Equine esteem and horse lovers

An international equestrian expo held in Beijing last year attracted horse-riding lovers. [Chen Xiaogen / China Daily]

Bai Ying's stained apron and waterproof boots show equestrian ownership is not the preserve of the superrich.

The white-collar Beijinger cares for her horse at a stable in the capital's Daxing district most mornings before work. (The ultra-wealthy pay others to do the dirty work.)

She bought the animal from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region's Xilin Gol League for 30,000 yuan ($4,700) six months ago.

She pays Huanglin Horsemanship 2,000 yuan a month for maintenance.

Bai not only feeds the horse but also acclimatizes it to things such as switches and plastic bags wafting through the air. Critically, she establishes a rapport with the animal.

She rides it for about four hours on weekends.

Bai decided to get her own horse after riding for nearly four years.

"You don't pay attention to establishing a relationship with a horse when you start learning how to ride," she says.

"But you can forge an intimate bond after you master the basics."

Horses at public clubs encounter so many people that it is difficult to establish individual connections, Bai says.

Her horse comes when she calls it by name. And it is becoming more obedient, she says.

"It's satisfying to see my efforts pay off and my horse respond."

China is home to an estimated 5,000-10,000 private horse owners, says Wutzala, editor-in-chief of the Chinese equestrian-website Horse.org.cn and a Manchu.

The figure does not include breeders or intermediaries.

Most private horses are entrusted with the mainland's roughly 500 clubs.

Each club averages 10-20 private horse owners. Most are in Beijing, and Hebei, Shandong and Zhejiang provinces.

"Most Chinese horse owners are rich," Wutzala says.

Many buy for events. Some hope to show off wealth, he says.

About 2,000 horses have been imported annually since 2007.

Owners often visit countries such as Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands to buy horses for jumping events. Or they buy them in Portugal and Spain, for dressage, in which the horse and rider "perform from memory a series of predetermined movements", according to the International Equestrian Federation's definition.