In April 2005, Huang moved to Ludger Beerbaum's stable in Riesenbeck. The top show jumper had been watching Huang's riding for a while, and asked him to stay for a four-month trial.

Through hard work and his strong will, Huang gained recognition and support from the German.

During Huang's most difficult time in 2006, when he was short of sponsors and horses, Beerbaum lent his own horses to Huang and helped him find sponsors.

But despite the ups and downs, Huang has no regrets about his time in Germany.

"I have the best training environment there, and I am doing what I really love. I have nothing to complain about."

As the host of the 2008 Games, China has six automatic berths in equestrian events provided that Chinese riders meet the qualifications at the three-star or above international events.

Huang only took part in two German national competitions last year, but in March he will go to Spain to kick off his Olympic qualification campaign. He has picked 30 events from March to September. If he succeeds in one of them, he will become the first Chinese rider to qualify for the Olympics.

Horses for courses

Huang was not well known to most sports media in China until he came back to Beijing in December to launch his horse-hunting media campaign.

"To participate in the Olympics, I need a Chinese individual or company to buy the horses for me," he said.

According to the rules, to compete at the Games the owner of the horses must have the same nationality as the rider.

Although China boasts several famous horse breeds and 10 million horses, they cannot be used in modern equestrianism. A qualified sport horse, usually bred in Germany, costs between $600,000 and $1.2 million; and a rider needs at least two horses during the Games.

"The association cannot buy the horses for him," said Cheng Qing, general secretary of the Chinese Equestrian Association, the governing body of the sport in China.

Chen said since the horse and the rider should be perfectly matched, the association cannot buy horses for any individual. Besides, the commercial management of sport horses involves a lot of specific knowledge, and the association has no experience in that field.

"We encourage wealthy individuals and big Chinese companies to buy horses," Chen said. "It is a great opportunity to enhance your image at such a high-profile event and also it's a promising business."

The owner can name the horses and trade them after the Games, but few in China have thought about this.

Chen said since the news of the campaign was first broadcast on Chinese Central Television (CCTV) there has been some interest, but the huge cost has proved a barrier.

Huang is back in Germany preparing for his year, but he is still worried about horses.

"If no Chinese buys me horses by April, the door to the Olympics will be closed for me."

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