Niche sports broaden children's horizons

Cost

Equestrian courses don't come cheap, according to Chen, the coach. At his club, a 90-minute lesson costs about 800 yuan－a moderate price for Beijing－and many of the parents spend 10,000 to 20,000 yuan a year on their children's riding lessons.

Also, the parents of advanced learners, especially those who take part in equestrian competitions, usually buy their child a horse because they will need to develop a close connection with their steed, he said.

Horses range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan, or even 1 million yuan-plus, and the cost rises as owners have to pay someone to look after the horse in the stables, according to him.

Jiang, the fencing coach, said the annual membership fee at his club is 15,000 yuan, but that only allows students to take group classes.

Those who want to achieve a higher standard will need extra lessons, during which they will put on professional fencing garb and spar with a coach.

A one-on-one lesson costs 400 to 800 yuan for two hours. Most learners will take private lessons once a week, while good students will take two or three a week, he said.

"There are also expenses for travel, accommodation and clothing when students take part in competitions away from home," he said.

"It's costly, but many parents are willing to spend big on it."