Lessons from a horse power

Britain's equestrian expertise is being soaked up by Chinese middle class consumers

Equestrian sports, which have been popular throughout British history, are gaining increasing acceptance in China, as the country's rising middle class learn the charm of this aristocratic and elegant sport.

Paving the way for wider acceptance of equestrian competition in China is the equestrian consultancy and events management firm EquexChina, founded in Shanghai in 2012.

Linda Lee, founder of EquexChina, says her passion and love for horses motivated her to establish the company.

She says, the various equestrian disciplines represent sportsmanship at its most elegant and capture the passion for adventure.

"I find equestrian sports so elegant and graceful. For example, the riders for many equestrian events are wearing suits, ties and top hats, and everything is done in such a proper manner," Lee says.

Despite being a young company, EquexChina has already established a solid international reputation, particularly in Europe and the Middle East.

In the UK, it has worked with some of the top equestrian events in the country and established connections with members of the British royal family, and built up trust and friendship with them.

Last May EquexChina set up a tent inspired by traditional Inner Mongolian culture at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, held next to Windsor Castle, the country residence of the queen.

Inside the round tent was an exhibition of photography by the Inner Mongolian artist Zhao Ruyi. The photographs showed horses running wild across grasslands. The colors of the horses, the grasslands and the sky made the pictures appear like paintings.

The tent also displayed many objects relating to China's horse culture, including a map of Inner Mongolia and the colorful traditional clothing of the region.

Inner Mongolia has a reputation for being the land of the horse, as legendary 13th-century warrior Genghis Khan used horses effectively in establishing an empire that extended from Hungary to Korea and from Siberia to Tibet.

In today's Inner Mongolia, although horses are no longer used for battle, they are still commonplace, and most children are taught to ride from a young age. More importantly, horses still represent the spirit of warriors in Chinese culture.

In August 2013 and 2014, EquexChina took part in the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire. As a significant event in the British eventing calendar, the festival incorporates the British Eventing Open, intermediate and novice championships.

As a part of the sponsorship of the festival last year, Lee presented prizes to the winners of the advanced class alongside Princess Anne. EquexChina set up a tent at the festival to showcase China's horse culture.

Equex's characteristic logo could be seen flying from flags around the main stadium and adorning the famous water complex on the cross-country course.

For Lee another attraction of equestrian is the perfect partnership it forges between man and horse.

"In equestrian sports, humans and horses work together like they would have done in a battle."

Another is the opportunity they present to engage with members of the British royal family and to bring two cultures together.

"The love of horses and all things equestrian, are bound by a common language, and I believe that the world is beginning to understand China's long history and passion for horses."

This mutual friendship and respect has helped her team to introduce China's horse culture to Britons.

"The horse culture in China grew from Inner Mongolia, where horses played an important part of life in the mountains. Riding is a great entertainment and pleasure of life there, and features in many elements of the Chinese culture like literature and art."

In British culture equestrianism is more disciplined and is a competitive sport as well as an activity for leisure. Lee says she is also trying to introduce this concept to China, as EquexChina organized the Shanghai International Horse Festival in 2013 and last year.

The first was held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center. It was held with the help of Horse Power International, a British company that assists with organizing two major events in Britain, the Royal Windsor Horse Show and Olympia, the London International Horse Show.

The festival was a week of equestrian performance, competitions, symposiums, banquets and a charity auction. It attracted about 50,000 viewers, and at its peak reached about 6,000 to 7,000 a day. Tickets were 580 yuan ($93; 68 euros) and up.

Last year, organizers say, the three-day festival attracted about 20,000-30,000 viewers and was attended by about 10 internationally known riders. Apart from the equestrian events, it also hosted horse culture exhibitions and performances.

Lee says that it is helpful for her team to learn how the best international equestrian events are run so they can take the lessons back to China when organizing events like the Shanghai International Horse Festival. Establishing important contacts in the industry has also helped them invite important guests to China for the event.

Although equestrian sports have been enjoyed by a small group of people for many years, it is only in recent years that it has gained greater popularity, resulting from the booming of China's middle class consumers.

"China's middle class consumers have now satisfied their basic material needs as their income grow, and are now looking for sports and entertainment activities to make their lives more interesting," Lee says. "I feel confident that a sport so elegant as equestrianism has big potential in this market."

Lee acknowledges the extraordinary support that the Chinese government and the Chinese Equestrian Association have made to encourage the equestrian industry's growth.

Also, more and more equestrian venues are now being built, competitions are being held, and the training of horse veterinarians, equestrian judges and coaches are also gradually building up.

Despite all this development, China's equestrian market is still young and needs time to become as mature as Western markets, Lee says.

As a business, EquexChina is also still in the initial investment stage - it has yet to make a profit, but Lee says she is confident about its future revenue stream, which will come largely from events sponsorship, sales of tickets for equestrian events, VIP events hosting and the sales of intellectual property rights and multimedia production content.

"When attempting to build the equestrian industry in China, it is important not to focus on short-term profit. We at EquexChina realize that it requires long-term investment, and we are leading the way because, firstly we love equestrian sports and also because we want every Chinese citizen to have the opportunity to experience the joy of horses for themselves."

Lee says she is certain China will develop a unique understanding and appreciation for equestrian sports, which will also be linked to horses' traditional significance in the Chinese culture.

"The Chinese equestrian industry still has a long way to go before it catches up with the West, but EquexChina is privileged to be able to make its contribution to its growth."

cecily.liu@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 03/06/2015 page24)