Riders saddle up as tour continues

The 2015 China Equestrian Tour is heading to Beijing, Dalian and Guangzhou in the coming months after its three-day visit in Shanghai.

The event at Shanghai Expo Park, between May 27 and 29 and sponsored by Longines, offered total prize money of more than 600,000 yuan ($96,792).

The event, begun two years ago, is the first equestrian competition solely run by Chinese organizations, which include the China Equestrian Association and sports management company In-yue Full Power based in Shanghai.

Riders from outside China joined locals this year and claimed most of the honors.

Xu Haifeng, vice director of the General Administration of Sport of China department overseeing sports such as cycling, fencing and equestrianism said the event offered a platform for domestic riders to learn from their international peers.

Organizers noted that Shanghai saw its first equestrian club open about a decade ago, and although it now boasts nearly 20 remains far below Beijing which has upwards of 100 clubs.

Liu Wenzheng, CEO of In-yue Full Power, believes that as the history of equestrianism in China can be traced back more than 1,300 years to the Tang Dynasty (AD618-907), interest in riding is something deeply rooted in the blood of every Chinese.