Riding on towards the world

Horse ranch owner Wang Qiang with her daughter at Equuleus International Riding Club in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

On Aug 16, fashion magazine editor-turned horse ranch owner Wang Qiang was busy greeting guests at her Equuleus International Riding Club in Beijing.

It was a big moment for Wang－the club was hosting China's first show jumping open, the culmination of 15 years of hard work.

Hosted by the Chinese Equestrian Association, the event was aimed at popularizing equestrian sports in China and giving young Chinese horse riders an opportunity to compete at a high level of sportsmanship.

"China will have a bright future in equestrian sports if more young people are participating," Wang says.

She believes that the popularity of equestrian competitions will play an important role in boosting the sport in China.

Over the past four years, Wang's club has staged about 20 matches every year with the Guangdong-based Camelot Riding Resort and Country Club. Each competition draws 60 to 220 contestants.

Wang has been engaged in horsemanship teaching, match organization, horse purchasing and employee training for a number of years.

Like many amateur horse riders, Wang's first experience with horses was in the Bashang grassland in North China's Hebei province. She first visited the place in 1996, and was soon traveling to the area almost every weekend to ride.

"We usually woke up at about 6 am and rode to Shandian Lake, where we would compete against other horse riders we got to know over lunch," she says.

Wang did not know much about riding techniques at that time and it was only her boldness that gave her the ability to get around on horseback.