Wanted: Cowboys in China

He said in the next five to 10 years China is expected to become the world's largest importer of horses, although at present the country has fewer than 800,000 professional and amateur riders.

At the same time, Li said the financial crisis in Europe has also pushed more horse trainers in Europe and the US to look for job opportunities overseas, especially in emerging markets.

"Many excellent foreign trainers have eyed the promising prospects of China's horse industry and hope to seek opportunities for career development in China," Li said.

"Their professional skills are much needed by Chinese horse farm owners."

For some large-scale equestrian club owners, hiring foreign trainers has already become the trend.

"If China is keen to develop the horse sports industry, the fastest way is to hire talent from overseas to help better manage the business," said Jiang Wenjun, general manager of Bangcheng Equestrian Club in Ordos, one of China's largest clubs.

Since 2007 the club has been buying competition horses from Australia, Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom. Last month the club spent 20 million yuan ($3.1 million) to buy 68 quarter horses from the US, with the help of the American Quarter Horse Association.

The company also began to introduce horse trainers from overseas in 2008. The club now has 15 foreign trainers, mainly from Italy, Spain, Portugal, the US and Brazil.

But Jiang realized early that relying solely on trainers from overseas cannot solve the problems encountered in the development of his business.

"Our top priority is to foster our own excellent trainers, so as not to place undue reliance on foreign trainers," Jiang said.

So in March, Bangcheng Equestrian Club began to send staff to Europe to learn horse training. Meanwhile, foreign trainers in his club also teach their Chinese colleagues on a regular basis.

Jiang said training a mature trainer, who can tame a horse and make it responsive to the rider's commands, in Europe takes at least three or four years, and the cost ranges between 500,000 yuan and 1 million yuan.

"To train a good horse trainer not only requires a lot of investment, but also needs time and patience," Jiang said.

Bob Hess, regional director of the US National Barrel Horse Association, believes it is worthwhile for China to hire foreign trainers, as well as sending people to learn horse training overseas.

"It will take you 20 to 25 years to get the experience, but if you bring the trainers in, he will tell you how to do things properly without spending that amount of time," Hess said.

"The same thing happened in Italy about 20 years ago. They were in the same situation. Now Italy has its own trainers and its own horses."

Hess said China is ahead of other Asian countries in the development of equestrian sport, and he believes as long as China's economy keeps growing, its horse industry will keep growing.

"You cannot all of a sudden bring hundreds of years of horse training knowledge from the US or Europe to China, but right now China's industry is developing in the right way. It will grow."

liulu@chinadaily.com.cn