interest in signing up as sponsors.

The CEA will soon announce the recruitment plan for China's Olympic team. Chen said the standards are the same for everyone.

Huang Zuping, 43, has launched the hunt for a new owner. Based in Germany to prepare for the Games, he insists that he only accept sponsorship, not donations.

"It's a win-win business and I am not asking for help," Huang said.

His team has already achieved positive results and several potential sponsors are now engaged in talks.

"What Huang needs now is to ensure a place in the Olympics, then the sponsorship will follow," Cheng said.

But if other Chinese riders from provincial teams qualify, "they may miss the Games if our association cannot provide them with the horses," Cheng said.